Who knew painting stripes on white-and-blue bellhop uniforms and creating zebra tails would become part of Janet Munsil's job description?
"That's what producers do, isn't it?" said the Victoria playwright, who is marking her 24th year going to the Victoria Fringe Festival.
As performers wearing zebra-striped masks and bellhop uniforms swarmed her in Centennial Square to DJ Raw B Retro's Call of the Wild, a fusion of jungle sounds, the producer who started out as a Fringe technician waxed nostalgic.
"It's always challenging, but I love working with the artists," she said above the din as illuminated jellyfish, dragonflies and a giant sock puppet nicknamed Fred filled the air during Tuesday's block party and Zebra Ball.
"Even though it's the same festival, performers come and go, so it changes every year."
The zebra motif - a switch from last year's 1980s theme - was illustrator Emily Cooper's brainchild, she said.
"In the spirit of the Fringe, we said 'It's up to you,' " Munsil told Cooper, who created the festival's whimsical poster art featuring a winged "zebra man" in a top hat with a red balloon. "We said, 'Do what you think would be fun,' and we loved it."
Treena Stubel, the unofficial "zebra wrangler," offered another explanation for the proliferation of zebra performers.
"Janet said she needed something to match her wardrobe," Stubel quipped. "Maybe it's some zebra passion from her childhood."
A crowd of 800 had plenty of eye-filling distractions during the 26th annual festival's circuslike launch, including roving costumed performers, dancers rappelling down the side of the CRD building, an inflatable bouncy castle, clusters of red balloons and puppets.
"It's been such a great experience so far. We just started rehearsing last week and we feel like we're best friends," noted St. Michaels University School student Cati Landry, 17, surrounded by some of the cast of 23 from The Wedding Singer, SMUS Musical Theatre's production of the Broadway musical inspired by the Adam Sandler comedy.
A group of cloaked, chalk-faced young women from Impulse Theatre stood out in stark contrast.
"It's inspired by Gothic themes but it's more about the contrast of light and darkness," said Hailey Feigs, one of the stars of Impulse Theatre's The Damned Girl, an experimental physical dance theatre piece directed and choreographed by Andrew Barrett in which two women attempt to discover where they fit within a not-soaccommodating world.
"We're still learning, still building. It's a collaborative effort," added Sarah Sabo.
The buxom star of slut (r)evolution also turned heads, and described the reaction her catchy title has drawn.
"I just get looked at, and people smile," said Cameryn Moore, whose show reflects upon her own "very sexual life."
The Boston performer clearly hadn't run out of steam after working her way west from Montreal, her future home.
"Boston's a good place to leave and Montreal's a good place to create," she said, noting Beantown isn't big on edgy theatre.
For a guy who had to wear a sweat-inducing latex zebra mask and black tux all night, Julian Cervello was also in good spirits.
"I got attacked by a kid with a poisonous, twoheaded snake," joked the star of The Wyf of Bathe, who is playing the "manimal" mascot.
"It's mostly just been photo ops and nice people who are scared of me. I'm something out of a childhood nightmare."
Online: victoriafringe.com
