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The Fringe Festival Offers Something for Everyone by Joanne time. T h e script, at times m o v i n g , at times humourous, is the c o l l a b o r a tive effort o f many writers: c o l leagues o f the production team as w e l l as the five actors. The end product is a " m o v i n g theatre piece," a montage o f poems, monologues, and duologues w h i c h are gesture scored. These gestures, w h i c h resemble sign language, are invented by the actors and are designed to underline the script. One of the subthemes o f the play is breast cancer and the different effects it can have on people. Three o f Penniless Cast Theatre, of theatre F. Villeneuve w o u l d say, defines us as a nation and as a people. How many o f us played street hockey? O r cried when the Rangers w o n the Stanley C u p ? O r watched T h e G a m e religiously with D a d every Saturday night? O r w h o now w i s h they hadn't clipped their Wayne Gretsky rookie cards to the spokes o f their b i c y c l e wheels? W e a l l have some memories o f hockey. Those kinds o f memories are the resources from w h i c h H i g g i n s , a diehard C a n u c k fan, and her troupe are pooling. It was H i g g i n ' s idea to make h o c k e y the theme o f this c o m edy, and her enthusiasm for the sport was echoed by her colleagues. D u r i n g the hockey season, they a l l meet at a North Vancouver pub to watch the C a n u c k s play and to discuss a l l the current stats and related events. T h e y took those shared moments as well as other hockey experiences, from c h i l d h o o d to the present, to create vignettes, m o n o logues, and exchanges about the fans. The G a m e , and the C a n u c k phenomenon. A l t h o u g h the recent trades (e.g., M a r c Messier) have put Vancouver back on the hockey map, it meant many rewrites for the N u c k l e h e a d team. H o w e v e r , the end result, presented by T i n a C o u s i n s , M i k e F i t z patrick, Jacques L a l o n d e , Bruce Spinney. D a n Tinaburri. and A s t r i d Varnes, promises a series o f sidesplitting scenes to w h i c h most o f us can relate, s o The Penniless Theatre Production of M o r e than 100 groups, from Deep C o v e to E n g l a n d and everywhere in between, w i l l tread the boards o f the eight stages i n the C o m m e r c i a l D r i v e neighbourhood at the 13th annual Fringe Festival. The N o r t h Shore contribution to the more than 500 shows includes the " h o c u m e n tary"-- Nucklehead Fever!, a comedy about hockey, as well as Passion and the Pocket Watch, a series o f sketches about universal issues. The Penniless Theatre, lead by S i m o n Fraser University graduate Judi Price, is presenting Passion and the Pocketwatch at the F i r e H a l l Theatre. This is the Penniless' sixth appearance at the Fringe. This year the troupe, which usually focusses on women's issues, uses comedy to explore a wide range of human concerns. A s its title suggests, the play c o n sists o f two themes: passion and the characters are afflicted with the disease. One o f the writers i n v o l v e d with the play has experienced breast cancer firsthand. A n o t h e r subtheme is a high school party in the '70's to w h i c h all o f the cast members refer. The juxtaposition o f characters and unrelated skits interweaves around these themes and subthemes, w o r k i n g backwards chronologically to the night o f this party. The actors--Tony Ferrone, Catherine Rachey, C y n n a m o n Schreinert, C o r r i e Saari-Heckley, and L o u i s C h i r i l l o -- a l l embody several characters, and they are always on stage, in one guise or another. W h i l e one group is performing, the others are in the background "frozen" i n time. The whole production, directed by Price and Jeannie Western, creates a textured drama with much food for thought. F r o m life issues to fanatical hockey buffs...a group o f fans, lead by a w o m a n , no less, got together and produced Nucklehead Fever! These six hockey aficionados/actors, with Piglet Productions' director-actor Carole H i g g i n s at the helm, all c o n tributed to the writing and production o f the show. T h i s is their second year at the Fringe, f o l l o w i n g their successful run o f Relationship, and wonderful characters takes many looks at a sport w h i c h , some at members Passion & the Pocket W a t c h . Cost o f Nucklehead Fever! Passion and the Pocket W a t c h will be held at the Firehall from September Arts Theatre Piglet 7 to 14. Productions' from p/oy.Nucklehead Fever at the WISE 4 to 8. Please Hall call will be presented September 275-0350 Joanne writer for more F.Villeneuve is a information. freelance last year's festival. The cast o f w i l d living in Kitsilano.