Make time to see these two Fringe shows!

What does a half Italian Catholic lesbian New Yorker have in common with eight women from various regions of Africa? They all want to be accepted and created amazing must-see Hamilton Fringe shows.

Susan Jeremy staring in Robert Will Show You The Door Credit: Hamilton Fringe Festival

You only have tonight at 7:45 pm and tomorrow at 3:15 pm to experience Robert Will Show You The Door – Tales Of Being Fired written and performed by comedian Susan Jeremy.

The solo storytelling show opens simply enough with a priest reprimanding a young girl for putting mud in Tommy Flannigan’s milk.

Close your eyes and you’d swear that priest just got off of a plane from southern Ireland and then caught a cab to the suburbs of New York where he’s letting young Susan know, in no uncertain terms, that she needs to stop being a follower and figure out God’s plan.

From her first babysitting job at age 12 through stints in restaurants, running bets for her uncle, ushering at Radio City Music Hall and being on the cusp of fame as a standup comic, Jeremy just wants to land a job where she earns enough to survive and that has a good pension!

You’ll be amazed at the speed with which Jeremy expertly morphs into co-workers, bosses and family members who share employment advice, words of wisdom and quite often the words, ‘you’re fired.’

But as with so many things in life, an unexpected historic event sends Jeremy’s trajectory in a completely unexpected direction where she ends up earning a Master’s in Special Education and landing that job with a good pension. Guess that was ‘the master plan’ all along.

All I can say is, thank goodness she retired and started collecting that good pension or else she would never have had the time to create this laugh-a-minute show and take it on the road!

Jeremy is a comic veteran having performed at Montreal’s Just for Laughs, Charleston’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Dublin’s Gay Theatre Festival, Edinburgh Fringe and Vancouver’s Comedy Festival.

She earned the Best Comedy and Best Production award at Montreal Fringe and is a five time – so far – Best of Fest at Fringes in Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Calgary and Minnesota.

General Admission: $14

Age Suitability: Parental Guidance (ages 13+)

Warnings: Coarse Language, Violence, Other

Genre: Theatre—Comedy, Storytelling/Solo Show

Run Time: 60 mins

Next stops for  Robert Will Show You The Door – Tales Of Being Fired:

Edmonton Fringe Festival Aug 17-27

Provincetown, MA. at the Red Room-October 17,18 and 19

NEW YORK- at La MaMa ETC. November 18 to December 1

Be sure to check out Jeremey’s website and keep an eye out for all of her truly unique and quirky one woman shows.

The Ushindi Collective Credit: Hamilton Fringe Festival

Ushindi: When We Are Welcome is a production of the Ushindi Collective composed of Caroline Okumu, Faith Kimari, Everlyne Jeruto Kiprono, Moud Runoziveyi, Monica Wanjiru Karogo, Mary Njeri Ndiritu, Miram Karuga, Margaret Muchina and they are truly amazing!

Imagine eight women walking towards the stage from the back of the house. Four women per aisle walking with determination as they sing a Capela and then welcome the audience in a variety of African languages.

These are the Aunties bringing the voices of newcomer women from African nations, those who often go unheard, to the forefront at the Hamilton Fringe Festival.

The play opens with Aunties of a potential groom negotiating a marriage price with the Aunties of the prospective bride. Aunties from each side of want to make the best deal while ensuring the happy couple marry.

That gives the audience a glimpse into the differences that exist between back home and Canada – although Canadians have their own equivalent to these negotiations within the bourgeoisie and the per cent.

The play promptly morphs into something very different explaining that while their homelands are beautiful, many of the women on stage have been forced to flee everything they’ve known because they are an unwed woman who became pregnant; a woman in love with another woman; or an outspoken woman unafraid to speak truth about, and to, power and hence their lives are threatened.

Canada is a known to be a safe place for women, but these women fleeing violence cannot breathe a sigh of relief until they have received royal assent from immigration officers at the airport and set the asylum process in motion.

Arriving at Pearson without anyone to meet them or tell them where they should go or how to get where they need to be means these women eventually find themselves in Hamilton at the YWCA where they find shelter, a bed, something to eat, information and community.

Think about what it must be like to arrive in a brand-new country not necessarily knowing the language, or how to order a coffee at Tim’s, or how to get on the right bus let alone dealing with overt racism and trying to find a job when you need a car, Canadian experience or at least a Canadian education.

Then, there’s trying to move out of the YWCA when rents are $2,000 per month and you’re making minimum wage because your qualifications are not recognized in Canada.

Ushindi is a work of fiction, but it’s not hard to see that this play is based on lived experience. The cast hopes that when folks better understand the challenges many immigrants face, they will, “see us in a different light” and perhaps, “they will be of help when they can – so they can be an ‘Auntie.’”

These women came from a place where they rarely faced challenges alone because there were always Aunties to help them figure things out. Turns out Hamilton is filled with Aunties including the YWCA, Hamilton libraries, the Housing Help Centre, Ontario Works, and even the free WIFI at Jackson Square.

Through song, dance and stories, Ushindi gives a unique perspective on life in Hamilton and what it could be like if there were more Aunties to give help and guidance.

Ushindi is the Swahili word for victory and it is truly a victory when Canada finally accepts these women as one of us.

Deserving of a standing ovation and to be seen by audiences far and wide, Ushindi: When We Are Welcome is a victory for the all of the performers who are part of the Hamilton YWCA Transitional Living Program that provides supportive temporary housing to women and non-binary individuals experiencing homelessness and gender-based violence.

All that’s left to say is, Bravo! Bravo! And, be sure to see this production July 26 at 9:30 pm; July 27 at 2:30 pm or July 28 at 7:30 pm at the beautiful Westdale Theatre in Hamilton.

General Admission: $14

Age Suitability: Parental Guidance (ages 13+)

Warnings: None

Genre: Theatre—Comedy, Theatre—Drama, Musical/Concert/Opera

Run Time: 60 mins