Fringe Opinions: Fringe Festival Town Hall

I seriously considered abandoning Anna on Monday night. With the choice to either return home on a frigid evening or brave the cold and head to the Arts Barns in Old Strathcona, the former was without a doubt the more inviting option. Still, I didn’t want to go back on my word, so I bundled up after work and headed to the Town Hall Meeting organized by the Board and staff of Fringe Theatre Adventures. Advertised as a means to gather comments and suggestions from artists, volunteers and patrons, among other stakeholders, Anna and I were banking on some intense drama to arise from the perceived “us versus them” mentality between the Administration and the “Other”.

After checking in, Anna and I joined about 40 other people seated in the Westbury Theatre. A brief welcome and introductions of the Board quickly led to a description of the meeting format. Al Parsons, Vice President of the Board, would recognize up to four people per round of speakers, each entitled to a three minute comment. The pre-selected topics included: 1) Ticket process and procedure; 2) Grounds and site; 3) Volunteer issues; and 4) Other (the catch-all basin).

I suppose I shouldn’t really comment on the lack of attendance by certain parties who had heavily criticized the new ticketing procedure in the media, as I really wasn’t there to do anything more than passively observe the proceedings, but I was still expecting a larger presence from Edmonton’s artistic heavyweights. That said, there was quite the breadth of representation in the group, from past and current volunteers, patrons, vendors, media (Liz Nicholls and Colin McLean) and a handful of artists (including Fringe favorite Kenneth Brown).

Over the course of the evening, a theme emerged from a majority of the comments – artists and volunteers felt that the Fringe had stopped being about them. These two groups felt ignored, undervalued, and couldn’t see themselves represented in Board leadership. From the jilted ex-volunteer Team Lead who claimed he repeated the same ideas of improvement year after year with no results, to the artists who resented not only the inability to usher in last-minute ticket sales at the door, but also having the opportunity to market through posters and handbilling patrons at the beer tents withdrawn.

Some less obvious effects of top-down decisions were made clear by the green onion cake and mini doughnut vendors, and provided a perspective I had never before considered. When the busker circles were moved away from their stands, they noticed a significant difference in their profits. When they approached staff about the changes to the site layout, they were confused with the response that “vendors had requested that their areas remain congestion free.” The vendors had already met amongst themselves and decided unanimously that more traffic ultimately meant more business potential.

Along with the very vocal opinions were several good suggestions from the audience. While everyone expressed that the online ticketing system was a plus, changes had to be made. For example, setting up two lines at the advance ticketing booths (one for express pick up and the other for general purchases). As well, a percentage of tickets should be held at the door (10-25%), or, at a set time before the show, all unsold tickets should be returned to the door (a tactic that would make better use of otherwise drifting Front of House volunteers).

Ken Brown, the penultimate speaker, really stayed with me, and not just because of his status in the Edmonton theatre community. He had been involved since the first Festival, he said, and in the last 25 years, last year’s Fringe was the worst in his entire experience. He even essentially offered a thinly veiled threat that if something drastic wasn’t done, he would be taking his “gems” elsewhere.

At the end of the meeting, the Board President actually read from a prepared statement, but did end it with an improvised note that the Board would take the issues expressed into consideration, and as standard for such an administration, would produce a report in a few months with recommendations.

For the sake of the Festival, one that has grown to such prosperity and currently maintains a worldwide reputation for great theatre, an inclusive philosophy, and an atmosphere unrivalled in North America, it would be a shame if last year’s changing of the guard results in a continued downward spiral.

At any rate, I will be eagerly looking forward to The Big Kahuna, and not just for the plays.

The Cooking Chronicles: Sunday Dinner

I decided to be ambitious this weekend and make dinner for my family on Sunday night. From recipes I assembled from a few sources, I decided on a menu of Potato and Onion Flatbread (Real Simple Celebrations), Brown Sugar-Glazed Carrots (Betty Crocker), and Bison Meatloaf (Jan/Feb 2008 City Palate).

As usual when multiple dishes are at play, it took me a lot longer than expected. The meatloaf was a pretty straightforward mix-and-bake recipe (just remind me to ask my sous chef sister to prepare the onions for me next time). I thought I would have enough time to make my two sides while the meatloaf was in the oven, but I miscalculated slightly. I assembled the flatbread from frozen bread dough (leftover from the package I bought for the Rocky Road Pizza), browned onions, sliced potatoes and a dash of dried rosemary. While that finished baking, I boiled carrot slices which would then be coated with a reduced brown sugar and butter mixture.

