There's a trench coat-clad man lurking in Trish Richards's living room - and he's wielding a gun.
Don't be alarmed, though. The weapon is a prop. And its bearer, Australia-based actor and magician Tim Motley, happens to be an invited guest.
In town to perform at the Victoria Fringe, he's billeting with Richards, whom he met in person for the first time on Wednesday, for the duration of the festival.
This is the seventh time Richards has taken in a Fringe act. A self-described "major Fringer," the Fernwood resident hosted a festival performer for the first time in 2006.
"Someone said, 'Have you ever thought about taking in a performer?' And we were like, 'Oh, wow! That's a great idea. We'll give it a try. So we did.'
"It was an enjoyable experience. We had fun and they had fun. I've just kept doing it since."
Having locals host travelling theatre acts has become somewhat of a tradition at many Fringe festivals worldwide.
In Victoria, volunteers register with festival organizers, who, in turn, match them up with performers in need of accommodation.
Forty-five households are billeting a total of 63 performers this year, according to Kristin Douma, the Fringe's volunteer co-ordinator. (The figures don't account for billeting arrangements organized independently.)
Richards, who has volunteered for the Fringe for more than a decade, says hosting artists represents another way in which she can support the festival.
Motley, who's touring his farcical one-man sci-fi mystery Dirk Darrow: NCSSI (Not Completely Serious Supernatural Investigator), says his main motivation to stay with locals is to cut costs.
"Accommodation is the No. 2 expense we have as travelling artists after, of course, travel. To eliminate one of those almost entirely makes some Fringe festivals that are medium-to-smaller in size financially viable. Otherwise, I'd be looking at a probable loss."
The arrangement also affords both parties "fringe" social benefits.
"Sometimes you actually get to really know your hosts," Motley says. "In Florida, there was an older couple I billeted with and they were lovely. They got to introduce me to the local community quite a bit."
Though she notes hosting Fringe artists has been an overwhelmingly positive experience, Richards says getting a stellar guest is not guaranteed.
"One of our early billeters was a young woman having a very difficult time," Richards recalls.
"It was her first time on the circuit and she was hugely burntout.
"She needed a fair bit of emotional support. It was difficult, not because we weren't willing to give it to her, but because we were committed to [volunteering at the festival]."
Richards has heard horror stories about billeters who have invited partiers back to their hosts' houses, but hasn't had the experience herself.
Setting out clear ground rules up front, Richards adds, is a good way to prevent unwanted behaviour.
Hers are pretty simple:
"I ask people not to be coming home at 4 a.m. every night.
"Keep it clean, like it's you're own place, and just make yourself at home."
