My name is Maarika Freund, and I am the founder of “MAARIKA IS FUNNY” Productions, and the writer, director, and performer of PEACHES: THE PLAY!, which is having it’s world premiere at the Vancouver Fringe Festival, beginning tomorrow on Granville Island.
>Synopsis: It’s the dystopian future of 2028, and Maarika finally has a big audition! …only there’s a catch: She has to audition for the role of Harvey Weinstein.
This show is a comedy, and it examines what it really means to “be on the right side of history”. It’s also a piece of Historical Fiction, largely based on my real-life experience coming forward. While a lot of this play is inspired by real life events, a lot of it is also make-believe. It’s meant to be a fun (yet cautionary) show, and it’s my hope that after watching it, people will feel that the necessary (but majorly uncomfortable) conversations
I’m also a founding member of the My Voice, My Choice initiative, which has an end goal of amending the Canadian Criminal Code section 486.4 so that unwanted publication bans no longer force silence upon Victim-Complainants. After coming forward, I had an unwanted publication ban placed on my name without my consent, which also means that this show, up until my ban was lifted on October 5, 2021, was illegal for me to do, and performing it could have landed me up to two years in prison.
This is my triumphant come-back performance after an unwanted hiatus from acting, and after the telling of my story was a federal crime. And, I would love to invite you as my guest to one of the upcoming performances:
LOCATION: The NEST @ 1398 Cartwright Street, Vancouver BC
DATES:
Thursday September 7th @ 5:15 PM
Sunday September 10th @ 9:00 PM
Monday September 11th @ 7:00 PM
Wednesday September 13th @ 7:30 PM
Saturday September 16th @ 9:30 PM
Sunday September 17th @ 4:30 PM
a “MAARIKA IS FUNNY” production
MAARIKA FREUND
actor • writer • producer • choreographer
Doing my best to create content about tough, real life issues in a
way that’s relatable and digestible (and of course, funny when & where it can be).
registration for soft focus sessions are now open! To learn more about the choreography workshop & how to save your spot in-studio, click here.
peaches, the podcast, is live and online! Listen to all eight chapters of season one on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or through Maarika’s website here.
