Fringe-tastic

So I've been volunteering for the Fringe. From the cross-section of folk during the first volunteer meeting, I knew it was gonna be interesting. Young and old, all more into the performing arts than I. I'll have to bring back those old junior high drama club memories.

I helped with the Fringe Parade first. My job was to walk behind one of the cars, a la In the Line of Fire. I was ready to take that sniper bullet. Or cattle prod performers, as was the case of my actual assigned task. I was gonna take lots of pictures, but it was a bit gloomy so few people came out. The ensuing Free-for-All event was more fun. It's the part at the beginning of any Fringe where the performers get to put on a teaser for their shows in the coming week. I was looking forward to seeing it so I can choose something funny to spend my Volunteer Fringe Bucks on. But alas, I was sent backstage to usher performers in line for their five minute sales pitch. This turned out to be quite fascinating though. Everyone from a single woman not in costume, to an 11-member ensemble with their own kitchen sink. To see the nerves and tension before going on stage. To see them mouth their lines and visualize their act. This is their moment to shine.

My main task however is to work on the Fringe Flash, the volunteer newsletter. It's a chance to be creative, and brings back memories of the junior high yearbook club. Yea, I know, I was uber cool back then. But as you can see above, I'm getting the hang of the Adobe Creative Suite. I managed to find a less than legal version for home use. Not illegal, just... not... legal. I've always wanted to learn how to use this professional software suite. There are truly some amazing things that can be done with them. It's hard to be motivated enough to just sit down and learn to use something this complicated, so it's good I have this opportunity to use it in the context of an actual project and goals. Hopefully, I can post some PDFs for your perusal soon!