Thankfully by 8pm, I had dinner on the table. The meatloaf was actually the tastiest of the bunch (though it doesn’t look that way in the picture) – not too dry, with some added texture from the chopped vegetables. Some dried herbs would have provided an extra flavour boost, however. The carrots were soft and sweet, though I could have done without the citrus tang of the orange zest. As for the flatbread, I chalked it up to another failure of the prepared bread dough: it had already browned, but was still partially uncooked on the bottom. My Mum expressed a preference for an onion-only topping, as the potatoes weren’t given enough time to soften in the oven.

In the end, my family appreciated my efforts, and I was able to experiment with a few more recipes.

My plate of Potato and Onion Flatbread, Brown Sugar-Glazed Carrots, and Bison Meatloaf

Random Notes

Joining the ranks of Dinner Revolution and Passionate Plate is Tasty TakeAways. Profiled in this week’s Vue Weekly, it is another local venture offering pre-packaged meals for those seeking home cooked goodness in the midst of their busy lives.
Lining up for my morning fix last week at Starbucks, I encountered a young man handcuffed to a coffee stand claiming he wanted to be considered their “customer of the month.” The police actually showed up a few minutes later, but it turned out it was just a stunt by a Bounce intern. So random.
More on Starbucks: due to pressure from retailers, Starbucks is testing $1 “short” drip coffees and free refills in the Seattle area.
I subscribe to an electronic mailing list advertising events taking place at the City of Edmonton Attractions, and even I had to do a double take when I read this one: speed dating for local singles at the zoo. Sure, the idea might be novel, but I found the image of singles mingling among cages quite amusing.
In a case of unfortunate timing (or clever scheduling?), look at what’s playing at Metro Cinema on Valentine’s Day.
4 teams are set to begin the regular season in Europe next year. Perhaps it would have been a good idea for the NHL to consult the NHLPA first.
Even though the polls made such results inevitable, I am still disappointed that Hillary Clinton had such a poor showing in South Carolina on Saturday. Still, I remain cautiously optimistic as the countdown to Super Tuesday begins.

The Cooking Chronicles: Banana Rocky Road Pizza

When I asked Mack what type of fruit dessert he wanted to make, the only palpable suggestion I received was to “use bananas.” I did a quick recipe search on Food Network Canada’s database, and generated one of Ricardo’s creations, a Rocky Road Pizza.

We modified it slightly, substituting Coffee Crisp for Toblerone, adding bananas and eliminating the almonds all together. We copped out and bought frozen bread dough to use as the base, though after a mishap in the microwave (it really is a good idea to read and not scan instructions, otherwise, one might miss the operative word “defrost”), I would probably forgo convenience and make the dough from scratch next time.

As the dough had already partially cooked in the microwave, it was difficult to roll flat, and as a result, the pizza poofed in the wrong places during the baking phase. Still, the final product was better than we could have hoped for: the Coffee Crisp added a nice crunch, and the browned marshmallows rounded out the sweetness factor. Both my family and Mack commented that vanilla ice cream or whipped cream would have been a great final touch, as the slices were a tad dry on their own.

This would be a great recipe to put together with kids, and really, the possible topping combinations are endless!

Proof that Mack contributed to the final product

Close up shot (the rest of the photo set is here)

Ice on Whyte 2008

While on a brief shopping excursion on Whyte Ave today, I made a detour to the Ice on Whyte Festival taking place at Adventure Park.

I didn’t stay that long, because while it wasn’t as cold as last year, it was quickly getting there.

Quick pictures I snapped:

Sculpture that won first prize

Another sculpture

A much larger castle than last year

Ice screen for movies (a “cold-in”?)

Slide of death (so named because of my “incident” last year)

I don’t really have much to say, as I didn’t stick around long enough to really explore the activities, but for those interested, the Festival runs until Sunday.

Citadel Theatre: “Beauty and the Beast”

I’d like to think I’m a bit of a reverse snob when it comes to theatre – I overlook the Citadel in favour of community companies like Shadow and Teatro la Quindicina. Of course, the fact that I am an admitted cheapskate when it comes to ticket prices also has something to do with this, and the only reason I have even set foot in the theatre (to see A Christmas Carol), was actually because the tickets were purchased by my friends. So when Dickson invited me to see Beauty and the Beast with tickets he had bid for in a charity auction at work, I jumped at the chance to “see what I was missing.”

