Wed, 21 Nov 2012 05:26:11 -0500WeeblyMon, 30 Jul 2012 12:19:52 -0500http://www.BEEFENCOUNTER.COM/1/post/2012/07/dc-theater-scene-review-by-hunter-styles.html Fringe performers have to overcome any number of technical limitations when they put up their plays. For Claire Carroll, that meant having to stage a new play featuring a field full of cattle at a venue in Penn Quarter that, somewhat unfairly, boasts not a single cow.

Her simple and effective solution is to make use of the herd of silent, slack-jawed beasts that are already in there: us. By addressing her one-woman show directly to the audience — endowing us with an air of bovinity — Carroll gets to have her beef and meet it too.

Since the word ‘ruminate’ originates from the Latin ‘to chew on,’ it’s fitting that we find ourselves grazing in a field in the southwestern English countryside just as Carroll’s character, Belinda, arrives to the meadow, after trudging through the mud all day on a walking holiday. She arrives  flustered and lost, recently separated from the main trail upon which, we soon learn, her insurance salesman husband Dick treads tirelessly onward.

She’s been left behind — a theme that starts to resonate as the show progresses. Dick has sprung this vacation, Belinda confides in us, as a chance “to refresh our relationship,” but these cows ain’t seen hide nor hair of him, and it’s doubtful he’ll be looping back. They’re out of sync, Belinda explains. He’s changed since the early days, and she’s stayed the same.

This interesting, ambiguous moment of Belinda’s isolation — did husband abandon wife, or had wife been aiming to secede? — is but one slice of this narrative, which grows as organically as the grass under our feet. Although Carroll arrives to the stage adorned with windbreaker, binoculars, and backpack, she’s soon setting up a temporary camp for herself (a French press and a pair of soft slippers — much better!) and telling today’s woes to the only other living souls around.

The tale that unfolds — an entertaining brain-dump of concerns and reflections that touch on work, family, love, and faded dreams — gives us a window onto a woman who cares deeply enough to worry that she no longer cares deeply. The character of Belinda is, surely, an intimate blend of Carroll’s own particular facts and fictions, and her tone conveys both an ease of speech and a smart, succinct mind underneath.

Having spent my childhood years in the country, surrounded by pastures, I can attest to the strange power of cows to elicit confidence, and even confession. At one point in Beef Encounter, Belinda admits to finding more compassion in the eyes of the cows than in her husband’s eyes. The current underneath that comment — a longing for new friends, new places, and a new way of walking through life — is affecting in its subtlety.

The English-born Carroll fits her persona like a well-worn hiking boot, illuminating Belinda’s warm, quiet circuit of thought while still having enough fun to salt her saga with frequent jokes and humorous moments. The show is brief — about 50 minutes — but it’s the perfect length for its intended scope: a time of transition for a single waylaid soul, caught at the proverbial fork in life’s meadow path.

“It’s rather therapeutic, talking to you lot,” she says by the end. As she packs up her bag once again to move on, she smiles as if surprised by the depth of her one-way conversation. We just silently chew our cud, but we secretly like her back.

Beef Encounter has 5 performances, ending July 26, 2012, at Caos on F, 923 F St NW, Washington, DC.

Hunter rates this 4 out of a possible 5.

]]>Wed, 18 Jul 2012 14:43:56 -0500http://www.BEEFENCOUNTER.COM/1/post/2012/07/first-review-for-beef-encounter.html Capital Fringe Review: ‘Beef Encounter’ by Grace Kim

DC Metro Theatre Arts

July 17, 2012   Grace Kim

http://www.dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2012/07/17/capital-fringe-review-beef-encounter-by-grace-kim/

Take pause from your daily grind and go on a walking holiday with Belinda Donovan (Claire Carroll, and writer of the play) as she walks through the English countryside. Becoming lost as her husband Richard and other traveling “friends” Julie and Jules forge ahead, Belinda decides to take a break in a pasture where cows are grazing and doing whatever English cows do in the countryside. For Belinda, it becomes the perfect place for some therapy as she reflects on her life and the horridness of a walking holiday, for bloody sakes she’d much rather be on a cruise or other some such more luxurious holiday.

As she starts to place her rucksack down and spread out her items for a little picnic break, Belinda continues her witty quips and complaints about her immediate surroundings and life situation while drinking coffee from her ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ mug. Finding humor in finding herself in a pasture of cows and realizing her audience are the cows she’s facing, she quips that this is what being an actor in front of an audience must feel like – followed immediately by lines like “…to kobe or not to kobe…” and deadpan delivery of jokes like, “What do you get from pampered cows? Spoiled milk.” Even through lines like these, the delivery is still beautiful thanks to her British accent–doesn’t everything sound just so nice said in British?

As the monologue progresses, we learn Belinda has been married for 15 years to Richard, sometimes derogatorily called Dick, and that things aren’t going so well in their marriage. In fact, this walking holiday was Richard’s idea to “refresh their relationship.” But to Belinda, it’s just exhausting and the most un-fun thing anyone could do for a vacation.  Ohh, she’s mad about this idea and we know it through her sarcasm, but interestingly, it’s exactly this horrid walking holiday that helps Belinda come to a realization about herself that leaves her feeling stronger and empowered by the end of this break. Cows, apparently, make for great listeners and though Belinda thought she needed someone to listen and give her advice…. what she realizes has always been inside her.  She just needed to find it.

