Reviews - Fringe 2018

Ephemeral Home

By Claudia Spadafora
Published July 26, 2018

Ephemeral Home
Ephemeral Home

One of the Fringe's only site-specific pieces, Ephemeral Home is a show for anyone and everyone. Upon entering the house in which the show lives, you are greeted with a mug of iced tea and cookies. One of the two performers selects the nicest mug they have on hand, or perhaps the one they think suits you best. It is a warm introduction to an extremely warm piece, a feeling which was ever-present even with the small audience capacity.

A short and fast-paced 30 minutes, the piece is a smorgasbord of mediums, moods, and stories, yet everything is completely economical and concise in its use - not to mention accessible for the unexperienced theatre-goer.

Lily Sutherland and Rebekka Gondosch are true chameleons, shifting seamlessly from children, to larger than life caricatures, to internet trolls hiding behind the veil of anonymity, to more abstract representations of feelings associated with home.

The two were able to squeeze multitudes related to what "home" can refer to - security, refuge, one's own body, belonging, family, travel - into a very tight script which rang with wit and intelligence.

The piece never takes itself too seriously and a joyfulness pervades the living room in which they play. Ephemeral Home is also a truly multidisciplinary piece, which uses light to create new characters, employs darkness and silence at times, projects words and objects onto an old-school projector, and so much more.

Despite the volume of ideas, nothing feels wasted or out of place, and the unified voice that results speaks to the talent of the performers and their intensely-felt creativity.

The only downside to the piece is a few moments of audio that is hard to hear, but it is only because the voices of Sutherland and Gondosch resonate with such power and energy that interview recordings can't keep up. I won't spoil the moments of quiet brilliance this show delivers - you have to see it. So much is being done here with so little.

Ephemeral Home truly encapsulates the energy, minimalism, and warmth of Fringe we all know and love.

Run - don't walk - to the little house at 567 Wilson Street on Wednesday or Thursday at 7:00 or 8:30 PM, Friday or Saturday at 6:30, 8:00 or 9:30 PM, or Sunday at 2:00 PM.

Claudia Spadafora is an emerging theatre-maker, multimedia artist, and Hamilton native. She has performed / written / directed / designed / produced more than 25 shows in the area and is ecstatic to put words to her favourite 11 days of the year.

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By RayL (registered) | Posted July 26, 2018 at 09:53:36

This was my experience also. Lovely piece. Good review.

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