Filed under

2012 Toronto Fringe Festival: Q&A With Morro and Jasp

Dora Award-winning clowns Morro and Jasp chat about their latest show Of Mice and Morro and Jasp at the Toronto Fringe Festival

By Lauren Gillett • July 4, 2012

Heather Marie Annis (Morro) and Amy Lee (Jasp). Photo by Alex Nirta.

They’re back! Toronto's favourite red-nosed sisters Morro (Heather Marie Annis) and Jasp (Amy Lee) return to the stage this month with their new show, Of Mice and Morro and Jasp, inspired by Steinbeck’s Depression-era novel, at the Toronto Fringe Festival.

Here, the down-and-out pair chat with us about arts funding cuts and living off condiments.

Theatromania: What brings Morro and Jasp to the Great Depression?

M&J: Morro and Jasp are down on their luck like everyone else in these tough economic times. Funding cuts are popping up all over the place like weeds. So we decided to harvest them and make dandelion soup. We hear that's what they ate during the great depression.

Theatromania: Was it hard to find humour in Steinbeck's tragic story?

MJ: Yes! ...And no. Isn't life just one big tragic comedy? Or comic tragedy? We found the similarities between George & Lennie and Morro & Jasp very humourous, so that gave us a lot to work with. We also find humour helps us deal with all the difficult parts of life. And there are lots of difficult parts in this story.

Theatromania: Do you have any money saving tips for these hard economic times?

M&J: Ketchup makes a great meal...

Theatromania: You're both starring in another Fringe show, Chris Craddock's Porn Star. Was it strange acting together in such a different environment?

M&J: No, it's been wonderful, actually. We met in theatre school and have done a number of non-clown shows together, but it's been a few years. It's really fun getting to play sisters in a completely different style and context. We also have two amazing actresses in the show with us—Sarah Mannell and Lynne Griffin—and they brought a lot of love, light and life to the process.

Theatromania: What excites you most about this year's Toronto Fringe Festival?

M&J: How much clown there is! We love the enormous variety that the festival has to offer. Seeing the community embrace clown tickles us pink.

Theatromania: What's next for you two?

M&J: A really long nap. And then we're off to Winnipeg and Edmonton for their Fringe Festivals. Then we're hoping to travel the world with our shows, and then make some movies, and then find and share the secret to world peace, and then make cookies for everyone...

Of Mice and Morro and Jasp runs from July 5 to 14 at the Tarragon Theatre Mainspace. Visit fringetoronto.com for more information and to buy tickets.

Show Times:

July 05 06:30 PM
July 06 10:30 PM
July 08 04:45 PM
July 10 05:15 PM
July 12 05:45 PM
July 13 05:15 PM
July 14 11:30 PM

Show Dates:

Thu, 2012-07-05 - Sat, 2012-07-14