It’s Grease… Too!
Joy, groove, and meaning unite in the one-woman world of whimsy that is Grease, Too! Megan Phillips, creator of previous hit Fringe shows Periscope, People Suck, and Not Enough, makes a triumphant return to her hometown of Vancouver after a successful summer tour with her most joyful show yet: Grease, Too!
“This show was created from a deep, deep love for the Grease sequels,” Phillips says. “In the summer of grade 7, I would marathon Grease and Grease 2 back-to-back all weekend, right here in Van. There was some pretty dark stuff happening at night, but Grease allowed me to transcend that. It was only when I sat to write this show that I realized how these movies kept me alive.”
The show draws on the importance of finding joy in art – how there is good, no matter how dark it gets. But it’s also more than that – it’s also about how we get to reclaim our childhoods as adults and gift ourselves the joy of which we may have been robbed as children.
“As a kid, I was really lonely, there was nobody to share this passion with. But now, as an adult, I get to consciously cultivate my community – and that community just happens to be filled with individuals just as stoked about joy as me. And that’s what this show is about – celebrating what’s good with those who will enjoy it. And don’t worry – there will be sing-a-longs!”
Grease, Too! plays Studio 16, 1555 W 7th Ave, Sept 8 -16.
Synopsis:
Megz (with a “Z”, get it right!) is having a Grease-and Grease-2 Marathon Viewing Party! In here, there’s no-Grease-haters allowed as we watch Grease and Grease 2 through Megz’ just-graduated-elementary-school-eyes. You’ll do the Pink Lady Pledge, wail “those summer niiiiii-iiiiiights” with no-longer-strangers, and find the answer to just who IS that guy in this joyful, hilarious, and heartwrenching romp into the world of a latchkey preteen in 1996 who uses Grease marathons to escape from the reality of a broken home, bullying, and loneliness. And yes, there will be sing-a-longs. Come reclaim your childhood whimsy in Grease, Too!
Press for Phillips and Grease, Too!:
– “Phillips’ energy is peerless…she masterfully captures that itch to share your favourite comfort watches.” – Winnipeg Free Press
“A heartfelt experience.” – Jenny Revue
Named CBC’s Top 5 picks and a top reason to visit Edmonton
– CBC
“An artistic achievement” – Vue Weekly
“Funny and honest” – CBC Manitoba
“Powerful physicality, spot-on comedic timing, and the kind of acting chops that’ll take you by surprise” – ROOM magazine, Vancouver
“Multitalented and dangerously funny” – Roverarts.com, Montreal
“Dynamite” – PLANK magazine, Vancouver
Previous awards: Patron’s Pick, Best of Fringe, Ed Mirvish Award
Showtimes:
Friday Sept 8, 5:15pm
Sunday Sept 10, 7:20pm
Monday Sept 11, 9:45pm
Thursday Sept 14, 6:40pm
Friday Sept 15, 8:25pm
Saturday Sept 16, 2:45pm
Studio 16, 1545 W 7th Ave, V6J 1S1, Tix $18
Tickets available at Grease, Too! – Vancouver Fringe
Creative Team:
MEGAN PHILLIPS (writer/performer): Hot off her 2023 run of Pam in The Office at Celebrations Dinner Theatre, Megan is the best friend you didn’t even know you needed. She’s done extensive film & TV, commercials, VO, and soooo many web shorts. Like SO MANY. She has toured solo shows, standup, and sketch comedy across the country since 2012, and her co-written musical People Suck (Ed Mirvish Entrepreneurial Award, Best of Fringe 2015, Patron’s Pick 2015), produced by Salty Theatre in Melbourne, AUS, was optioned by Second City Theatricals in Chicago. She’s an OG member of the NYC-based digital sketch team Get Me a F*cking Shovel, directed by twice-Emmy-nominated Ana Breton, her articles have been published by GOLD Comedy, and she runs solo show workshops with TJ Dawe. You may recognize her from that quirky office girl in the YouTube commercial. She really, really, REALLY loves wombats… almost as much as Grease 2. ALMOST. meganphillips.com
KRISTINA AGOSTI (director): Kristina is thrilled to be directing at her first Winnipeg Fringe! She has performed in several Vancouver Fringe shows voted Best of the Fringe, including “This is a Play,” and “This Fringe Venue is Being Held Hostage. She has an extensive background in theatre, film and tv, with a focus on new Canadian work with companies across the country. Kristina writes and performs one person shows, including the critically acclaimed “Chicks Up Front” and most recently performed her show “Perched” in NYC. She most recently directed and Asst DirectedMilf Life Crisis and A Giant Cinderella, and was associate producer of Soulo Festival in Toronto. A past winner of the World Improv Championships at the Just For Laughs Comedy Fest in Montreal, and an alumnus of the Vancouver TheatreSports League Mainstage, she has improvised and performed stand up on stage and screen across North America.
CORWIN FERGUSON (video design & projection): Corwin has worked across Canada and abroad as a video and projection designer. In 2019-2020 he worked as Head of Projection Technology at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. For his designs, he has earned a Robert Merritt Award, the CITT/ICTS Technical Merit Award, and multiple other award nominations. Corwin’s professional theatrical experience also includes performance, direction, graphic design, set, props, and sound design. Corwin is a Studio 58 acting graduate, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts from Capilano University, and is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada. Select company credits include: Arts Club Theatre Company, Alberta Theatre Projects, Atlantic Ballet, Bard On The Beach, Calgary Opera, Charlottetown Festival, Pacific Opera Victoria, Persephone Theatre, Saint John Theatre Company, Shaw Festival, Stratford Festival, Vancouver Opera. For all things Corwin please visit: www.corwinferguson.com/
JEFF RIVET (choreographer): Jeff hails from Edmonton, AB. He’s a 2008 Grant MacEwan Theatre Arts graduate and soon after he started doing the Celebrations/Jubilations Dinner Theatre circuit. You may have seen him in Schipp’s Creek, the Big Boom Theory, Bewitching Elvis, or That’s Dirty Dancing. He also loves spending his summer doing Rainbow Stage, having been in Cinderella and Wizard of Oz. Come check him out in the Little Mermaid in August! He’s also appeared in the Edmonton Fringe Festival with Reefer Madness and Bare: a Pop Opera. Happy Fringing!
RIEL HAHN (dramaturg): Riel Hahn is a Vancouver-based comedian/actor/writer/musician/host/emcee/musician and dramaturg who has been described as “delicious”, “hilarious”, “ferocious”, “filthy mouthed” and as “a blizzard in the House of Commons”. She grew up traveling with the Caravan Stage Company, town to town by horse and wagon, continuing to work with the Caravan Farm Theatre well into her professional career. She has collaborated with some of Canada’s most interesting artists in various capacities, always bringing her wry, poetic and charmingly dark sensibilities to the table. She comes from a long line of compassionate, opinionated, active and funny people resulting in her belief that gathering to swap stories is one of the most seditious practices we have, and one that binds us together with the love and truth required for humanity’s grand revolution. These experiences provided her with a rich cache to draw from, and some discomfort with stasis and classism. She is constantly searching for the new, embodied and stimulating both personally and professionally. Ultimately she believes that funny trumps everything, and kindness will get you everywhere.
Media release provided by Megan Phillips.