Beef Encounter, beautifully delivered by British actor and writer Claire Carroll, will charm your American socks off. It’s udderly delightful!

]]>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 08:30:46 -0500http://www.BEEFENCOUNTER.COM/1/post/2012/06/preview-performance.html

Thank you to everyone who came to the preview performance last night.  What a super audience!  Here they are, mooing!  Spread the word - the Capital Fringe is coming up!

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]]>Mon, 25 Jun 2012 12:27:46 -0500http://www.BEEFENCOUNTER.COM/1/post/2012/06/press-release-for-capital-fringe-2012.html Beef Encounter

North American Premiere of British One Woman Show
British Actress takes solo performance to the Capital Fringe Festival
part of the 7th Annual Capital Fringe Festival July 12 - 29, 2012

Written and performed by: Claire Carroll
Directed by: Alister Cameron

Where: 
Caos on F
923 F St. NW
Washington, DC 20004

Nearest Metro:  Gallery Place- Chinatown (Red/Yellow/Green)
                                  Metro Center (Red/Blue/Orange)

When:
Sunday 15th July at 8.30pm
Tuesday 17th July at 6pm
Thursday 19th July at 9pm
Wednesday 25th July at 8pm
Thursday 26th July at 10pm

Tickets & Passes:
Where CapitalFringe.org or by calling 866-811-4111.

Photos:
For high resolution photos related to our show, please go to http://shows.capfringe.org/shows/3494-Beef-Encounter.html

Publicist & Contact:
Claire Carroll
clairelouisecarroll@hotmail.co.uk

beefencounter.com and clairelouisecarroll.com
facebook.com/beefencounter; twitter.com/clairecarroll

Fringe Festival Press Contact:
Laura Gross, 202-207-3645, c: 202-255-2054, press@capitalfringe.org

 About Beef Encounter
Beef Encounter is the story of reluctant rambler and renowned food critic, Belinda Donovan, who gets separated from her group on a walking holiday.  Confronted by a herd of cows her fast talking takes her from fear and loathing to quite another level.  Belinda unexpectedly opens up to her ruminant audience, about the nightmare of walking holidays, her life, love and insecurities.  In just 50 funny and poignant minutes in the company of cows, Belinda learns more about herself than she has in many years.

“Beef Encounter was born out of bitter experience.  Some of it is fact and some is fiction.  If you ever go on a “walking holiday” you’ll find out which is which…” Claire Carroll

Praise for Beef Encounter:

“It’s right up there with Shirley Valentine and Victoria Wood”, Simon Williams, actor

“…the writing was delightful… a most polished and professional performance,” Nigel Seale, Spotlight

Claire Carroll is a British Equity actress, recently arrived in Alexandria from London.  She trained at Drama Studio London and has comedy credits ranging from touring with Ray Cooney to appearing as a talking portrait in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, at Universal Studios, Orlando.  She has only recently started writing and Beef Encounter is the first of her plays to reach the stage.

Alister Cameron has a long list of directorial credits and for 13 years ran his own company, Richmond Productions, touring British comedy around the world. He recently had a sell-out success at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Murder Mystery Musical which he wrote. 

About Capital Fringe

Capital Fringe is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2005 with the purpose of connecting exploratory artists with adventurous audiences by creating outlets and spaces for creative, cutting-edge, and contemporary performance in the District. Capital Fringe’s vital programs ensure the growth and continued health of the local and regional performing arts community by helping artists become independent producers while stimulating the vibrant cultural landscape in our city.

]]>Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:07:21 -0500http://www.BEEFENCOUNTER.COM/1/post/2012/04/rehearsals-start-for-the-2012-capital-fringe-festival-in-dc.htmlSo I now have dates for the Capital Fringe!  Very exciting!  Rehearsing in earnest now! ]]>Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:04:11 -0500http://www.BEEFENCOUNTER.COM/1/post/2010/08/southwold-success.htmlThe two shows at Southwold were a great success and the responses were wonderful.. Thanks to all who came to see the show.]]>Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:43:46 -0500http://www.BEEFENCOUNTER.COM/1/post/2010/07/henley.htmlThanks to all who came to see the show at the Henley Fringe Festival and for all your wonderful comments afterwards.  I have two further bookings - Southwold on Friday 30th and Saturday 31st July and then Satruday 14th and Sunday 15th August at the Camden Fringe.  Click on Future Performances for full details.]]>Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:04:40 -0500http://www.BEEFENCOUNTER.COM/1/post/2010/07/review.html" I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The writing was delightful... a most polished and professional performance."  Nigel Seale, Spotlight

"It's up there with Shirley Valentine and Victoria Wood."  Simon Williams, Actor

"Great performance, all our family thoroughly enjoyed themselves, more please!!" 
Dawn McWilliams
]]>Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:12:36 -0500http://www.BEEFENCOUNTER.COM/1/post/2010/07/opening-night.htmlThank you to everyone who came to the World Premiere of Beef Encounter last night at the Henley Fringe Festival.  Thank you for your wonderful comments afterwards.  You were a great audience and I am glad you enjoyed the show.]]>Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:09:09 -0500http://www.BEEFENCOUNTER.COM/1/post/2010/07/first-post.html