jem rolls Is a Sensation, and Me? I Can’t Stop Listening
During my undergrad I took a Fringe theatre course in which one of our weekly topics was simply titled “jem rolls.” There is a good chance that anyone who frequents Fringe festivals will have met him, or at the very least have heard his name. This physical and poetic storyteller has travelled, as he puts it, “from concrete islands to concrete islands across this sea of green,” and landed in Kingston this past weekend with his latest show.
Theatre Kingston opened the TK Fringe early this year with Adventures in Canadian Parking Lots—a collection of humour, stories, and poetry which played at the Theatre Kingston Studio in the Tett Centre. The studio space is mainly reserved for readings and rehearsals because of its close quarters, but for jem rolls it seems almost perfect. The small room makes the stories intimate despite the performativity, and rolls’ voice bounces off the walls to completely fill the chamber. There is a portion of the show where the audience is asked to close their eyes, and in that time I felt as if the performer’s voice completely surrounded me.
Describing the contents of the show is difficult, as it manages to cover so much ground in so little time. The series of poems answers a variety of questions like: “Why are Canadians so good at smiling?” “What is the most sellable title for a show?” “How do the English view history?” and perhaps most curiously, “When is he going to get to the parking lots?” Amidst this amalgamation of individual topics, there is beautiful poetic imagery, dark science fiction, Fringe history lessons, and throughout it all there is almost always humour. The constant comedy is not only helpful in keeping the audience engaged, but also is used to create extremely powerful moments where the humour ceases and nothing but a striking verse remains.
Being a collection of stories and poems, the show is neatly divided into individual pieces which rolls clearly separates by ending each segment with a quick bow and a brief “thank you.” Many of the pieces are not connected to one another thematically, but the flow of the performance is never choppy thanks to rolls’ rapid pacing and brief transitions where he introduces the next story. The speed in which the show transfers between segments seems as though it should give some sort of intellectual whiplash, however the breakneck pace is managed effortlessly by the seasoned Fringe legend. Never before have I seen a performer enter the room already so fully engaged in the world they are curating for the audience.
For one of the first topics, rolls takes a moment to ensure that the onlookers know how unique the Canadian Fringe Festival circuit is, and follows the description with a poem about his journeys. In this he describes the Fringe tour as “our happy helter-skelter down the double helix through the spiral whirlpool of time,” a phrase which recurs in fragments throughout the section as a bookend to other thoughts. The words in between paint the circuit as an epic adventure, and rolls shifts energetically around the stage with each description, proving this Fringe veteran has not been slowed by the journey. He speaks rapidly but with lucidity, and in repetition always replicates the tone of the previous delivery, providing this secondary reminder that what he is saying is important enough to hear twice. The almost mechanical perfection in his delivery of distinctly human stories is unlike anything I have seen, and despite feeling exquisitely rehearsed, it never comes across as spurious, but rather has a captivating individual rhythm.
The rhythm is only interrupted in one instance, when rolls declares that he is terrified of improv but has decided to include an ad-libbed segment. Although the rhythm was not present, the story he shared in this portion was definitely still thought through. There was a clear ending, recurring bits, and beautiful haunting imagery. These defined structures do leave me wondering whether “ad-libbed” means truly spontaneous to this instance or simply thought through but not fully scripted, but the piece was enchanting regardless. As with the humour, the constancy of the rhythm throughout the rest of the show made this segment all the more memorable. Despite my reservations on rolls’ definition of “improv,” I cannot help but wonder whether any other audiences will be hearing the incredible story that was shared with us that night.
In the uniquely intimate setting of the Canadian Fringe Festival circuit, jem rolls is a legend, and this year he graced Kingston with one of his shows for the first time. The TK Fringe will not get into full swing until early August, but the opening performance of this year’s festival should generate early excitement for all of those to follow. Perhaps after more than two decades of Fringe tours under his belt, this stop was a long time coming, and seeing such an exquisitely honed performance of a unique craft made this visit worth the wait.
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Adventures in Canadian Parking Lots’ by jem rolls was presented by TK Fringe as part of The Kick & Push Festival on June 21, 2025. More information about the Fringe can be found here.
