Vancouver Fringe Festival

As most of you know, I will be performing at the Vancouver Fringe Festival this September 8-18.  The festival is a big event in Vancouver. 70 different artists each present 6 shows spread over 10 days.  That's 420 performances in total! You've got to feel sympathy for the poor organizers. The venues are small theatres scattered around the Granville Island area.  In 2019 over 40,000 people attended. 

My show is called "The Songbird of Vienna".  Here is the gist of the story:

It's the late 1800's in Vienna, the glittering capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Famed as a musical powerhouse, the city has been home to such spectacular talents past and present as Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss. Hopeful young composers flock there but not all of them find success. One of the unlucky is Franz. Having given up, his dreams crushed, Franz is waiting for a coach to take him back to his hometown when he discovers a baby bird in distress. He rescues this tiny spark of life. One thing leads to another and through this small act of kindness his fortunes change. Luck, hard work and inspiration, love, friendship and confidence all play their roles on the way to a happy ending. 

This is a story for anyone who has ever felt the joy of rescuing an animal and seeing it thrive - and it's a story for anyone who has ever dreamed a dream and tried to make that dream come true.

Wish me luck!
Michelle Merlindt