If you were a former Brownie, Cub Scout, Girl Guide or Boy Scout in this country, chances are you鈥檒l never forget mottos and laws such as 鈥淏e prepared鈥� and 鈥淚 promise to do my best.鈥�
Organizers of this year鈥檚 Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival cleverly capitalized on those fond memories last Monday during a hot-weather teaser for the 10-day festival that ends Sept. 4.
鈥淚鈥檝e been a member of the Girl Guides of sa国际传媒 now for 13聽years, the same amount of time I鈥檝e been involved in the festival,鈥� said Katt Campbell, the guest producer behind the Fringe Jamboree.
Market Square was transformed into Camp Fringe for the event, featuring faux campfires, singalongs, games, crafts and even a station where participants could design and decorate their own neckerchiefs.
鈥淚 thought: 鈥榃hat is something really nostalgic we could do for our 30th anniversary?鈥� and I was impassioned about the summer-camp theme.鈥�
Indeed, the Victoria performer and stage manager whose next project is Victoria Operatic Society鈥檚 Spamalot revival, could be a poster girl for the Girl Guides movement.
鈥淚 think this just strikes a chord with a ton of people, because most of us have grown up in North America where Scouts and Girl Guides is so associated with summer,鈥� Campbell said.
鈥淪he鈥檚 the Girl Guide queen,鈥� laughed mascot Monica Ogden, who wandered the square wearing a Girl Guide uniform, complete with the requisite neckerchief, badges, shorts and knee-high socks.
Ogden was a real trouper, as she braved sweltering temperatures in her warm clothing to play with children and participate in fun activities while spreading the Fringe spirit.
Diversions included a ring-toss game with pink flamingoes, a do-it-yourself photo booth where a youngster was spotted posing in a lifejacket and a rubber zebra mask, and a button-making station.
鈥淚 did Sparks and Brownies as a child,鈥� recalled Ogden, 23. 鈥淚 almost went into Girl Guides but I wasn鈥檛 cut out for it, so this is my redemption.鈥�
The local actor is so outgoing it鈥檚 almost hard to believe she was ever a shy child, but she insists that she once was.
鈥淚 remember my troop didn鈥檛 show up once and I had to do this opening ceremony song by myself,鈥� she recalled, wincing. 鈥淚聽was so, so shy, and I was crying聽while I was going around my little toadstool.鈥�
Her Fringe acting gig couldn鈥檛 be more different than her Girl聽Guide appearance, added Ogden, who is in Paper Street Theatre鈥檚 An Improvised Quentin Tarantino 2 鈥� The Playful 8, which spoofs the director鈥檚 bloody westerns.
It wasn鈥檛 hard to get into the summertime spirit on Monday, with Phillips beer on tap for older participants, and the sounds of Paul Simon singing Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard blaring in the sun-dappled square.
An eye-catching Canadian moose pi帽ata appeared on the side of the courtyard stage during sound checks for performances, including Cam Culham leading a singalong, and local bands Dug Nugget and the Mand.
One of the most popular attractions, not surprisingly, was a booth where 鈥渃ampers鈥� could make their own s鈥檓ores using graham crackers, free marshmallows and chocolate chunks waiting to be skewered and toasted.
鈥淲e just moved here and thought this would a fun thing to do,鈥� said Julia Brown, the former house manager for the Manitoba Theatre Centre who manned the booth with her daughter Mira, a young dancer.
The festival continues at venues including Victoria Event Centre, Metro Studio, Langham Court Theatre, Victoria Conservatory of Music鈥檚 Wood Hall,聽Fairfield Hall and the Roxy Theatre.
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