The Charm Offensive at the Edmonton Fringe Festival
The Charm Offensive by Stewart Lemoine
Remaining shows: August 22 – 25, 27 at Venue #12: The Varscona Theatre
An interview with Stacey Grubb and Ed Picard.
Describe your show in one sentence.
Lawyers present another fresh Lemoine – and the third time’s a Charm!
Okay, now that we’re intrigued… what’s the longer description of your show?
Ethical esthetics consultant Dinah Block is determined to kick incivility to the curb. But her new clients may be beyond even her skilful tactics.
What tactics are undertaken to “kick incivility to the curb” in The Charm Offensive?
Without straying into spoiler territory, Dinah barely manages to set up shop before she becomes embroiled in the lives of four very different – and very demanding – clients. Setting them straight will require a good deal of persistence, positivity and politeness … not to mention a pile of silverware.
What do you love about working with and bringing to life Stewart Lemoine’s plays?
This is our third year presenting Stewart’s work. But, this is our first time premiering a new one act by Lemoine. It is an amazing opportunity to work on a new play and to also be co-directed by the playwright. Stewart is a master of detail. We always seem to end up on stage with real food and drinks. This makes his work challenging, but also unbelievably fun.
Anything else you want audiences to know about the show?
The company members of the Novus Actors — who are all practising lawyers – are presenting this play as a fundraiser for Teatro La Quindicina. It has been a great mutually beneficial relationship for the past three years. We are thrilled to be able to support Teatro again this year and believe that supporting local artists helps to make our city a creative, artistic and fun place to be.