Cam and Legs

Created by Brian Fidler

Original Production Directed by Amiel Gladstone

Music by Jordy Walker, Andre Gagne and Jon Gelinas

The Story

Legs, a lonely DJ, dreams of making the cover of DJ Magazine.  On his journey he visits an enchanted pawnshop, travels through outer space and befriends a camera that catapults him to the brink of fulfilling his dream.

Headless puppets, breakdancing and betrayal.

About the Show

Cam and Legs was originally conceived in the Yukon as a puppet show in a suitcase and then developed through a three-month residency with international touring company Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia.

Cam and Legs features funky puppets, magical suitcases and a stellar original soundtrack.  It is part puppet dance show, part skate video and is both kid and adult friendly.

What people have said about Cam and Legs

“Cam and Legs is a tiny, beautiful, funny piece of theatre. Fringe festival goers always dream of shows like this one: you stumble in, almost late, to a one-third filled theatre to see a show you know nothing about. And you emerge, 45 minutes later, absolutely thrilled…5 stars”

~Stephen Hunt

Calgary Herald

The Calgary Herald chose Cam and Legs as one of the “Picks of the Calgary Fringe Festival”, as well as one of their 20 best theatre and entertainment events in 2008.

Cam and Legs has been presented at the Uno Festival in Victoria, the Vancouver Fringe Festival, the Calgary Fringe Festival, the Old Firehall in Whitehorse and has toured Yukon communities.

Fully Committed

Written by Becky Mode

A co-presentation with the Guild Hall

Featuring Brian Fidler

Directed by David Mckay

Set Design by Dean Eyre

February 2009

The Story

This devastatingly funny one act follows a day in the life of Sam Peliczowski, an out-of-work actor who mans the red-hot reservation line at Manhattan’s number-one restaurant. Coercion, threats, bribes, histrionics—a cast of desperate callers will stop at nothing in their zeal to land a prime reservation, or the right table. Amid the barrage, Sam’s got his own needs to contend with—his recently widowed dad wants him home for Christmas, and he’s up for a choice part at Lincoln Center. While juggling scheming socialites, name-dropping wannabes, fickle celebrities and egomaniacal bosses, can he manage to look out for himself?

What people have said about Fully Committed

“Fidler grabbed the audience very early in this play, slung us on his back and took us on a roller coaster ride. We went up. We went down. We hoped, for Sam’s sake, this ride would end at the top of that roller coaster.

Fidler’s skills as an actor far outstripped his ability to ‘do funny voices’. With no costume for each of these roles (except, of course, for Sam), and no background information, Fidler nevertheless conveys a rich characterization for each … immediately.”

~Darrell Hookey What’s Up Yukon

For full review go to:

http://www.whatsupyukon.com/index.php/archive/913-fully-committed-brian-fidler-did-it.html

Tales from the Props Shed

Created and Performed by Brian Fidler and Jordy Walker

2008

The Story

A found objects dark comedy about sex, death and madness.

Brian and Jordy gleefully mine the Guild theatre’s props shed creating new stories from junk.

About the show

In the spring of 2008 Ramshackle took over the props shed behind the community theatre in Whitehorse, Yukon.  We left most of the props in the shed but organized the space so we could fit in 12 chairs for the audience.  We created a stage area with two stations: one for Brian to perform with the props as puppets and the other for Jordy to “play” the props as a musical landscape to the puppet shows.

We spent 3 weeks exploring the props in the shed and developed 3 short plays with music and puppets.  Brian used a portable light to travel around the shed illuminating each of the stories.  Jordy found a tape player and manipulated the speed and pitch of cassette tapes.  He also banged on a milk jug, a prop television set and rattled some sticks.

Ramshackle presented Tales from the Props Shed during Nakai Theatre’s Homegrown Festival in May, 2008.   We planned to do 12 shows over 3 days but the audiences kept growing so we did 3 extra shows.

The Cloaker and the Cabinet

Directed by Neil Cadger

Created and Performed by Brian Fidler and Jon Gelinas

Music by Jon Gelinas.

2006-2007

The Story

The Cloaker, a mysterious hooded figure, is the keeper of the cabinet, a magic box big enough to fit one person.  The Cloaker solicits an audience member to come up and try his cabinet.  Once inside the cabinet, the volunteer becomes possessed, thrown into an ecstatic dance and is compelled to perform a puppet show that foretells his own fate.

About the Show

Ramshackle created The Cloaker and the Cabinet in the spring of 2006 and premiered it in the Yukon at Nakai Theatre’s Homegrown Festival.  We remounted the show for Seed of Homegrown, a spin off festival featuring the best acts from Homegrown.

With the help of director Neil Cadger we developed the show further and in 2007 we were selected and performed at Summerworks Festival in Toronto.

What people have said about The Cloaker and the Cabinet

The Cloaker and the Cabinet received an Outstanding Design commendation from Toronto’s  Now magazine.