Beth & Josie Exposed - by Louis B. Hobson

The 19th edition of the Calgary Fringe runs until Aug. 9 in Inglewood. There are 20 shows, and the way they are staggered each day, it is possible to catch four of them without rushing. There is even time to catch a quick snack between the second and third show.

BETH & JOSIE EXPOSED

Last year, Orlando's Governor Ron DeSantis removed all arts funding because he felt there was too much emphasis on sex in current theatre. Beth & Josie Exposed is definitely a protest show as its two artists have chosen stories about sex and racism. The emcee for the evening is Josie Nixon's alter ego, Juice the Trauma Clown, who calls upon the gods to rein curses upon oppressors. She returns to tell a story about a trans woman's dangerous sexual encounter. It's graphic, brutal, and frightening in its authenticity, yet Nixon never portrays herself as victim. She's always strong and defiant. The monologue is as intriguing as it is unnerving. Beth Marshall tells the story of a young white, privileged girl in Kentucky in the 1980s, and her loss of virginity and innocence. She learns, in the most devasting way, just how racist her father is. The genius in both monologues is how Nixon and Marshall are able to walk an emotional tightrope, eliciting laughter and shudders in equal measures. There is understandably a subject warning on this show, but ironically in both cases they broach subjects that should be discussed.