Processed Theatre's Journey to The Fringe Part IV

Week 5: Our First Week of EDGES: A Song Cycle

By Nichole Carlone and Christopher Pineda

We are Processed Theatre. Last September we produced a successful “Reefer Madness: The Musical” at Mainline Theatre, and are now preparing for the debut of our second show, blindly hoping that we can continue to produce the quality and popularity of “Reefer Madness: The Musical.” 

So far we've had two sold out-shows, two half-full shows and a show with eight people. We have had press coverage online, in print and on the radio and most importantly, BUZZ! Fringe is a fickle beast where one person’s “masterpiece” is another’s "worst piece of shit ever". That's Fringe baby! No matter how good, or bad, or in between a show is, someone is always going to love it, or hate it, or in between it, and they get to tell the world through the always popular Fringe Buzz. 

We have been incredible lucky so far in our reviews and buzz, but there are some issues. Opening night was shaky, and nerves got in the way a little. By the next night, we were once again solid and it only got better throughout the week. The big issue surrounding EDGES: A Song Cycle is our venue. As many of you know, we had to move to the Fringe when one of our actors had to drop out last minute to go make a bajillion dollars filming in Europe. The "regular" Fringe line up was already set, so the only way to do the 2011 Montreal Fringe was by "OFF"-ing it…meaning, finding our own venue. 

Lighting is the biggest problem we faced. I could not see the point of spending money on bringing in lights when there are no light cues.

The "Buddha and the Rock Star" people had a company drop out of their shared space, and I asked to fill their slot. The lesson I learned is: don't ever book a space without seeing it first. In this instance, I would have booked it anyway, as this was so serendipitous. The major issues are that it's a rehearsal room, there's a big ol' pillar dead center, and we have to share the space and be able to set-up/strike in 30 minutes. Our original concept for the space was to cover The Freestanding Room walls with over 1,000 photos of the cast in rehearsal, with the process of our piece mirroring the journey into adulthood. This cannot be done in 30 minutes. The cubes and chairs were always there, but now the backdrop is a black curtain. 

Lighting is the biggest problem we faced. I could not see the point of spending money on bringing in lights when there are no light cues. The other companies in Venue D all rented lights in blues and reds to give their shows a sexy feel, but our show ain't the sexy type. I chose to use the "house lights" and keep the audience lit, which was always the plan. Some people love it, some people hate it.

A Note from Our (Hot and Amazing) General Manager, Christopher: This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Montreal to see my amazing EDGES cast in action. Thank you everyone for all the wonderful moments you have in this show. You deserve all the great buzz that keeps coming your way! 

June 1-19, 2011
MAI 3680 Jeanne-Mance #460
12$  514-849-FEST (3378)

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See Part III of this series

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