Fringe is in full swing as companies present their work to audience eager to see something new. Before I tell you about the shows in this entry I thought I'd tell you something interesting about The Fringe. Today that tidbit will be about volunteers. You'll see them everywhere during your Fringe experience. They are working to make that happen by selling you tickets, taking your tickets, asking you to 'tip the fringe' and a myriad of other things. In fact, The Fringe has over 300 volunteers. So, I'd just like to take a quick moment to say thanks to those volunteers, without you I wouldn't get to see all this theatre!

Featured below are write ups on The Depth of the Ocean; Betrayal; and Bye Bye Bollywood...

The Depth of the Ocean - Benson Pool, U of T Athletic Centre - 55 Harbord St. (at Spadina)
write-up by Tatiana Kachira

Presented by Perpetual Motion Theatre Company, this show made quite a splash at the 2006 Minnesota Fringe (sorry,could not resist...). Performed entirely in water, "The Depth of the Ocean" employs a bare minimum of props, and focuses on fusing the classic dialogue-driven theatre with physical, movement-based expression. The acting is superb, the characters are engagingly real, and the dialogue is uncomplicated and natural, yet clever. The ending, however, seems both somewhat predictable (though perhaps I should say inevitable) and abrupt. It leaves many questions unanswered (which is fine - worthwhile theatre must be thought-provoking) and many unasked (now that is a pity). Despite these weaknesses, the show is well worth seeing.

Betrayal - Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Avenue
write-up by Todd Harrop

As the program tells us, Betrayal (presented by Do-It-Yourself Theatre) is a play about communication and relationships, as most plays are. However, in typical Harold Pinter fashion, it is about what is not said rather than what is. The story moves backward in time through the '70s, unfolding for us the friendship, marriage and affair of two men and a woman. The acting is fine, at times quiet, but never a problem in the intimate Theatre Passe Muraille. Kerry Ann Doherty speaks volumes with subtle body language. Period costumes are correct if a little bland, lighting is at times heavy-handed, music is eclectic but interesting. Brian Rintoul has directed a fine show. (Watch for the waiter's cameo!)

Bye Bye Bollywood - George Ignatieff Theatre, 15 Devonshire Place
write-up by Megan Mooney

This show, from Cara Yeates, is wonderful to watch. We follow a young woman as she travels to Mumbai and accidentally starts working in Bollywood. The show is full of wonderful movement, character shifts, puppetry, music that becomes part of the show, all in all a very engaging 60 minutes. Yeates is a treat to watch. Word of mouth is a powerful thing in this festival, so I'm betting this one is going to start selling out soon, so if I were you I'd book your tickets early.