The History of the West from the Bottom of the Bottle.

From one of Canada’s favourite humourists comes the true story of Frank Dickens, son of the famous author, who was given a choice: go to jail, or go to Canada. Now if he can overcome his reputation for ineptitude, laziness and heavy drinking, he may just earn a place in the history books. Witty and clever, Dickens is Canadian history at its most entertaining. From Sam Steele to Sitting Bull, from whisky smugglers to Louis Riel – if the West doesn’t kill him the mosquitoes will.

Beyond Chutleigh Productions (Evil Dead 1&2 The Musical, Pick-up Bras and Long Term Shorts) and Allies All Over Theatre Co-Op (Napoleon VS. the Turk, FauxLogo) , two companies with experience producing hits at the Fringe, are proud to present the first stage adaptation of Eric Nicol’s hilarious book. So seamless is the mix of fancy and fact that when Dickens of the Mounted first appeared in hardcover it rose to prominence on both fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists.

Creators

Kristian Bruun - Frank Dickens

Kristian Bruun is a theatre artist born and raised in Toronto. In Canada he has worked with Soulpepper Theatre Company, Theatre by the Bay, Theatre Kingston, Wolfworks Productions and De-ba-jeh-mu-jig Theatre Group as part of the HAMLET INTEGRATION PROJECT with Soulpepper. He is also a co-founder of the allies-all-over theatre co-op. Over the past year Kristian has been living in Berlin, Germany working with the English Language Theatre, Laugh Olympics Berlin and doing voice-over work. He was also in the London, UK premier of Canadian playwright Jason Hall's "GBS" for Fish Productions and Theatre 503. He is a graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy, Queen's University and the George Brown Theatre School. This tour is a dream come true for Kris and he would like to thank everyone for their love and support.

Brad Lepp - Director

Like many Canadain theatre artists, Brad wears many hats depending on the season - teacher, producer, director, writer, dramaturge - working with companies across Ontario and recently with Maple Leaf Theatre in Tokyo. Touring across Canada with a show and a buddy has been a dream of Brad's for a long time, so thank you for helping to make it a success. Previous credits include: Winston; Anatomy of Miss Gee; Evil Dead 1&2 The Musical; Night Noises; Richard III.

Eric Nicol - Author

Eric Nicol is Canada's most beloved humourist. He was born December 28, 1919 in Kingston, Ontario. He received his B.A. from the University of British Columbia in 1941 and then completed three years service (RCAF) during World War II. After the war, Nicol returned to UBC for his M.A. in French Studies ('48) and spent one year in doctoral studies at Sorbonne. He then moved to London, England to write radio comedy series for Bernard Braden and Barbara Kelly of the BBC from 1950-51. Nicol had started to write occasional columns for the Vancouver News Herald and the Vancouver Province during the war, while studying in Paris. He returned to Vancouver in 1951 to become a regular columnist with the Province, eventually producing some six thousand newspaper columns, several stage plays, more scripts for radio and television and more than thirty books - three of them winners of the Stephen Leacock Award for humour. He was the first recipient of the BC Gas Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contribution to the literary arts in 1995. He is the father of three children, and married to his second wife Mary Razzell, an author of fiction for young people. They live in Vancouver, BC.

The Critics:

“ Three trunks and two planks, That's all it takes for actor Kristian Bruun to bring Canada's frontier alive in this splendid one-man show.”
– Planet S Magazine

“ A Brilliant performance by Kristian Bruun, this is a highly entertaining story”
– Jowita Bydowska, EYE Weekly

“TOP TEN of the Festival”
– Montreal Fringe

“PATRONS' PICK”
– Toronto Fringe

“BEST OF THE FEST”
– Winnipeg Fringe

“BEST OF THE FEST”
– Saskatoon Fringe

“SOLD OUT RUN”
– Edmonton Fringe

“ 1/2 With inventive use of simple props and just one bum-crack flash, Dickens of the Mounted is seamless, intelligent and intensely human.”
– Elizabeth Withley, The Edmonton Journal

“ 1/2 Get your tickets for this one early, judging from its enthusiastic reception and sold out houses across the country. A crackling good tale told with flourish.”
– Colin Maclean, The Edmonton Sun

“ 1/2 Dickens - portrayed in perfect pace by Bruun - takes the audience on a quick and memorable history and life lesson”
– Adam Wazny , The Winnipeg Sun

“ Historico-comico-tall-tale-telling”
– Jodi Essery, The Hour

“ Bruun is wonderfully engaging"
– Joanne Paulson, The Saskatoon StarPhoenix

“ Bruun plays Dickens with a likeability thats hard to resist"
– Joff Schmidt, CBC Winnipeg

“ Kristian Bruun knows how to tell a good story"
– Kevin Prokosh, The Winnipeg Free Press

“ grade A ...a remarkable feat of writing and theatre"
– John Kendal, Uptown Magazine

“Kristian Bruun performs with great effect… breathtaking. An Irresistible morsel of tasty Canadiana, Dickens of the Mounted will please”
– Matt Radz, The Montreal Gazette

“Wit and affection are palpable in Kristian Bruun’s finely honed performance and Brad Lepp’s clever staging. Utterly beguiling, Dickens of the Mounted is a heart-warming journey into a little known slice of Canadiana.”
– VUE Weekly

“Kristian Bruun is excellent, with equal parts humour and loneliness”
– Midnight Poutine

“It is always nice to stumble across a genuinely excellent show amidst the chaff. Kristian Bruun does a masterful job of injecting each piece of correspondence with humour and emotion, varying his pace and delivery to ensure a consistently engaging monologue. Director Brad Lepp has assembled a slick and charming production, harnessing limited resources for maximum effect. Under Lepp’s direction, the show is focused and snappy, allowing the quality of the underlying story to shine through.”
– Graeme Stewart, Nunc Scio

“An enjoyable ride”
– Amy Barratt, The Mirror