You may have noticed some new content on this website – notably a refresh on the Main Page and “About the Show”. That’s right folks: this summer, we’re hitting the road and bringing Crushed to Kingston, Ontario for my first out-of-town performance!
The process has been a little different so far. Let me catch you up.
The Road to Fringe – Fall 2018: I decide that I’ve recovered from my 2015 Fringe experience (it’s so much work!) and am ready to get back into the proverbial ring armed with new knowledge and skills. I enter a few contests with a more recent script for a chance to win a spot in various Fringes across Canada. Ottawa and Kingston don’t have such opportunities so I enter the lottery the old fashioned way – by sending in a form and a check. I learned from 2015: applying doesn’t mean you have a show in mind, it just means you want to do something.
The Road to Fringe – December 2018: I don’t win any of the writing contests (but learned a lot from those experiences) and am not chosen for the Ottawa Fringe Festival. I start to plan a year of aerial dance performances/competitions and am happy with that decision. I completely forget that I had also applied for the Kingston Fringe Festival.
The Road to Fringe – January 8th, 2019: The Kingston Fringe Festival lottery winners are announced on Twitter. It’s unclear if my name is chosen but a voicemail filled with excited cheering suggests I am. I get so pumped for this opportunity! There is celebratory dancing involved and high fives all around. My official confirmation letter arrives January 11th. Here we go!
The Road to Fringe – January/February 2019: Or not. I attempt a script re-write: maybe instead of searching for a phone number, the main character can be cleaning her place in advance of that all important “Visit My House” date. Or maybe she can be telling her story to a therapist.
Nothing feels right and I debate producing a different show entirely. Crushed keeps calling my name though and eventually I settle on a more honest approach: no “Ava” character, just me and my story. It’s a late night revelation that excites and inspires me.
Yet I still do barely any work. Winter is dark and cold, my job is seriously depressing, and I’m generally not motivated to do anything. Self-care reigns supreme, Fringe preparations go on the back burner.
The Road to Fringe – March 2019: Okay, if we’re going to do this – LET’S DO IT. I submit technical specifications and a media kit. I book an AirBnB and Via Rail tickets. I revisit this website and realize that I’m way further ahead than I was in 2015. Still, the lack of a finished (new version of the) script is stressful. Time to get writing/editing!
There you have it – the journey begins again and you’re all caught up. Stay tuned for a March Madness post when I finish my script and run it by my shiny new director!
CRUSHED 