Huzzah! An update!

As I write this post, the Edmonton Fringe is on its second day. My first show is tonight at 8pm, and I'm all ready just filled to the brim with Fringe awesomeness. I am currently surrounded by a large group of female belly dancers, unwinding after their first outdoor (and rainy!) show. Only at the Fringe...

As promised- The horrors of tech and the comedy of errors that was fixing a bike in suburban Edmonton!

First things first, I had a pretty easy flight out. I got picked up by my dad at 3:30, we ran down to my place to grab a few things that I had neglected to pack, and then got to the airport in plenty of time for my 5:50 flight. My only real complaint was the general boredom that surrounds Winnipeg International Airport, something one should hope will be fixed when the new building is finished. Will it actually do so? I'm not holding my breath.

The flight itself was pretty easy- about 2 hours long, most of which I napped through. I did have to endure a couple across the aisle from me who had one of the most insipid conversations I've ever had the misfortune of overhearing, but really, that's not much in the way of in-flight bothers, so no real complaints. I landed and walked towards the baggage claim, only pausing to note that a man in front of me seemed to be a prisoner of some sort- Either that or he enjoyed holding his hands in front of him while being led by the arm by two people flanking him. He looked a little sketchy as well, which never helps. On the way to the baggage claim I bumped into my billets, Gary and Gay, a wonderful couple who were quick to welcome me to the city and to their home. They have two cats, which does my allergies no favors, but having given me an awesome room- with en-suite bathroom! - cats are nothing, especially considering some of the billet horror stories I've heard from my fellow touring performers.

I arrived in town at shortly after 7 Edmonton time, giving us just enough time to grab a quick bite before heading out to my tech rehearsal at 8:30. We arrived early in fact, just enough time for me to make an ass out of myself trying to check out the venue while the techs ate outside: A bit of a no-no at a union run festival. Oops. After spending the next few minutes awkwardly checking my cell phone, I formally introduce myself to my techs. "How many cues do you have?" I am asked. "Oh, like 15." An hour later, programming our 26th cue I am told "I thought you said 15 cues?" to which i can only reply "Yeah. I lied". AWESOME. To top things off, my prop bag is missing a few essential elements, including the speakers I use to run my own sound cues and to top things off, I don't have any of my furniture. I ask- "Are there any tables I can use?". It turns our there aren't. "Uh, okay... so, these chairs are my table, and this one will be the end table..." That is how you know you are kicking ass at your tech time. Then, rummaging through my props bag, I cut my finger open and give myself a nasty scratch across my hand. Things seldom get better, and as I drip blood across the stage, asking for a band aid I cannot help but think that this is one of the worst techs I have ever done in my life. Thankfully, it's only a few hours long and soon I am free to ponder how exactly I am going to feel during my first show. First shows during Fringe are usually considered dress rehearsals. If I didn't feel that way before, I'm certainly inclined that way now.

But then again, I have a good show that I'm very comfortable with, so in the end I have no real worries. And I get to go home to a fantastic home base thanks to my billets, who, amongst other things have offered me the use of a bicycle. This is huge for me, since I have been conditioned to hate mass transit by Winnipeg's atrocious service and greatly enjoy cycling around new cities. There is a catch however- The bicycle lies partially dismantled on the garage floor, having not been used in years. Undeterred, I decide to spend the next morning doing all I can do to put the bike back together.

The Bonnie Doon Mall is only a few blocks away from where I was staying, containing a Sports Mart, Zellers and Sears amongst other fine retail outlets. Surely, I reason, one can find the materials needed to repair a bicycle in such a place. After all, the three mentioned stores all SELL bikes. How hard can it be to stock some bike tubes? And at the very least a bike pump should be found easily! Well, an hour and a half of searching ends after searching the mall store by store, where the final store in the mall (Sears) has a small spinning rack containing 4 bike helmets, 2 pairs of bike gloves and a pair of bike pumps. This entire mall contained 2 freaking bike pumps. What the hell? Thankfully, the bike tires hold air and my $10 bike pump manages to hold off breaking until both tires are filled, at which point the base cracks in two. Easier to store now, I guess?

So here I am, at a brand new festival, surrounded by fantastic touring performers, all ready to pour our hearts and souls for your money and adoration. If you're in Edmonton, come check out the festival. And if you're not, have you considered a last minute vacation?

Next time: Handbilling! And why it destroys your soul.