Toronto Fringe Profile – Brainiac Five

I am still posting tons of Toronto Show Profiles, and with the upcoming Toronto Fringe season in full swing, we are going to have a flurry of posts ’round these parts. Your first Fringe profile is on Brainiac Five, allow them to introduce themselves!

Is this a Fringe show? Hells yeah, it is. It’s an improvised Fringe Show! The premise: 5 leading experts in their field gather to enlighten the audience on a different topic every show. Topics for each show are:

Thurs 5th – Biography of famous person
Sun 8th – Creation of great work of art
Mon 9th – Sex Scandal
Wed 11th – Scientific Invention
Thurs 12th – Military Conflict
Fri 13th – Superstition
Sat 14th – Conspiracy Theory.

Show Name: Braniac Five

Producer(s): Produced by Deejay Dayton, Directed by Rober Ariss Hills

Thurs 5th – Biography of famous person
Sun 8th – Creation of great work of art
Mon 9th – Sex Scandal
Wed 11th – Scientific Invention
Thurs 12th – Military Conflict
Fri 13th – Superstition
Sat 14th – Conspiracy Theory.

Venue & Address: Tarragon Extra Space, 30 Bridgman Avenue  Toronto, ON M5R 1X3

Cover/Suggested Donation: $10

Any drink or purchase minimum? No drink minimum, just a $10 ticket charge.

Bar? Food? Is this a weed room? Nope. Not unless you sneak some in. And maybe. (Really though, just a theatre space.)

Nearest TTC stop or station? Dupont Station or the 7 Bathurst Bus

5 leading experts in their field gather to enlighten and edify Fringe audiences on a different topic every show. The show has it all: story-telling, totally true facts, and Braniac Five’s greatest invention yet: The Cognoprojector Psychotron!

What are the origins of this show? How did you start and what inspired you to create it? The show was conceived by Deejay Dayton, who loves the idea of alternative history and perspective-based “facts.” We worked for months to craft characters with unique points of view — the OCD shut in, the gruff cynic, the free spirit, the conservative Christian, the cocky frat boy — and made sure to touch on subjects that not we, but our characters, would know everything about. The show is meant to make people laugh at how quick we all are to accept inaccuracies, biases, or straight-up falsehoods when they are presented by confident “experts.” The Cognoprojector Psychotron is a motion-detecting machine that creates incredible opportunities for improvisers to play with repitition, time-jumps, and opposing motions — Dustin Freeman (who plays Harlan, the frat boy) is developing the machine for his PHD in programming.

Braniac Five welcomes all! As an improv troupe, we’re excited to be able to expose Fringe audiences who might not generally dig improv to our special brand of it. The show will be theatrical, comedic, and altogether absurd. So anyone who enjoys those elements of live entertainment should definitely come check it out.