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Lisa Brooke has resigned from the Second City Mainstage cast. “I just don’t feel the fear onstage any more,” says Brooke, who’s been with the company for two seasons. The troupe’s latest, Honk If You Love Cheeses!, opened last month to bad notices, but Brooke stands out in the underwritten sketches. After brilliant work with partner Shoshana Sperling, Brooke appeared in works like Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding and the Fringe play People Park, always better than her material. It’s about time she appeared in something worthy of her talents. Her final show is January 4. Catch her while you can.Winter snows might be on the ground, but it’s time to start thinking about next summer’s festivals * applications for the Toronto Fringe Festival (July 5-15) are now available. In addition to the traditional 60-minute shows, the KidsVenue (aimed at those 14 and under) and Bring Your Own Venue presentations, this year the festival has 16 slots for 90-minute shows. That’ll make scheduling a tricky process. Deadline for 60-minute and KidsVenue shows is January 29, 6 pm. There are still spots available in this year’s New Play Contest, which cops the winner a Fringe slot and $300. Scripts and the $25 entry fee must be received by tomorrow (Friday, December 15). 966-1062.Folks on College Street last weekend saw a guy hanging from a rope inside Barcode. No one called 911, but that was OK. The suicide was one of many riveting images in American Standard, the local debut piece by Bluemouth Inc. Taking on big themes like religion and politics, the troupe made us explore various corners of the bar and society itself. Movement, design and atmosphere contributed to one of the most intimate works this year. A company to watch, for sure. Even without comfy seats to sit on.