While waiting for the show to begin, I did a bit of local celebrity spotting. It seemed to be media night, as the Journal’s Liz Nicholls, the Sun/CBC’s Colin McLean, Global’s Lorraine Mansbridge and Edmonton Opera’s Artistic Director were all on hand (my question – did Nicholls’ mid-centre seats represent her relative review power? McLean was seated to the far left of the stage, quite the snub, in my opinion). The house was filled with a fair number of children – and after seeing the show (ignoring the expense), I could see why – it is a great way to expose young children to the spectacle and possibilities of theatre.

I loved the cartoon-tinged set, and was amazed at what they were able to do with such a small space. The costumes were impressive for the most part (the gold and silver theme was rich, eye-catching, and coupled with a reliance on yellow lighting tones, gave the scenes a necessary mystical quality about them), with my favorite of the household items being the functional wardrobe and the napkins. I had to wonder, however, about the choice to dress Belle in an oval-shaped hoop dress as opposed to a more flowing ensemble in the last half. I would have preferred a gown that moved with her and the Beast while they danced – another mainstay of fairytale romance sequences.

The songs were catchy (I wanted to run home and listen to whatever version of “Beauty and the Beast” I could get my hands on), and while I agree that the Citadel should be lauded for the incredible feat of “Be Our Guest”, I was actually most drawn to “Gaston”, if not only because I was absolutely craving a dance number by then. The Beast’s solo, “If I Can’t Love Her” was a weak way to end the first act, but plot-wise, it did make sense. And while I understand the constraints of time (especially with a children’s production), the jump to an immediate love connection in “Something There” in the opening of Act 2 was much too sudden.

The cast as a whole had excellent comic timing, but more than that, they seemed to have a great time with the play. Standouts: Kharytia Bilash as Belle (fabulous voice and spunk to boot!), John Ullyatt as a hilariously sexual Lumiere, Sean Hauk as a hyperbolized Gaston, and last but not least, the very agile and acrobatic Colin Heath as LeFou.

Beyond the ticket prices, going to a show is more than a stand alone experience for me. I really do enjoy following the theatre community in Edmonton: knowing which playwrights are up-and-coming, getting a feel for the flavour of a theatre company, and most of all, having the privilege to see the same consistent talents on stage. The majority of the Citadel’s Mainstage cast are brought in from other cities, and while I understand the need to do this, I don’t think I could ever build a “rapport” with the Citadel if the faces and names are revolving on a continuous basis.

So while I enjoyed the show, unless someone extends a free invitation to me again, I doubt I will be back at the Citadel in the near future.

Nothing Special: Sorrentino’s

For a pre-show dinner within walking distance of the theatre, Dickson and I met up at Sorrentino’s (10162 100 Street) on Thursday night. I had visited this location many years ago in my university days, but don’t recall anything of note from that experience. That said, I knew that of all the locations, this was the swankiest, something reflected in the prices.

Upon entry, my coat was taken by the host (that’s post-New York number three), and I was led to a table in the back corner, along a glass wall that separated a private dining room from the main seating area. When Dickson arrived, we found out just how inconvenient this spot was, as his chair was knocked about more than a few times from patrons streaming into the private room. As the restaurant was chock full of empty tables and cozy booths at that time, we probably should have been proactive and requested a seat change, but it was curious as to why they chose to seat us in a spot seemingly earmarked for those deemed unworthy.

Menus at each location differ slightly for one another (in both selection and price), but the range of pastas, fish and meat entrees would appease any palette. I had read on Chowhound that Downtown’s Bison Cannelloni (as opposed to the more traditional veal-based filling) was worth a try, so it wasn’t hard for me to make a decision. Dickson was tempted by the fish special, but ended up choosing the Roasted Guinea Hen Portofino, stuffed with shrimp, prosciutto, provolone, mustard seed, and served in a vermouth cream reduction (for the record, he thought briefly about asking for lobster in place of shrimp).

Before our entrees arrived, our waitress (who was obviously new and very keen) offered us slices of warm bread and a chili and salt-infused olive oil for dipping. Dickson wasn’t impressed, and preferred the salted baguette offered at the southside location.

The wild mushroom reduction on my Cannelloni was creamy goodness, but the spiced ground bison was out of place; it probably would have been more suited for lasagna…or a taco. Dickson’s chicken was a bit on the dry side, though he did enjoy the rather peculiar addition of seafood to the dish.

For an Edmonton stalwart, I have yet to be blown away by Sorrentino’s. Dare I say it is encroaching Earl’s territory, being both overhyped and unexceptional?

