Thursday, May 17, 2007
FUCK OFF AND DIE -PRESS RELEASE
Somewhere in the back of your closet gathering dust and turning yellow with age is comedic gold. Those old journals, poems, and essays you wrote as a teenager when you thought you could do no wrong, if you were to read it today you’d probably cringe at your former feelings. Imagine sharing that shame in front of an audience. That’s exactly what Sara Bynoe- the ‘Teen Angst Poetry Queen’ - has been doing for years.
A leader of the mortification movement, in 2000 Sara started TeenAngstPoetry.com; an online database of the world’s most purple poetry. She soon after began hosting readings encouraging everyone to join her in a celebration of awfulness. Then she edited an anthology; Teen Angst: A Celebration of REALLY BAD Poetry (St. Martin’s Press, 2005). In 2006 she sold out her performance of BAD GRAD at Calgary’s famous High Performance Rodeo. Now she has taken the best of the worst for her solo show, Fuck Off and Die: Tales in Teen Angst Poetry.
Expect the show to be a medley of mortification; poems of rhyming swears, classic teen ravings like ‘no one understands my pain’ and ‘I will never love again,’ a heart-bleeding song inspired by break-ups and an ode or two to Kurt Cobain. Part stand-up comedy, part poetry reading, and part verbatim theatre, Fuck off and Die is a heartfelt yet hilarious valentine for every lonely, angry and misunderstood teenager that ever lived because the truth is everyone understands your pain. Especially Sara.
Directed by AJ Demers (host of The Spin on City TV Calgary and a Loose Moose alumni), Sara Bynoe will have you leaving this show wishing you never threw out/ burned your old journals (or really thankful that you did).
Sara and her Teen Angst have been featured in: The Globe and Mail, Nylon Magazine, The Vancouver Sun, The Boston Herald, many CBC radio programs, The Georgia Straight, The WestEnder, Montreal Mirror, Dose, Quills, Ottawa Citizen, Calgary Herald, The Hour with George Strombolopolos and many more.
Fuck off and Die: Tales in Teen Angst Poetry is at the Toronto Fringe July 4-15
Thu, July 5 8:15 PM
Sat, July 7 9:45 PM
Sun, July 8 1:45 PM
Tue, July 10 10:45 PM
Wed, July 11 6:00 PM
Thu, July 12 3:30 PM
Fri, July 13 6:15 PM
Venue: Fringe Venue 7 - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space - 30 Bridgman Avenue
Tickets: $9 plus fringe pass -available at www.FringeToronto.com and (416) 966-1062
Toronto Fringe Publicist: Ms. Josee Duranleau
Phone: 416-652-7672
E-mail: jduranleau@rogers.com
Fuck Off and Die Publicist Info:
Media Contact: Sara Bynoe
Phone: 604-324-1519, C- 604-315-7285 from June 16-30 in Calgary at 403-251-7572
E-mail: sarabynoe@gmail.com
Websites: www.TeenAngstPoetry.com and www.SaraBynoe.com
FUCK OFF AND DIE - HISTORY
A Brief History of Teen Angst
* 1990- 1996 Sara Bynoe writes over 500 bad poems and fills countless journals of teen angst
*May 2000- Sara discovers a binder full of ex boyfriend bad poetry, makes fun of it and has the idea to share her own bad poetry in front of others
*November 2000 – TeenAngstPoetry.com is launched and the first Teen Angst reading occurs at the Newt in Calgary (a small bar in Kensington).
*The Calgary Straight, June 27, 2002 First news media coverage of Teen Angst Nights
*CBC Radio, Calgary, July 2, 2002 First radio coverage
* FFWD, August, 2003
* Vancouver Sun, April 12, 2003,
*Richardson's Roundup, CBC Radio, April 22, 2003 First national coverage
*Aug 2003, Globe and Mail article
*December 2003, Teen Angst: A Celebration of REALLY BAD Poetry is sold to St. Martin’s Press
* December 2004, Sara Bynoe graduates from Studio 58
*April 2005, Teen Angst: A Celebration of REALLY BAD Poetry hits bookstores
*April 9, 2005, KGB Bar Book Launch in New York
*April 14, 2005, Canadian Book launch in Toronto
* May 2,3,5, 2005, The Hour, CBC Newsworld, A series of short video poems air (see YouTube)
* July 9, 2005, West Coast Poetry Festival, Vancouver
* September 25, 2005, Word on the Street, Vancouver,
*Vancouver Poetry Slam, Featured “Poet”, May 29, 2006
*January 21, 2006 BAD GRAD premiers (and sells out!) at the High Performance Rodeo
*June 2007Fuck off and Die: Tales in Teen Angst Poetry premiers in Calgary
*July 2007 Fuck off and Die at the Toronto Fringe
- more coverage info at www.SaraBynoe.com/tap.html
Review Highlights:
"It's high time the rhyme-crazy juveniles of the world are celebrated as the poetic prodigies we truly were."
