Eli Yaschuk and Bella King in I Meant What I Said, Teatro Live!. Photo by Marc J Chalifoux

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca

A great weekend to be in Edmonton if you’re at the theatre. So many choices, so little time….

A celebratory occasion at Teatro Live!. I Meant What I Said is Stewart Lemoine’s first new full-length comedy in seven years. And, as the playwright told 12thnight, it’s a window into inspiration, and the act of creation itself — a story about storytelling. A new generation of Teatro stars, led by Bella King, does the honours. Check out the 12thnight preview here. It runs through March 8 at the Varscona. Tickets: teatrolive.com.

Michael Watt and Dayna Lea Hoffmann in Countries Shaped Like Stars, Edmonton Fringe Theatre. Photo by Marc J Chalifoux.

At the Fringe’s Backstage Theatre, it’s Murray Utas’s new production of Countries Shaped Like Stars, a fantastical musical fairy tale love story that charmed Fringe audiences here in 2013 with its oddball whimsy and wistfulness. Ingenious, fringe-y theatrical magic (with music). This revival, stars two accomplished young Edmonton artists, Dayna Lea Hoffmann and Michael  Watt. Have a peek at the 12thnight preview with director Utas here. It runs through Feb. 28. Tickets: fringetheatre.ca.

Susinn McFarlen in Burning Mom, Citadel Theatre. Photo by Nanc Price

Maybe the most irresistible thing in advance about Mieko Ouchi’s solo play Burning Mom, in which a 63-year-old widow steps up and out on a grand adventure is that it’s a (99.9 per cent) true story. How do you move forward in live from loss and grief? Ouchi’s mom up and decides to drive to Burning Man, the counter-culture festival in the Nevada desert — in a 26-foot RV. It runs in the Citadel’s Rice Theatre (an amazing achievement of RV parking in itself) through March 8. Check out 12thnight’s preview interview with Ouchi here. Tickets (if you can get ‘em) are at citadeltheatre.com.

Chris Bullough in Undiscovered Country. Photo by Marc J Chalifoux.

And if you hustle you can still catch a show at Theatre Network’s February Festival Weekend at the Roxy before it ends today. Four of the five offerings are culled from last summer’s Fringe. Today, you can still catch Chris Bullough’s Undiscovered Country and Shivamanohari Dance Company’s Dvaita / Duality. The 12thnight preview is here. Tickets: theatrenetwork.ca.