Not sure if you’ve heard anything about this Fringe festival we’ve got going on in Edmonton, but that comes to it’s spectacular conclusion this weekend.

We’ve been posting videos, mostly trailers, of some plays.

Oh, and while Fringeopolis will finish up this weekend, there are popular plays being held over.

The Fringe, however, is not Edmonton’s only festival this weekend.

We’ve got the Labatt Blues Festival down in Hawrelak Park…the Dragonboat Festival over in Louise McKinney Park…and East Meets West in Chinatown/Little Italy, with East Meets West: Tropicana Afrika on Sunday…

The Blues Festival has plenty of great artists, but that’s not the only live music worth checking out.

The Edmonton Show VI is on tonight at Avenue Theatre, with Scenic Route to Alaska among the arts and entertainment…there’s a Degrassi Junior High dance party at the Pawn Shop, with DJs Caitlin and Spike…Matt Landry and the Dryland Band are among the bands playing at Brixx tonight…My Sister Ocean headlines a show at Brixx on Saturday…Ricky’s in Mill Woods is starting up a series of Saturday night music nights (with a little help from our old friend Consilience) with Kaleb Kaiser, Mack Behm, and Nelson Lemay kicking things off…The Edmonton Show VI is back on Sautrday night (still at Avenue Theatre) with a killer lineup of Sugarglider, Mitchmatic, and A.O.K….and Chris Isaak is at the Tentue on Sunday night…

Movies on the Square is back in Churchill Square, with Rio and Hop on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. There’s a 1920s picnic at Tiptop Park on Saturday. And you can Yelp your way through East Whyte with a passport to deals and discounts.

In sports…the Edmonton Eskimos are home to the B.C. Lions tonight…the Edmonton Capitals are home to the Chico Outlaws all weekend…the 82nd running of the Canadian Derby is Saturday at Northlands Park…and FC Edmonton is home to the Atlanta Silverbacks on Sunday…

I knew I’d be posting about it because after watching the trailer I had no idea what the play would be about, but it was a fairly slick video.

After doing some research (Googling) on the play, it appears to be about Alberta’s eugenics program. Yes, until the 1970s (!) people in Alberta could have been sterilized for a variety of reasons; primarily mental disability and mental illness.

Now that you know that you can see how the title is a play on Alberta and eugenics.

The interesting thing about the Fringe, is that sometimes you get universally agreed upon 5-star hits or flops, and sometimes you get a play that’s both. Aleugenta, for example, got 4 stars (out of 5) from Vue Weekly, but just 2.5 (out of 5) from the Journal. Both written reviews include praise, however, so I think this is probably a sure bet.

Aleugenta shines a light on a shameful part of Alberta’s past at King Edward School.

(Hey, you might be thinking, what’s all this video stuff about? That’s what we’re doing for Fringeopolis. Watch for more videos about plays at this year’s Edmonton International Fringe Festival.)

The future may not be all it’s cracked up to be. But TV is good. Now we’ve got the premise to Channel One, a Fringe play coming to us from New York City.

Uh, I mean coming to us from the future.

Basically, the end of the world was happening, and these two ladies (Emily James and Ishah Janssen-Faith) hopped a time machine to avoid it (heading to the year 2316). Then some folks from 2011 show up (could that be you?!) and the clear option is to entertain these guests by creating TV shows. Clearly.

Expect to be blown away and entertained by their TV programming. I say that after reading reviews like this:

“I don’t think I can convey the magnitude of their success without putting it so plainly as: it’s fucking hilarious.”

“…I would urge anyone with a pulse and a deep sense of boredom with the popular TV comedy of 2011 to tune into Channel One.”

- The Blog of Jenna Rocca

Channel One is on the air at the Catalyst Theatre.

(Hey, you might be thinking, what’s all this video stuff about? That’s what we’re doing for Fringeopolis. Watch for more videos about plays at this year’s Edmonton International Fringe Festival.)

I’ve got two things that will help you make up your mind.

It’s about a kitten orphanage.

And this video:

This poster is probably a third thing to help you decide.

Kittens on Fire is written and directed by Mike Robertson and Jon Mick. Starring Jon Mick as Mike Robertson and Mike Robertson as Jon Mick.

The two comedians are saying it’s an “…unmitigated theatrical mind-melting brain-boom.” which sounds pretty exciting.

They go on to say “Kittens on Fire is either a post-modern think piece offering tender reflections on the loss of innocence, the story of a small community torn apart after an orphanage for kittens catches fire, or a multimedia comedy spectacular from two of Edmonton’s brightest alternative comedy stars. Or is it ALL OF THE ABOVE?”

Guess you’ll have to see it to find out.

Kittens on Fire runs nightly (and Sunday afternoon) at Wunderbar (Whyte Avenue and 101 Street).

(Hey, you might be thinking, what’s all this video stuff about? That’s what we’re doing for Fringeopolis. Watch for more videos about plays at this year’s Edmonton International Fringe Festival.)

Instead of “Take me to your leader,” Marty Chan has crafted a play that’s more “We are your leaders.”

Yes, it’s aliens and politics: together at the Fringe!

It’s never easy to understand all the ins, outs, backroom dealings, jargon, and shenanigans of politics. Alberta politics doubly-so. So maybe it will make more sense if we consider the guys in charge are aliens.

Now you’ve got the premise of Chan’s new play, Mothership Down, running this Fringe at the Stanley A. Milner branch of the Edmonton Public Library. (Yes, you’ll have to cross the river for this one.) That makes sense because he’s the Writer in Residence at the EPL.

Part political satire (unless the Tories in charge really are aliens), part TED talk, and part interactive (make sure your cellphone is charged) it’s really about voter apathy. So don’t let the aliens win.

The title of the play, by the way, comes from a Ted Morton quote. Mothership Down is downtown, at the Milner library.

(Hey, you might be thinking, what’s all this video stuff about? That’s what we’re doing for Fringeopolis. Watch for more videos about plays at this year’s Edmonton International Fringe Festival.)