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FASS Archives

FASS Archives

Here are my archives of FASS videos, along with links to taggable photo albums and scanned programs.

For 12 years, an elemental part of my life was the FASS Theatre Company which was born in 1962 for people at the University of Waterloo. I joined as a student, enjoying acting, singing, dancing, backstage tech work and writing, keeping at it long after I graduated. It was the center of many of our social lives and a source of many great and dear friends.

From 84 to 88, and again in 1991, I produced the video record of the show. I and others are digitizing these tapes, and while the quality of 1980s camcorders and videotapes is poor, I'm putting them up here.

New We're also scanning in old photos and other items in advance of the FASS 50th anniversary. Read this note about finding old friends to tell them about the reunion.

Video Tech notes (I only hear the audio!)

Eventually these files will be available via bittorrent, for now they can be downloaded as regular (very large) HTTP downloads. Only for folks with broadband. To download from your browser, right-click on the links, and select "Save target as" or use a fancy downloader. (On a Mac, you may need to hold down CTRL or the Apple key when clicking.) Some browsers will also work if you left click, but they may simply try to play the video in the browser rather than download it, and that could result in you downloading multiple times and not having a permanent copy.

Most of the videos are encoded with x264. This is a high quality codec that makes a nice small file. However, it does require at least a 1GHZ computer to play, and you may need to download an h264/x264 codec for your computer. (If you hear sound but don't see picture, that's why.) Here's a windows h264 codec. Macs with Quicktime 7 should support it dirctly. Or try the VLC player, which has such codecs already built in (for both PC, Mac and Linux.) Bob Atkinson had some problems with the codec on his machine and recommends the $8 CoreAVC codec but it's not my goal to make you spend money to view these, so let me know (btm@templetons.com) if you have problems. I tested with Windows Media Player 11. Here is a pointer to other software to play files compressed with x264.

I suggest playing on your computer in fullscreen mode but sitting back far from the screen so it looks a similar size to a TV. Or if you have a computer-TV hookup that may be best. Finally, if you can play it, and your computer has a DVD burner, chances are you can use the DVD burner program to convert these back to DVD for playing on your TV.

Aspect Ratio (People are skinny)

Because of the way TV works, many of these are usually digitized at 480 lines high (de-interlaced) but not 640 wide (as you would expect for the shape of a TV) because VHS tape doesn't have that much resolution. Better video players know to reshape the image to 4 by 3 even if the width is fewer pixels. However, sometimes Windows Media Player does not obey the aspect ratio and you will see the picture tall and skinny. In that case, try VLC or other players.

Photos

You can help tag the FASS Photo archives. Please go to this page on FASS photos for info.

Programs

I have put up scans of the programs for 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 (partial), 86, 87 and 91 in the programs directory. Will do a nicer interface for it at some point. Want to help? Contact me if you have other programs to scan, especially pre-1980, 1981 or post 1991. (Andrew says is doing 81.)

I have also converted the programs to searchable PDF files, so you can look up names. They are in the FASS Programs PDF directory.

Fass Socializing

There is now a large FASS group on Facebook. Sign up there and search for the group. We also would like to digitize all the photos. The FASS office was closed, and right now the archives are in a private home. By late October, we will want folks in K-W who can help sort through the archives and prepare them for scanning. Let me know if you can help.

Don't forget

RIGHT-click on the links to save the video file, and get an h264 codec for your video player if you don't have one. If you have your photos, consider scanning them, or taking them to a scan house. There are cheap houses like Scan Cafe and scanmyphotos.com.

Fass 1993: The REEL Thing

Thanks to director Preston Gurd we have: Act I (1GB) and Act II (870MB)

Fass 1991 (Please do not adjust your set)

Don't forget: right click to download. Don't try to play directly.

Scene 0, Vignette A from Saturday 48MB

Fass 91, Act I (Sc 1 onward) -- 642MB (late show)

Fass 91, Act II -- 642MB (Late Show)

Robert's warmups -- 35MB (Saturday - in focus)

CKCO Previews Fass 91 on their newscast. (Featuring yours truly) 5MB

Ian!'s warmups, blurry -- 67MB (Late Show.)

Scene 0, Vig A, out of focus -- 67MB (Late Show.)

What's your Poison -- 45MB. This is a scene change vignette (also found in regular Act II video) which I include because it is self-contained and can be understood without watching the rest of the show. Also I wrote it.