-Nylon Magazine
"Teen Angst: A Celebration of REALLY BAD Poetry probably contains some of the very worst poetry in print today."
-FFWD, Calgary
"It's bad. But in a good way of course."
-The WestEnder, Vancouver
"A highlight [of the Teen Angst Poetry Night] was the felt board presentation by Sara. The former library worker read an old high school poem based on the Night Before Christmas that told about the gang in her neighborhood, The Flava. Even if you couldn't see the felt board cutouts of trucks with "the Flava" symbol on them, it was bloody hilarious"
- ION magazine
Cleveland Plain Dealer Top 20 Summer Must Reads
New York Library Association's nominated book for Books of Summer, 2005
Similar shows known across North America
Date unknown, 2002, Get Mortified premiers in Los Angeles
April 7, 2005, Cringe premiers in Brooklyn, NY
November 2006, Salon of Shame premiers in Seattle
February 2007, Adults Reading Stuff They Wrote As Kids premiers in Toronto
FUCK OFF AND DIE - SHOW INFO
In 2000 Sara Bynoe created TeenAngstPoetry.com; an online database of the world’s worst poetry. She edited an anthology; Teen Angst: A Celebration of REALLY BAD Poetry (St. Martin’s Press, 2005). In 2006 she sold out her performance of BAD GRAD at Calgary’s famous High Performance Rodeo curated by One Yellow Rabbit’s Michael Green. Now she has taken the best of the worst teen angst for this solo show, Fuck Off and Die: Tales in Teen Angst Poetry.
Expect the show to be a medley of mortification; poems of rhyming swears, classic teen ravings like ‘no one understands my pain’ and ‘I will never love again,’ a heart-bleeding song inspired by break-ups, and ode or two to Kurt Cobain. Part stand-up comedy, part poetry reading, and part verbatim theatre, Fuck off and Die is a heartfelt yet hilarious valentine for every lonely, angry and misunderstood person that ever lived because the truth is everyone understands you pain. Especially Sara.
“Sara Bynoe is a great comedic talent reminiscent of Carol Burnett.” Terminal City
“Bloody Hilarious” -ION Magazine
“Teen Angst Poetry Queen”-Georgia Straight,
“We laughed for hours”- CBC Radio
Fuck off and Die: Tales in Teen Angst Poetry is at the Toronto Fringe July 4-15
Thu, July 5 8:15 PM
Sat, July 7 9:45 PM
Sun, July 8 1:45 PM
Tue, July 10 10:45 PM
Wed, July 11 6:00 PM
Thu, July 12 3:30 PM
Fri, July 13 6:15 PM
Venue: Fringe Venue 7 - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space - 30 Bridgman Avenue
The Tarragon Theatre is located at the intersection of Howland Avenue and Bridgman Avenue, which is one block north of Dupont Street and two blocks east of Bathurst Street.
Tickets: $9 plus Fringe pass- available at www.FringeToronto.com and (416) 966-1062
Why ‘Fuck Off and Die’?
Because it’s what every teenager wants everyone they hate to do.
Because the phrase is overused in Teen Angst writing.
Because it’s a song.
Because it’s funny
FUCK OFF AND DIE- AJ'S BIO- DIRECTOR
AJ Demers
Director / Dramaturgy
A.J Demers is a Calgary-based writer, director, actor, and producer. AJ has written and performed over 50 episodes of The Spin for City T.V. Calgary: a news and current events satire segment that airs weekly for which he has won a Sam Ross Award for best editorial coverage in the Prairie Region from the Radio, Television News Directors Association. An Award that AJ believes is has one of the longest titles in the industry. AJ has been involved in numerous professionally produced plays and performances and over a thousand improvised shows At Loose Moose and around the world. He was a member of Bjorn Again: The Abba Experience, an international touring show He also co-wrote Bad Grad (Buck Assembled Artists) with Jen Roberts and Sara Bynoe for the 2006 High Performance Rodeo. A.J’s eclectic writing and performing career has also had him write and direct for Adrenaline: Magic that Rocks for a national touring production at Atlantic City. In addition to his stage writing A.J wrote a short independent film, The Fabulous Eddie and is a producer and Host of Friday Night Late; A live to stage talk show at Loose Moose theatre.
FUCK OFF AND DIE- SARA'S BIO
Sara Bynoe
Performer and Writer
Sara is the brain behind www.TeenAngstPoetry.com, she hosts related comedy nights which inspired a book she edited called Teen Angst: A Celebration of REALLY BAD Poetry (St. Martin’s Press). The book was the inspiration for BAD GRAD a collaboration with Buck Assembled Artists at the High Performance Rodeo.
