Can you imagine one performer playing more than 20 different characters? At Uno Fest, solo performers from across North America play many different characters in innovative and cutting-edge theatre.
Uno Fest started in the humble beginnings of a hotel basement 17 years ago; now Uno is North America’s longest-running festival of solo performance. Many performers wish to participate in the Uno Fest, but only a few will be given this honourable opportunity to be on the stage.
“We were encouraged by the general manager of Intrepid Theatre to apply,” says Tara Travis, the solo performer of Til Death: The Six Wives of Henry VIII. “Lo and behold, we were selected, and we are honoured to be part of this festival; it’s such an incredible festival.”
Although all the performers get involved in Uno Fest for different reasons, most are grateful to seize the opportunity to participate.
“I had another show in the Uno festival five years ago,” says Brian Fidler, creator and performer of Broken. “When I had talked to [artistic director and festival producer] Janet Munsil about the show that I was developing called Broken about Alzheimer’s, she asked me to apply again when it was done. So I did. I went to the selection process and they chose the show. I was grateful and excited.”
Some performers this year heard about Uno through other performers and were encouraged to apply for this year’s program.
“I heard about Uno Fest last year. I have other friends and co-workers who have performed,” says Christopher Hunt, performer in When That I Was. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to come to do this play there.”
Each Uno Fest show has different themes, including some that are very personal. Broken is one of them. Fidler, who has a grandmother with Alzheimer’s disease, wrote the play based on his personal experience.
“It’s a story about a grandfather and a grandson, and they experience the grandfather losing his memory and living with Alzheimer’s disease,” says Fidlar. “On stage I play both the grandfather and the grandson and also play a narrator, so I speak directly to the audience.”
Meanwhile, Travis plays six different wives in her play, Til Death: The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
“They are all meeting in a room in the afterlife. They have all died. Some of them are meeting each other for the first time,” explains Travis. “There are sessions where all six characters are having a conversation with each other. I am running back and forth because I need to say each one’s words.”
And then there’s Hunt, who plays 25 different characters in his play, When That I Was.
“The story takes place in 1650 in London. At the time, the Puritans have shut down all of the theatres. If people were caught doing plays, they were flogged publicly and put in jail,” says Hunt. “The play is about an old man who, when he was a little boy, performed a girl’s part in Shakespeare’s company. The old man is remembering better times and that great time in western civilization when all those great works of literature and theatre were written and first performed.”
The performers encourage people in Victoria to come and see not only their own productions but also other performers’ shows. They all agree that this is a tremendous opportunity to enjoy unique theatre.
“It is an incredible showcase of national and some international work,” says Travis. “I am actually familiar with several works being presented this year. I am so thrilled that they are being brought to Victoria. I am staying a few extra days so that I can see as many shows as I can.”
Hurt says the festival is a great opportunity for students to come see some live theatre, with many different options available.
“The plays are wildly different and have been chosen for a really broad range of appeal,” says Hunt. “If you like something new, edgy, weird, historical, or theatrical, it’s a great opportunity to pick and choose and see one and two or all of them, if you have time. It’s a great chance for students of literature, theatre, or life in general, too.”
Uno Fest 2013
Wednesday, May 22 to Saturday, June 1
Metro Studio and Intrepid Theatre Club
intrepidtheatre.com