Fear and Addiction
by Jay Catterson
@ScienceOfSmut
Insights into what causes addictions and our biggest fears are highlighted in the one-man play, Medicine, written and performed by Fringe veteran TJ Dawe and playing at the Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver. This 80 minute one act play is a deeply personal journey into Dawe's experiences with addictions physician Dr. Gabor Maté. Not only does Dawe reveal his inner demons that haunt him, but recounts his journey to self-discovery via Dr. Maté's therapy retreat involving Peruvian shamanistic ceremonies where participants imbibe the psychotropic plant medicine ayahuasca.
by Edgar Governo
This will seem like blasphemy to many devotees of the Fringe circuit, but I am losing interest in the work of TJ Dawe.
Don't get me wrong—he is still a gifted writer and storyteller. His engaging presence and command of the monologue structure are on an entirely different level from almost anyone else you'll encounter performing a Fringe show. However, the road Dawe's work is following in recent years often leaves me cold, pursuing his increasingly idiosyncratic interests at the expense of one of his other strengths, the ability to draw those interests together towards revealing something more universal.