Her solo show Sparkle Bunny: The Last Raver Dancing was created as a final project at Studio 58. It has had subsequent performances in Calgary, Victoria and Vancouver where critics compared her comedic talents to those of Carol Burnett.
Theatre credits include: Pixie in 120 BPM (Upintheair Theatre), Honey in Bad Grad (High Performance Rodeo), Beauty in House of Sleeping Beauties (Boca Del Lupo), Irma in The Madwoman of Chaillot (Studio 58), Valerie in Pal Joey (Studio 58), Mildred McMilkentoast in Being Adrienne Clarkson (Studio 58), and Sparkle Bunny: The Last Raver Dancing (Sage Theatre, Fringe). In the world of film and TV Sara is in development on a few projects as the host of Players, a dating show (Uturn Productions), and is the host/ writer for The Teen Angst Recovery Project (Bravo TV/ Paperny Films).
Sara is a graduate of Studio 58 and Mount Royal College’s acting programs. As a writer Sara’s work can be found in various alternative press such as The Tyee, The Liberty, Beyond Robson and ION.
FUCK OFF AND DIE - LAURA'S BIO- STAGE MANAGER
Laura Ross is proud to be a part of FOAD. She was raised out West and was
fortunate to work with such companies as The Belfry Theatre, Ophidian
Theatre and The Vancouver Playhouse. Since moving to Toronto, she has been
on the US tour of Caillou's Big Book Club and is currently a member of Karen
Andrew's A Live Dance Movement. In high school, Laura wrote poetry about
being too fat and how much she wanted Josh Kube to know she existed.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
I am a Rose
With soft red petals at a glance
But there are those that choose to see the thorns
I have been dried up and hung upside down
My color has changed
My leaves have fallen off
Hung upon the wall
To gaze at
But never to touch, to smell, to be thought of as something beautiful
Now I’m gone
Thrown out because my time has passed
No longer needed
My sweet scent has disappeared
And left a stench of a life of wonderment now taken to starvation to ROT!
- age 13
Sara Bynoe
To Kurt Cobain
Why suicide?
Someone else should have died
Did you think ahead
Did you know the impacts of your being dead?
You’re selfish and dead
Because you put a bullet in your head
But in our hearts you will remain
But my feelings for you will never be the same
Our questions unanswered
Never to be asked
Never to understand the uncomprehendable note you left behind
You said you loved us
How so?
It’s a shame - a rotten shame
It’s done and over
Move on show’s over
Peace love empathy?
Whatever.
-age 14
by Sara Bynoe
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
More Than Like
So I ask
Are you contemplating things in your past
I don’t care about who you were
I don’t care about your games
To me you are only James
You’re kind caring and fun
The list goes on until I am done
You are more than words can say
I don’t think your modeling is gay
If you must know I do like you
But it’s more than like
It’s not quite love
But it’s more than like
-age 13
by Sara Bynoe
We're All in Pain
Doesn’t she know that she is dying?
Washing away her soul
Because she wont achieve her goal
Tears falling for years
Irrigating her fears
To be washed away
When all she wants to do is stay
Every day is the same
Some make her happy
Some give her pain
Some never come
This girl has no name
She just cries and hums
Flowers grow in the sea
Flowers grow where you want them to be
All flowers even seeds
They all start the same
We give them a name
People are part of the chain
We’re all sad
We’re all in pain.
-age 13
by Sara Bynoe
Fuck Off and Die at the Toronto Fringe
Finally Sara's got her Teen Angst Poetry Solo Show together and she's doing it in Toronto. Well, probably a preview in Calgary first (Cowtown is the birth place of her teen angst).
Yes, after years of demands (yes, there've been a few) audiences will hear an hour full of Sara's bad teen angst poetry that's become so... classic. You'll hear all the hits in this spectaculanza- from James (Sara's first boyfriend), to the Flava (the suburban gang that called Sara 'Dirty Girl'), and all the pointless ramblings of early teen angst, even an ode or two to Kurt Cobain (who would have been 40 by now had he not 'killed himself').
Part stand-up comedy, part performance poetry, part theatre- all Sara Bynoe!
You'll leave this show wishing you never threw out/ burned your old journals and singing the tune of "Fuck off and die."
Toronto get ready!
Friday, May 4, 2007
Teen Angst: A Retro Comedy Night
Thursday May 31 at The Annex, 307 W Cordova Street, Vancouver, 8-10 pm
An open mic comedic reading series where everyday people read from their embarrassing old journals, poems, songs, essays (and more), in front of an audience. Part stand-up comedy, part poetry reading, part karaoke (in the way you go to watch people embarrass themselves). Similar shows are popping up all over North America, come and see the one that's been going strong since 2000! That's like nearly 7 years of angst- you could go through high school twice again!