Fringe: Colonial Circus – History. Clown Style

Posted on by Thor

Two2Mango from Toronto Ontario Canada presented Colonial Circus – History. Clown Style at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This was an interactive show that featured two clowns in white face who pretended to be British Colonizers. In an abstract way they walked the audience through the absurdist history of Colonialism.

The stage entrance was a mesmerizing slow procession where the male clown walked slowly on stage wrapped in a red sheet that the female clown held behind him. This made him appear like the prow of a boat. Getting to center stage must have taken 5 minutes or so. Once at the center stage the audience was asked if they had any questions. When someone did eventually ask a question, the two went off stage and began the long laborious procession again. When they asked the audience a question second time, they were visibly upset that they had to go through the motions again. I forgot exactly how many times they went through the procession but it was exhausting and hilarious.

Performers, Shreya Parashar and Sachin Sharma were originally from India before setting in Toronto. Before the pandemic the performers practiced improve comedy, but they soon realized that they love physical comedy which is more universal, in that it doesn’t rely on words to get the point across. The show isn’t really a circus in any way shape or form, but as clowns, the performers managed to mix laughter with deadpan pokes at how the British raped colonies and forcibly replaced deities with Jesus. Audience members were invited on stage and they reenacted a ship sailing across high seas.

One absurd situation followed another. I was laughing out loud, but not exactly sure why. The show tackles the serious topic of colonialism with absurdist humor that pokes fun at what Brits would see as business as usual with a cup of tea. The show offers physical comedy with a political bite which I love.  It didn’t just offer laughs, but also made the audience think.

Infectious Children

Posted on by Thor

A study has found that younger children are more likely to spread COVID-19 in a family setting compared with older children. Specifically, children 3 or younger were more likely to spread the virus to household members compared with those aged 14 to 17.

The study, published in JAMA, analyzed public health data from Ontario, Canada, to identify COVID clusters in which a child was the primary case within households.

Earlier in the pandemic, some scientists suggested the risk of transmission declined with younger children. But this assumption was likely skewed by the fact that lockdowns and social distancing meant young children had very few social encounters.

The study involved 6,280 households with COVID-19 index patients 17 years and younger from Jun 1 to Dec 31, 2020, prior to the emergence of the Delta Variant, so more research is needed to understand transmission risk in the context of the variant. The study also took place prior to vaccines being available, meaning all household members were unvaccinated.

Babies and toddlers are probably more likely to spread disease to parents and caregivers because they are cared for directly, in close contact. “The 0-to-3-year-old child is held differently, is cuddled,” said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The risk of death and severe illness is still much lower in younger children compared with older children and adults. The best line of defense against further spread of the virus is for the parents of the child to both be vaccinated.

This study reinforces the importance of existing mitigation strategies at childcare facilities and schools, including distancing, good ventilation, frequent cleaning and masking whenever possible. t also reinforces the importance of all eligible people over 12, especially those around young children, getting vaccinated.

S#!t I’m in Love with You again at Fringe

Posted on by Thor

Rachelle Elie from Ottowa, Ontario presented S#!t I’m in Love with You Again with musical accompaniment by Luke Jackson on acoustic guitar. Rachelle spoke about her mother’s care free attitudes about sex and then about her own early love life. Each stage off her love life was accompanied by an original song. The stage was set up with a glitter curtain and plenty of clothes for costume changes during the show.

When she found the man of her dreams she sang about the myriad of details of their married life. Things eventually slid south and affection turned to loathing. The honesty in this part of the show rang true as being absolutely sincere. The couple separated and went their own ways, but in time, they got together and discovered that there was still a spark despite their differences, thus the title of the show. I kept wondering about Luke. Was he the husband she was singing about or was he a lover? Unfortunately he was just a side note in her story, meant to be ignored except for his music.

I’ll give the show 5 out of 10 feather boas.