Carrie Villeneuve

As I already mentioned, I had intended but failed to post a blog entry every day of the Fringe, but now that I've had two days of recovery, I can still offer up what's ahead and wrap up what's behind.

The Picks of the Fringe were announced at the Closing on Sunday and all shows will perform at Waterfront Theatre; tickets are $16, and online or available at the venue 50 minutes before show time, but be prepared to go early and stand in line.

Dog Sees God:Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead: Fri. Sept. 25 at 10pm, Sat. Sept. 26 at 4:45pm, Sun. Sept. 27 at 2:30pm.

The Honeymoon Period Is Officially Over: Thu. Sept. 24 at 6pm, Fri. Sept. 25 at 7:35pm, Sat. Sept. 26 at 9:10pm.

Oh Winnipeg! A Surprising Musical Memoir: Fri. Sept. 25 at 6pm, Sat. Sept. 26 at 7:45pm, Sun. Sept. 27 at 12:55pm.

Under The Mango Tree: Thu. Sept. 24 at 7:55pm, Sat. Sept. 26 at 2:50pm, Sun. Sept. 27 at 5:30pm.

And I get another crack at seeing TAPE, an additional holdover at its own venue, the Waldorf Hotel: Thu., Fri., & Sat. Sept. 24 - Sep 26 at 7pm and 9pm., Fri matinee at 4pm.

Between last Thursday and closing Sunday I saw five more shows and my favourites were Lavignia: A Modern Fairy Tale of Gigantic Proportions, and The Pirates of Penzance (abridged), performed by students of Arts Umbr. Pirates not only gets kudos for showcasing some young pipes but also for opening and closing the show with songs from The Pirate Movie, since my pre-teen self is still in love with Christopher Atkins and his hair.

At the closing party Sunday night, the Fringe Bar hosted more performers than volunteers for the first time. Vancouver Fringe is the last fringe of the season, and while most performers do more than one fringe, some have toured the entire circuit together since late February, so the full-release energy of the party had an underlying melancholy, like leaving sleepover camp at the end of summer.

And so, my 2009 Fringe is over, too. During 11 fringe days, I saw 18 shows—fringe friends John saw 26, Robyn 20, and Siobhan 9—shared 8 orders of fringe fries, averaged 4 beer a night, was home before midnight only twice, and met a number of incredibly intelligent, creative performers and dedicated volunteers who heart fringe time as much or more as I do.