The Fresh Meat lineup is hot off the grill and our theatre columnist serves up her top picks, from Shakespeare fast-food style, to some actual meat thanks to Seed to Sausage:

Where can you find Ottawa’s rarest talent with the raw goods? Fresh Meat: DIY Theatre Fest, that’s where. The fifth instalment of Ottawa’s juiciest theatre festival takes over Arts Court Studio Oct. 13 to 15 and 20 to 22. Each night will present five original 20-minute shows all for one ticket price (plus, stay late on the 13th for a wicked anniversary party).

Festival director Emily Carvell thinks of Fresh Meat as “a playground of new works,” where experimentation is revered and artists and audiences are encouraged to “push the boundaries of what theatre can look and feel like.” Plus, she coaxes, “If you really just like craft beer, we have lots of that too.”

Some works live and die on the stage, but others have gone on to the Undercurrents Festival, the NAC, and beyond. Get them while they’re hot, and see which shows have the chops to stay fresh.

Photography: Log Creative Bureau