feat: Liz Kirkland and Photo: Patina Strauss
Wicked Shorts
  • Writers included Kathleen Oliver, Morwin Brebner, Christopher Cook & Seth Soulstein
  • Directed By Marisa Emma Smith
  • Performed by Elizabeth Kirkland & Guy Christie
  • Scenographic Design by Lauchlin Johnston
  • Wicked Shorts was comprised of four short, sweet and quirky plays by emerging and established Canadian Playwrights. Originally staged at Wicked Cafe in the 2010 Vancouver Fringe (hence the name), the show was very site-specific in nature and made use of all that the little cafe had to offer from windows, doors, bathrooms to the cash register. When we were asked to re-stage the show for the VanCity Culture Lab, it was heading into completely new territory, but it proved to be a thrilling artistic challenge. We ended up creating an atmosphere that was cabaret-like, so the audience’s relationship to the action was similar to our original intentions with the show. We also made one of the pieces site-specific to the Cultch, and so the script was adapted to take place in a theatre with one of the characters playing a technician.​ All in all, we had a great time telling these mini-stories in two unique locations!
    Winner of the 2010 Cultchivating the Fringe Award
    • © Photo of Elizabeth Kirkland and Daniel Arnold by Patina Strauss

    • © Photo of Elizabeth Kirkland and Daniel Arnold by Patina Strauss

    • "Wickedly funny… engaging, entertaining and guaranteed to give you a giggle… Kirkland and Christie absolutely nail every pairing."
      Vancouver Courier
    • "Marisa Smith directs with panache. Kudos to Lauchlin Johnston for his scenography, especially the lighting that transforms the space from piece to piece. The four playlets are a sheer delight."
      Vancouver Plays
    • "A cabaret of love and laughter… a gorgeous tapestry… where every detail, from the comfy chairs to little tables topped by old '78 records, is in service of the four short stories on offer. Kirkland and Christie have as much fun toying with the gifted building of the laughs as we have in reacting to their sharp sense of timing. Serious and heartfelt... leaving us laughing."
      Vancouver Sun
    • "A delight from start to finish… An excellent selection of work that successfully takes turns at hilarity, pensiveness, pathos and the ridiculous."
      Vancouver Review
    • “Kirkland is flushed to perfection… Christie is excellent."
      Plank Magazine
    • "Wonderfully intimate… it felt like I was part of something very special. This is what the Fringe is all about: original quirky works by talented, emerging artists in a ‘real world’ setting."