The mundane and the biblical

The 2003 Vancouver Fringe Festival features several Jewish performers.

This year's Vancouver Fringe Festival has new events, new venues and lots of new productions. Here are some that have Jewish performers or Jewish-related themes.

On becoming a woman

Among the performances at the Fringe's first KidsFringe is The Visitor, written by Joelly Segal and produced by Hair Brain Productions. A comedy, The Visitor is about a young girl's journey into womanhood. Casey locks herself in her room when her family discovers she has had her period. She is then joined by a magical visitor who guides her through the momentous occasion.

The Visitor is geared for viewers ages 10 and up. It plays at the Bar-Be-Cue Pit in Sutcliffe Park (behind the community centre on Granville Island) Sept. 12, 6 p.m.; Sept. 13, 1:15 p.m.; and Sept. 14, 5:30 p.m.

"Working" at self help

Barry Greenfeld, Heather Swallow and Sid Filkow (Greenfellow Productions) offer Fringe-goers the comedy You're Fired. Local actors Filkow and Greenfeld "employ" their interactive, improvisational comedic style to create a multimedia take on self-help seminars. Through slides, videotaped interviews and sketches developed from real-life firings, viewers will be inspired to reach what Filkow and Greenfeld dub "Firedom" (sort of like Nirvana for people who can't – or choose not to – hold a job).

You're Fired is for ages 14 and up. Performances are at Campoverde, 1660 Cypress St., on Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m.; Sept. 13, 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; and Sept. 14, 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. There is one show at Zizanie, 1607 West 7th Ave., on Sept. 14 at 10 p.m.

A mysterious operation

In The Doctor is Sick, Dr. Edwin Spindrift, a professor and doctor of philology at a college in Moulmein, Burma, finds himself in a London hospital room where he awaits a mysterious operation. Written by T.J. Dawe, The Doctor is adapted from the novel by Anthony Burgess. The Fringe performance is directed by John Verhaeven and features Toby Berner, Matthew Bissett, Josh Drebit and Lyndsay Johnston playing a total of 43 characters.

The Doctor is at Venue 2, Studio 17, 1565 West 7th Ave., on Sept. 12, 4:15 p.m.; and Sept. 13, 10:30 p.m.

The tribulations of Job

Eli Batalion and Jerome Saibil, also known as MC Abel and MC Cain, update and retell the biblical story of Job through hip-hop in the aptly titled Job: The Hip-Hop Musical. Appropriate for audiences of all ages, Job shows at Venue 8, Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright St., on Sept. 11, 5:15 p.m.; Sept. 12, 7:45 p.m.; and Sept. 13, noon.

Buying Fringe tickets

The Vancouver Fringe Festival runs until Sept. 14, after which the best of the year's productions will have another limited run, from Sept. 18-21. Advance tickets for all productions are for sale through Festival box office and can be ordered online at www.festivalboxoffice.com or by calling 604-257-0366.

Until Sept. 13, purchase tickets from the Festival box office, 1402 Anderson St. on Granville Island, from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; and from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sept. 14. FringeTix, the onsite ticketing booth beside the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island, operates from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. until Sept. 13 and from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sept. 14.

Advance tickets can be purchased up to four hours before the start of every performance (even online) and can be paid by Visa, MasterCard, AMEX or cash. At the door, only cash is accepted. Tickets are sold 15 minutes after the start of the previous show (50 minutes before the first show of the day).

Fringe tickets are $11/$10 in advance and $9/$8 at the door (except the venuette shows which are $4 in advance and $3 at the door). KidsFringe tickets are $10 in advance and $8 at the door for adults, and $6 in advance and $5 at the door for kids. There are also Frequent Fringer Passes (10 shows for $75), Student Passes (five shows for $37.50, with valid student card) and Buddy Passes (16 admissions for $120). All ticket sales are final.

Besides a ticket or a pass, everyone needs a Passport to get into a show. Passports cost $2 and are available from Festival box office, the Fringe information centre and at all performance venues. The fee helps TheatreSpace Society make this event happen, since all Fringe ticket revenue goes directly to the performers.

For more information on the many Fringe shows and events being presented, visit www.vancouverfringe.com or the Fringe information centre located beside the Waterfront Theatre, 1412 Cartwright St. on Granville Island.

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