Jack Fry brings his Los Angeles Sew and Sew Productions “They Call Me Mr. Fry” to the Downtown Activity Centre for this year’s Fringe. Fry tells the true story of his experience teaching Grade 5 and his interactions with two students who are struck by personal challenges and family tragedies.
Martlet: How would you sum up your show in a sentence or phrase?
Jack Fry: It’s about a hilarious, yet tear-jerking, TRUE story about a first year, Grade 5 teacher in South Central Los Angeles. A cross between “To Sir With Love” and “Animal House”.
M: Where did you get the idea or inspiration for your show?
J.F.: My students, their lives, their backgrounds, and working in a big, public school system gave me the inspiration for the show.
M: What is the most interesting experience you’ve had while performing?
J.F.: The most interesting experience, I would say would be performing in San Miguel de Allende in México. It’s a beautiful resort town, 6,000 feet high in the mountains and 200 miles North West of México City, that was built in the 1500s. It’s a quaint town with over 10,000 American expatriates. The cobble stone roads, hilly countryside, and churches and buildings centuries old, rival any quaintness found in Europe.
M: Is there a message or a moral you’d like audiences to take away from your show?
J.F.: I hope the show can help audiences to reflect on their own lives, shedding light on their lives. But also, inspire them to live fully, happily – encouraging them to not only open their hearts, but to follow them as well.
M: If your characters could live in any era other than their own, what would it be and why?
J.F.: My students wouldn’t know how to answer that. They would choose to be in the era they know – that of P Diddy and Beyoncé. The same would go for Mr. Fry.
“They Call Me Mr. Fry” at Victoria Fringe
Downtown Activity Centre, 755 Pandora Ave
Friday, Aug.30 @8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 31@ 1:45 p.m.
Sunday, Sept.1@ 3:45 p.m.
$11 Regular (plus $6 Fringe Visa Button)
