Halifax Fringe: Day 8

Just like that it is Day 8 of Halifax Fringe, which means that it was definitely time for me to head down the path deep into Point Pleasant Park to the Cambridge Battery to ask myself wasn’t I JUST HERE (yes, yes, I was), to see Weathering and Waiting. 

Created by Jennifer “Opal” Elchuk, and featuring circus performers Jefferey Cadence and Victoria Kopf, this performance introduced me to my new favourite circus apparatus: the aerial canoe. I defy you to find a circus apparatus more Canadian than this. The metal canoe is suspended in the air, and it can either be used horizontally where it is reminiscent of a swing, or vertically where it can be used as a ladder. 

I didn’t read the description of the show beforehand, and so for most of the performance I was taking the story very literally- it was clear that one of our protagonists was in some kind of shipwreck, and they kept falling into the water, swimming under the boat, and attempting to climb back onboard while a storm swirled around them. I was completely riveted by this, watching the way that the performer tried to climb ever higher above the water, and then eventually struggling to find their balance. As the other two performers joined the first one, I started to realize that the storm and the shipwreck might be more metaphorical, but this doesn’t change how captivating the performance was to watch- especially when all three were struggling to remain balanced in the canoe at the same time. This apparatus really lends itself so beautifully to narrative-driven circus performance, which is my favourite. It also just looks like so much fun- like having a big metal tire swing. 

This was well worth venturing to Point Pleasant Park to see. It is a demonstration of incredible physical skills but explored through a very well choreographed and poignant concept.

TWISI Fringe Rating: Two Thumbs Up!

Weathering and Waiting plays at Point Pleasant Park as part of Halifax Fringe at the following times: September 5th: 5:30pm (Cambridge Battery), September 6th: 3:00pm and September 6th: 6:00pm (Prince of Wales Tower).

Next I made my way to the Neptune Theatre Imperial Studio to see Red Corner: A Theatrical Adaptation by Dawn Web. 

Based on the poetry anthology of the same name, poet Dawn Web stands onstage and mostly reads extremely raw and personal poems that are largely centred around a theme of a very tumultuous journey toward self acceptance and love. During some of the poems Web is accompanied by two dancers, Lisa Phinney-Langley and Sydney Ewert, who have choreographed some movement pieces based on the themes of the poems. My favourite scene was the one set in the hospital, which Web had memorized and was thus able to immerse themself into the storytelling to really bring it to life. For other poems there were art pieces or animation projected to accompany them. I found that in some cases it was difficult to focus on both the intensity of the words being spoken and the movement at the same time. This was easier to do when Web’s voice was in VoiceOver, likely because when they were reading the work live in front of the audience I wanted to give them my full attention. 

There was one moment where Web started to move in sync with the dancers, near the end of the performance, which was really powerful. I think it would have been even more powerful if they didn’t have their notebook with them, so they could fully fall in step with Phinney Langley and Ewert, as it felt symbolic of a sense of community that our protagonist was slowly finding- that they were able to be in sync with others, as well as being more in sync with themselves. 

Red Corner: A Theatrical Adaptation feels very much like Web wearing their heart on their sleeve, and it’s difficult to not get drawn in and to care about our protagonist, who is so lost and obviously struggling at the beginning of the piece, but who comes such a long way by the end. The ending leaves the audience celebrating the protagonist’s accomplishments and filled with a sense of optimism that is very much appreciated in these dark cynical times. 

Vivid Illusion Creative Studio’s production of Red Corner: A Theatrical Adaptation has one more performance at Halifax Fringe on Friday, September 5th, 2025 at 8:45pm.

I returned to the Imperial Studio a bit later in the evening to see Buelah of the Moor, written and directed by Drue Robyn. 

Told in the style of The Twilight Zone (1959) we meet our suave, fast-talking urban narrator Rod Sterling (played by James Gerus), who tells us that we are about to embark on a story to get to the bottom of the age old question: how are witches born?

We are then transported to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia where we meet Bailey Marie (Katherine Currie), her husband Alec (also Gerus), her friends, and the townsfolk who live around the new farmhouse she and Alec have recently acquired. Over time Bailey Marie renounces her former self and becomes Buelah, a witch of the moor. 

I have to say that while I’m familiar with the concept of The Twilight Zone, I’ve never seen an episode of the series, so I’m not sure how the stories usually go. I really liked the way Robyn wrote Rod Sterling, and James Gerus does a really great job of capturing a very specific genre, while remaining really rooted and grounded in the character. I also liked the way that Robyn wrote the scenes between Bailey Marie’s friends, Maggie, played by Cat McClusky, and Riley, played by Lucian Johnston. These characters also felt really grounded, this time in the reality of life in Cape Breton, and Robyn does a great job of bringing in some specific eccentricities from the Island that will be familiar to audience members. 

A lot of the play is performed in a really heightened state, and I think the piece would be better served if the tone was more kitchen sink realism until the magic changes Bailey Marie, as then she would be the only character whose odd behaviour is in stark contrast to the rest of the town. I wanted to know more clearly why Bailey Marie was susceptible to this Black magic, and how exactly did it find her- because apart from having a dope of a husband, she seems like she has options, promise, and supports to leave Alec the old fashioned way. I also wanted to have a clearer sense of exactly what sort of witch she was- are we talking Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing from Practical Magic or the Old Hag from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?

I think the more Robyn can separate the magical transformation from the more mundane contemporary life in this small Nova Scotian town the more clarity and comedy will continue to emerge. I also want to know way more about the cows. 

Buelah of the Moor has one more BONUS show September 6th at 9:00 pm as part of Halifax Fringe.

Halifax Fringe runs from August 27th to September 7th, 2025 in venues throughout the downtown and North End of Halifax. For more information and to make your Fringe schedule please visit this website. All official Fringe venues are wheelchair accessible and have all gender washrooms. For Fort Massey Church, if you are a wheelchair user, please contact the Box Office ahead of the show. Each show has at least one mask mandatory performance. Grab a Fringe Guide at any of the venues for a handy way to follow along with all the events at the festival. See ya there! 

A Note On TWISI Fringe Ratings:

I have never liked rating Fringe shows, or any shows, using the 5 Star system as I have done in the past, so I started doing something new. From now on I will just be highlighting what I think are 4 or 5 Star Fringe Shows. A Two Thumbs Up Rating equals roughly to 4 Stars, while A Two Thumbs Jump Rating equals 5 Stars. I have stolen (with permission) “Two Thumbs Jump” from my friend Lenny Clayton, who is awesome, who came up with this phrase when she was a young kid reviewing films on YouTube.