Whoever I had handle the camera for the opening song on Fri Late didn't focus, so I have provided the opening and audience warmups from Saturday, but you can see the blurry ones if you like to hear the responsive late show audience.

Directed by Charles Sisson, Chief Script Writer (CSW) was Rod Currie.

Fass 1990

This is missing. Do you have it?

Fass 1989: Another Damned Fass Show

I was given two recordings of this show. Act 1 is from opening night, and the date and time show through the whole video, but the quality is much better. The second recording of the whole show from a later night was from a 6 hour tape, so the video jumps around and is more blurry. Don't forget: right click to download. Don't try to play directly. The full-act files are all around a gigabyte. Directed by Linda Carson, CSW was James Nicoll.

Fass 1988 (Old Fassioned Love Song)

Don't forget: right click to download. Don't try to play directly.

Fass 88, Act I 337MB

Fass 88, Act II 350MB

I did not make this recording, and only did modest tech for this show. We returned to the Humanities Theatre. Directed by John McMullen, CSW was Dave Till.

Fass 1987 (Silver Sequel)

I had a camcorder for the whole week so there is a whole Fass 1987 page.

Fass 1986 (Scream Play)

Don't forget: right click to download. Don't try to play directly.

Fass 86, Act I -- 653MB

The recording starts out of focus with Brian Martin and Suzanne doing warmups, but gets into focus by the show.

Fass 86, Act II -- 476MB

We returned to the Theatre of the Arts for 8 shows. Directed by Suzanne Langdon, CSW was Linda Carson.

Fass 85 (Fasser than a speeding bullet)

Don't forget: right click to download. Don't try to play directly.

Fass 85, Act I -- 245MB

Fass 85, Act II -- 327MB

(The files are smaller because I recorded in the LP mode on the camcorder to fit it on one tape. So not as much resolution. What was I thinking? My first year not on stage except for uncredited voice-overs.)

Directed by Margaret Eaton, CSW was Tom Hocaliuk.

Fass 1984 (Fassist Manifesto)

Don't forget: right click to download. Don't try to play directly.

Fass 84, to the middle of Act I Sc. 3 262MB

Fass 84, rest of Act I 102MB

Fass 84, Act II 272MB

Act I is split into two sections from two different tapes, as the first tape is having problems, and the second tape was not complete. So you will see a bit of video noise in 1-2 and the opener of 1-3 in the first file. There is now complete audio for the whole show.

First time camcordering, mic on the camera, so don't expect the best! Directed by Andrew Welch, CSW was John McMullen.

Fass 1983 (Fass or Fiction)

Don't forget: right click to download. Don't try to play directly.

Fass 83, Act I, Scenes 1-3 -- 396MB

Fass 83, Act I, Scenes 4-5 -- 204MB

Fass 83, Act II -- 500MB

Recorded by Rogers (Grand River) Cable and taped off-air. Their master was destroyed, they say. Directed by Linda Carson, CSW was Steve Hutton.

Fass 1982 (Alice in Wonderloo)

Don't forget: right click to download. Don't try to play directly.

Fass 82, Act I -- 482MB

Fass 82, Act II -- 520MB

Our first show in Humanities Theatre, shot by Rogers (Grand River) Cable. Directed by Brian Martin. Many think the song Brian sings to me in 1-4 is one of the high points in the history of Fass. CSW was Marney Heatley Leong.

NOTE: A new copy of this, a betamax made from the master tape is now in my posession. Once I borrow a Beta player I will have a superior copy, so only download this if you are in a hurry.

Fass 1980-81 and earlier

These were videotaped but I do not have the tapes. We're hoping to find them in what's left of the Fass Office archives.

I do have the sound effects tape thanks to Chris Dobbin. I worked sound that year and got the help of famous broadcasters to provide audio for a hocky game play by play -- ended by a nuclear attack on Buffalo -- and then the famous Eyewitness news with news and weather done by the real broadcasters.

A B&W recording on 1/2" video tape was made of Fass 77, set up by Steve Hull, and this was stored in the AV room of Engineering, who knows where it might be now. 78 and 79 may have been recorded that way as well. 1980 and 1981 were recorded in colour.

Theatresports

Many FASS people went to do Theatresports. I found a portion of a televised game featuring Bernie Roehl, Margaret Eaton, Heather Irvine Gurd and Paul McKone against a Brantford team. Note the recording is partial, the ending is not there.

Theatresports game -- 175MB