Cars, stories and aliens

As you read this, assuming you’re one of my regular Sunday readers, I’ll probably be standing on a street corner, in a parking lot or a park.   Maybe I’ll be sitting down in a car.   No matter what spot I’ll be in, I’ll either be performing or backstage waiting to perform.   As you try to wrap your head around that one, I’ll give you a little hint: I’m performing this weekend in Car Stories as part of the fifth-annual Buffalo infringement Festival.

For those of you who don’t already know, Car Stories is Montreal’s longest-running theatrical experiment and according to an Ottawa Citizen article, it “could very well be the most fun you’ll have in the backseat of a car.”   While that may or may not be true for you, it is a really fun ride.

True, I’m biased (and promise to lay off promoting stuff I’m involved in for a while after this week’s column) but that doesn’t change the fact that in Car Stories, the audience, just three people at a time, get to take part in the show.   They go on a mission and are guided through the Urban Wonderland by frequently bold characters.   Sometimes, it’s even hard to tell who’s part of the cast and who just happens to be there.

Car Stories always has a theme and this year, we were working with Economic Collapse.   The show was based around it recently in Montreal and probably will again before the year is up.   In Buffalo, though, we’ve decided to change things up a bit.   This isn’t the first time we’ve done such a thing.   In 2007, an article in Buffalo’s Artvoice about how the infringement should strive to be less “under the radar” inspired us to do a satirical “musical theatre” theme which went over very well and even won us the Iffy Award for “Most Unrehearsed Play in the Entire Festival.”

Car Stories Buffalo this year will be an Alien Invasion-themed show.   We’ve already had aliens as part of Car Stories both this year in Montreal and previously in Buffalo, but now they’re taking over.   There are going to be quite a few interesting costumes and surprises and at the time that I’m writing this, I really don’t know any more as it’s still a work in progress.

I guess you’ll have to come down and check it out to find out.

Car Stories presented by Optative Theatrical Laboratories runs today, Sunday, August 2nd from 3-8pm.   A new show leaves from in front of Nitzsche’s, — Allen Street, every 30 minutes.   For reservation info, please visit www.optative.net/carstories or head on down and look for someone wearing coloured sunglasses.