Carrie Villeneuve
I only got to one show, but I blame the master schedule for that: there wasn't a show start time at any venue between 5:15 and 7 for some reason. Not only did this inhibit my fringe show count, but I couldn't even get a Fringe beer because the Agro Cafe was closed in order to transform into the Fringe Bar. And the show, Straight From That Side Of Town, didn't wow me, especially after the highs of Oh Winnipeg! and Biographies. My friend John and I are at odds on this one: he liked it and thought Catherine Montgomery did a good job; I thought the story was ok but the performance was meh.
During my shift, the Island was eerily quiet, although The Accident was sold out over at Waterfront Theatre, and even the radio didn't have much traffic. Granville Island is a strange place: there could be a ton of people at one venue, and they'll have no impact or presence on any other venue, no matter how near each other. I got to close the venue down before midnight for the first time, again because of the unusual schedule, and headed to the Bar. I wasn't surprised to see only performers and volunteers there. Another thing about the Island is people don't tend to stick around after a show and hang at the Bar, which is too bad because the yam fries are fantastic and Fringe gossip rules. And since the volunteers there closed early, not because of the schedule but because there were so few of us, we finally got to pop the cherry of the Green Room, intended to be a secondary bar for passholders to ease any overcrowding over at the Fringe Bar, but haven't had the need.
