Have you ever wondered what happens to waste when you throw it away? Join Trash and Treasure as they welcome today’s recycling haul to the transfer station! A Waste of Stage Time is an interactive theatrical experience exploring waste, sustainability, and the value we bestow upon others. Learn about responsible waste management, participate in a live game show, and enjoy parody versions of hit karaoke songs (or, as we like to call it: Paradoke!) while Trash and Treasure learn how to better care for one another…

On this episode, Branden sits down with Logan Swain (Artistic & Managing Director, Theatre SKAM) and Sadie Fox (Founder and Lead Consultant, The Sustainable Fox) to talk about their new show, A Waste of Stage Time,  premiering at the 2025 Victoria Fringe Festival.

Sadie Fox (they/she) – The Sustainable Fox

Sadie is a queer creative, Ecopreneur of the Year (Ecostar Awards 2024), and founder of The Sustainable Fox, a consultation service specializing in waste reduction solutions for local businesses, households, and events, based in Lekwungen and WSANEC Territories. With The Sustainable Fox’s help, events consistently achieve a landfill diversion rate upward of 95%. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Sadie graduated from the Canadian College of Performing Arts and spent years working professionally as a stage manager, dresser, scenic artist, and occasionally, a performer. These days, they identify as a Professional Waste Gremlin or Trash Clown. A Waste of Stage Time is a love letter to themself, to the journey of learning to both take up and share space, and to literally everymatty. Treasure is so honoured to welcome you to the Centre.

Creator’s note:

Working on A Waste of Stage Time has been nothing short of a dream for blending my creative, philosophical, and technical passions. The opportunity to wrap years of my own musings into a 45-minute theatrical package with an endearing story and be supported by an enthusiastic community of thoughtful collaborators is a privilege I don’t take for granted. I truly believe this show says some things I’ve struggled to articulate through direct conversation. That is the nature of intersectional issues, though, and why art plays such a critical role in advancing our ability to understand and relay new concepts (or old concepts in new ways). The medium of your message matters. This show is absolutely dogmatic (oh, we know it!). Still, it is also vulnerable, extremely silly, heart-warming, and literally can’t run long! And besides, if you’re not willing to get a little dogmatic with your values, are they actually good values?

Huge special thanks to my co-creator, Logan Swain, for always wanting to try at better. Not just through this creative process, but in the years of collaboration with Theatre SKAM leading up to it (including earning runners-up for the 2023 PACT Green Award). Working on this show at this time has been one of the most gratifying and regrounding experiences of my life. Thank you for asking me to make a Fringe show with you. I’d also like to thank my Grandpa Jim, who was the first person to sternly teach 4-year-old Sadie that littering is wrong.

Logan Swain (he/him) – Artistic & Managing Director, Theatre SKAM

Logan is a Métis artist and designer with a burning desire to make a difference in the world by telling stories that value truth and honesty while remaining playfully curious. Specializing in Theatrical Production & Design and the creation of new work, he is passionate about bringing live performance to the stage while helping the work of his fellow artists reach its highest artistic potential. Logan is excited to be performing in his first fringe show, having previously produced Ernie and Bethy (2018), Money on the Table (2019), Hegnimwaal (2021), and Ouroboros (2022) at the Victoria Fringe Festival. Hegnimwaal also toured to the Kelowna (2019) and Nanaimo (2021) Fringe Festivals. Trash is excited, albeit a little nervous, to share this fun, informative show with you while learning how to try new things. 

Creator’s note:

Since 2018, I have been fortunate to present four shows at the Victoria Fringe Festival as an independent artist. A few years back, Theatre SKAM decided to start applying for the Fringe lottery again. When we were lucky enough to be drawn this year, I found myself wondering what we should do. After considering a variety of options, such as putting out a call for proposals or potentially producing a show from our 2023 Creators & Playwrights Unit, I kept returning to the same question: What if Sadie and I create a show? 

Art must reflect and contribute to the conversations we need to engage in. Environmental sustainability, especially waste management in our two buildings, has been a major focus area for Theatre SKAM over the past few years. This work has helped us build a strong relationship with Sadie and The Sustainable Fox. As we continue to work on being a minimal waste company (which is an ongoing process, not a destination), creating a show about sustainable waste management felt like a natural next step.

I’m interested in telling stories not often told on Canadian stages by facilitating the creation of deeply personal shows centred in the creators’ lived experience and identity, as a human first and an artist second. Theatre should provoke in an entertaining, moving way. Sometimes, that’s in your face; other times, it’s more passive or pensive. A Waste of Stage Time walks the line between the two.