Nearly-empty interior

Bison Canneloni

Roasted Guinea Hen Portofino

Random Notes

Mack posted about this last week, but Zagat has been put up for sale. While I don’t think the expansion of the Michelin guides to North America poses that much of a threat to the empire Zagat has built in the United States, it might not be a bad idea for the brand to add dimensions or services in order to attract new followers.
There’s a good interview with the purveyors of Leva Cafe at the Original Fare site. Speaking of Original Fare, most of the menus for the upcoming Fork Fest have finally been released (someone needs to demand more prompt information delivery; the event started today without all restaurants submitting menus), and The Blue Pear looks like the best bet. Their tasting menus are normally priced at $85, so $35 is a steal.
Since wringing my hands with the coat check tipping question, I decided to look into it, and came across this New York Times article. It seems the standard is $1 per article (coat, bag, umbrella), though judging by the comments, not everyone agrees with this suggestion.
Anna and I are planning to attend the upcoming Fringe Town Hall, taking place in the Arts Barns on January 28. While we both don’t feel the need to share our opinions on the changes that took place at last year’s festival, we’re hoping to see some theatre play out on stage – artists vs. the Artistic Director.
Mack and I made a quick stop at the giant Stanley Cup situated in the parking lot of United Cycle last week. It felt beyond tourist-y to pose for photographs, but it was also too cool to pass up.

Mack and Stanley

Me with Stanley

Tidbits: Notes from Edmonton’s Epicurean Scene

With the void of local food reporting left by Judy Schultz (the Journal’s Liane Faulder will be taking on the post later this year; in the meantime, they have been gleaning material from other CanWest affiliates), I will be relying on City Palate (in addition to Vue Weekly and See Magazine) for updates on Edmonton’s food scene.

An ad in the January/February edition of City Palate indicates that the Lazia Group‘s Wildflower Grill (plagued by construction delays) is set to open in February. After so many start-stops, I will believe it when I see it.

There’s a new Mexican restaurant in town: Mexico Lindo (16604 109 Avenue) is now open in Mayfield Plaza.

Along the lines of Tokyo Express, the new Asian Rice Bowl Express (8924 149 Street) offers quick, “healthy” meal options.

My coworker Sharon asked me if I knew anything about a new restaurant in the LeMarchand Mansion, and I didn’t at the time. Then I read about the Tazzi Cafe (111, 11523 100 Avenue). City Palate notes to “expect casual eastern Mediterranean flavours with a Greek and Arabic accent.” Only open until 5pm at the moment, they are planning for a dinner menu in the near future.

As reported in Avenue Magazine, it seems Fat Franks has moved indoors to occupy a permanent space inside the Commerce Place food court. I haven’t been down there in ages – anyone else?

Lukewarm Reception: Violino

On the heels of our great meal at Violino (10133 125 Street) two weeks ago, Annie decided that she wanted to hold her birthday celebration there this year. Though she had called too late to book the private room upstairs, our party of 7 were comfortably seated at a quiet table on the main floor. Violino was notably busier than our last visit, with a Sienna Collins-hosted fundraiser taking place on the second floor, and the University of Alberta President Indira Samarasekera having dinner just a few tables away.

The menu had changed slightly (they eliminated the Carbonara from their pasta section and added a 24K gold leaf cake to their dessert list), but Annie and I were both happy to see that the Risotto con Funghi was still on the menu.

We also ordered wine that evening, settling on a Chilean Merlot. That was the start of rather curt service from our waitress, who was impatient from the get-go, returning much too frequently for our drink orders as individual guests arrived, and not offering even the semblance of a smile or friendliness in our interaction. When we asked her to exchange our teapots of lukewarm water for water more conducive for tea, she was abrupt and rather rude about what was clearly her mistake. It would be a shame if Violino lost return customers due to her less-than-warm demeanor.

As for the food – Annie thought the risotto was better this time around, but I thought it was comparable with our last meal. Mack enjoyed his Tiger Striped Agnulotti with Lobster (served with a really generous amount of seafood, and was the best value at $26), while Dickson didn’t think very highly of his Ziti Al Forno.

The very friendly host brought out Annie’s candle-topped cake (leading us in a “rousing” rendition of “Happy Birthday”), and helped serve slices of the cake to everyone at the table. We did linger for quite a while (despite telling glances from our steely-eyed waitress), and though we may have overstayed our welcome slightly, it was nice to chat in a dining room that had nearly emptied out by 10.

While I won’t let this experience color my overall positive impression of Violino, I would be interested to see what a third visit would bring. In any case, it was a lovely dinner, Annie – happy birthday!