• About
  • Join/Donate
  • Contact
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
No Result
View All Result
The Brief
NB MEDIA CO-OP
Share a story
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Arts & Culture
  • Videos
  • COVID-19
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Arts & Culture
  • Videos
  • COVID-19
No Result
View All Result
NB MEDIA CO-OP
No Result
View All Result
Home Arts & Culture

Lisa Anne Ross’ Engorged Cabaret

by Sophie M. Lavoie
June 12, 2015
2 min read

lisa anne ross engorgedLisa Anne Ross is offering her Engorged: A One Woman Cabaret About Motherhood to the Fredericton community for two nights only at the Black Box Theatre on St. Thomas Campus. The play was previously shown in New York City (2013) and very recently in Ottawa, Ontario.

Ross has dug deep into her life as a mother and composed a very comical, truthful and poignant piece about what she calls “the depths of motherhood.” The one-woman show relies heavily on irony to fuel the laughs, with wittily-written phrases like: “Motherhood is a bloodsport fueled by Instagram and organic baby carrots.”

Ross, well known to Fredericton’s theatre community and a former employee of the Charlotte Street Arts Centre, founded Solo Chicken Productions in 2004 in Toronto and brought it with her when she moved to Fredericton. Exactly one year ago, the company brought audiences a collaborative play called Rabbit-Town, also co-written by Ross with Robin Whittaker and Ryan Griffith.

Wearing an extravagant vagina pink around her neck, Ross shows herself to be a master of comedic timing and improvisation. She adapts the play to her Fredericton audience, making light of “all of [her] mom’s friends” being in the audience.

The play Engorged is divided into five performances by different characters (played by Ross), brought together by the cabaret host. Individual pieces include “Organic Mama”, “Conversation with Guilt,” and a monologue around motherhood and social media (complete with a few selfies). Those familiar with the Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler will see some similarities with Ross’ piece.

Despite the absence of Ross’ voice, one exquisite piece is  “A Road to Breastopia,” a piece done using projected images, props, and shadowgraphy on a soundtrack of  AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” Fredericton artist and musician Penelope Stevens helped Ross with creating the projections.

One section of the audience is seated at tables, as if in a real-life nightclub or dinner theatre, and, much like a real-life cabaret, audience participation is requested.

Kudos to the play’s director, Lisandra Dodson, for her keen eye to detail (and excellent flashlight skills) as well as to Chris Saad for his technical direction.

Sophie M. Lavoie writes on arts and culture for the NB Media Co-op.

Tags: ArtsFrederictonNew BrunswickplaySophie M. Lavoie
ShareTweetSend

Related Posts

New Brunswick’s “alt-right” history is anything but new
*Opinion*

New Brunswick’s “alt-right” history is anything but new

January 23, 2021

A recent CBC news article noted that there has been a rise in “alt-right” activity in New Brunswick in recent...

*Opinion*

Finally, New Brunswick is being sued for unlawful restrictions on abortion access

January 18, 2021

This commentary was originally published by Briarpatch. On January 7, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association filed a lawsuit against the...

Axed bus routes blamed on Higgs’ refusal to accept public transportation funds
Economy

Axed bus routes blamed on Higgs’ refusal to accept public transportation funds

January 14, 2021

Maritime Bus plans to cut routes in New Brunswick due to the province's refusal to grant subsidies to the struggling...

Rent hikes and stagnant incomes leave New Brunswickers without housing this COVID winter
*Opinion*

Rent hikes and stagnant incomes leave New Brunswickers without housing this COVID winter

January 12, 2021

Imagine the shock if we were to wake to an overnight 50 per cent increase in fuel prices, making it...

Load More

Recommended

“Every single tomato has a story:” Film captures shattered dreams of migrant workers in Canada

“Every single tomato has a story:” Film captures shattered dreams of migrant workers in Canada

4 years ago

“You do not have our permission”: Crowd opposes Sisson’s plan to use brooks with fish for mine waste

3 years ago
Harper government wrong to replace EI board of referees

Harper government wrong to replace EI board of referees

8 years ago

Tertulias: Fredericton’s new philosophy cafe

2 years ago
NB Media Co-op

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Join/Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • Calendar
  • Archives

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Join/Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • COVID-19
  • Videos
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Arts & Culture
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Politics
  • Rural

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In