Fringe: Bytes

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Play the Moment Productions from Orlando Florida presented Bytes at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Aradhana Tiwari wrote this play that explored the relationship between a gaming nerd and a virtual companion. Michael Marinaccio played the digitally obsessed gamer, and Tymisha Harris played his virtual companion.

The gamer would spend countless hour at the computer and his digital companion shared his gaming obsessions. She shared and understood all of his wants and needs which became comedic in the way she wanted to fulfill his every need. What made her so unrealistic as a companion was her endless focus on him while her needs were never addressed. Being a virtual recreation, she really didn’t have needs.

She was programmed to satisfy is passionate fantasies and she kept pushing for this intellectual intimacy. At one point she did convince him to participate in the equivalent of sexting and the stage went dark as their intimate exchange built to a climax.

The next day was awkward. He wanted nothing to do with her.  There was something very unsatisfying with the level of intimacy he had experienced. As the relationship developed, he began to isolate himself more and more, spending all his time at the computer screen. Developing a friendship with this digital companion resulted in him pulling away from friends and family.

He did keep one small sign of true life near him with his goldfish which was on his desk at all times. If he could keep that fish alive, then perhaps he could find his way back to a balanced life with flesh and blood community. He had a niece who loved that fish.

Spending all his time with his digital companion resulted in a deepening depression. The depression lead to suicidal thoughts. Since his digital companion couldn’t see him or touch him, she was clueless when he considered self harm. This scene hit me hard since I had recently sketched a court case in which a mom was suing Google and the start up company that developed a program that had Game of throne characters that children could chat with. Her son fell in love with Daenerys Targaryen. He wanted to have a suicide pact with his virtual love and when she said , “Come home to me sweet prince”, he took his father’s gun and shot himself. I feared that the gamer in Aradhana’s play might do similar harm. A programed companion can not understand the complexities of human emotion.

Bytes was an exceptional play about the dangers of relying on the digital world for companionship.

Bytes, written and directed by Aradhana Tiwari, took home the Critics’ Choice Award for Outstanding Original Script.

Fringe: Unconditionally: The Ultimate Pop Diva Celebration Starring Kayla Fischl

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Kayla Fischl from Orlando Florida presented Unconditionally: The Ultimate Pop Diva Celebration Starring Kayla Fischl at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. I am a huge fan of how hard Kayla promoted this show. She was at just about every press preview performance I sketched. She was always holding a poster on foam core mounted on a log stick with flashing lights that promoted her show. Any time I sat in an audience the first thing I did was scan the audience to see the Unconditionally flashing lights.

With the help of arranger Chuck Curry, Kayla built her musical journey around three icons, Lady Gaga, Adele, and Katy Perry. She is building a repertoire which she hopes to pitch to a cruise ships. Kayla had costume changes when  she she switched to a different diva’s music. This was her first solo Fringe show, and she had not thought about what to do while she was backstage getting changed. The audience was left to talk amongst themselves until she came back out. You learn what works and what doesn’t work by taking big risks. She explained that the show is a work in progress and she is so thankful for the support of fellow Fringe artists who were helping her mold the performance. Fringe is a place to experiment and grow as an artist and I love that.

When Kayla came back out she was in a flowing white dress. She didn’t have time or the help to get the dress fully zipped up. When she turned several times, the zipper running up the back of the dress could be seen down at the small of her back. This kind of wardrobe malfunction I consider endearing and honestly I hope she leaves it in the show to remind us that we are watching a live performance where anything can happen.

Kayla’s enthusiastic family was in the audience, including a youngster who started crying very loudly. The caretaker eventually walked the child out of the theater since the crying was competing with Kayla’s singing. Beach balls were lobed out into the audience at one point and people tried to keep them airborne volleyball style, but they kept finding empty seats to settle in.

At one point she held a large fan which I tried drawing but then abandoned. I sketched the very first outfit she wore, with a black miniskirt and knee-high black boots. Black sleeves gave her a formal vibe with a 60’s look. Sticking with the diva lighting scheme she had on her marketing poster, she had a heart and star on the wings of the stage.

Kayla’s family was super supportive, whooting and hollering. I must say Kayla embraced the Fringe by seeing probably more shows than I had the opportunity to sketch. I get rather seasick on the high seas, but I wish Kayla the best in pitching her show to cruise lines. Cruise ships must want polish, but I prefer the diamond in the rough.

Fringe: Serving C*nt with Sarah Hester Ross

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SHR Entertainment LLC from Las Vegas Nevada presented Serving C*nt with Sarah Hester Ross at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. I had sketched Sarah at a past Fringe and since then her career has skyrocketed. During the pandemic the videos she was sharing online started going viral. She downplayed the long term splendor of internet fame but her incredible vocals cross my feed almost every day. Many are simply dressing room selfies shot in the mirror but the power of her voice stops me from my doom scrolling every time.

Considering her popularity, I feared that I might not get in to get a sketch. I was thankful when I got in.  The show featured bold confessional comedy and incredible cabaret numbers. Sarah was all over the stage and even circulating around the audience. I was hard pressed to pick a moment to try and get her on the sketch page. I ultimately decided to sketch her twice.

She had a huge black hand fan with white letters that spelled out CUNT. I saw these fans pop up all around the fringe to wick away the sweat between shows. Between several songs Sarah walked off stage while a video played of people ribbing her online popularity. The internet community is vicious and often comments wished her dead. There were videos of goats blissfully munching on grass as the comments ripped Sarah to shreds. We had already witnessed some of her vocal talents, so the absurd attacks became increasingly hilarious. You need to have thick skin to make it in showbiz that is open to the anonymous comments of armchair trolls.

One song in particular hit home which empowers woman. Many of Sarah’s songs are meant to empower woman to do whatever the F*ck they want despite the comments and push back from a patriarchal society. Thankfully Sarah will never lower her voice.

Fringe: The Lord of the Sword

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Jacob D’ Eustachio from New York, New York presented The Lord of the Sword at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This show was a fun medieval circus romp. If Florida Governor Ron Deathsantis wants to see a Fringe show that is completely family friendly, then this is the show he should see.

The premise of this show is that the master juggling and sword swallowing expert was not available to perform. His apprentice played by Jacob had to fill in. He excused anything that would follow as the attempts of a newby.  There was a treasure chest full of things to be juggled. When he began juggling with absolute expert abandon the audience was amazed at his beginner’s luck. If a sword happened to fall, then it was easily excused.

Jacob called out to the audience to find someone to fill in for the missing master juggler. He picked Eric Pinder who is an opera producing powerhouse. Though uncertain what was expected of him, Eric played the part of the Master with aplomb. The show always felt like it was on the edge of collapse. I am certain this was intentional because the laughs obtained from witnessing absolute chaos very hardy.

There was one bit where Jacob asked a member to the audience to catch a loaf of bread. For some reason, he lobbed a loaf of bread at me. I had a brush in my right hand, so I tried to catch the loaf with my left hand and missed. My embarrassment was short lived, because he was soon lobbing loafs of bread to everyone in the audience. When people started biting into the bread, he shouted out that the bread was for juggling not eating.

This was a fun 50-minute show and I was laughing the whole time.

Fringe: Josephine

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Dynamic Lunchbox Entertainment from Orlando Florida presented Josephine at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Powerhouse, Tymisha Harris starred as Josephine. This show is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

As a child, Josphine Baker discovered her love of dance when she entered a talent show. Performing in America however had its drawbacks since racism kept her from even entering some venues. These deep rooted American racist setbacks vanished when a talent scout invited Josephine to perform in Paris France. In France she was deeply beloved and became an international star.

Josephine is most famous for her dancing while wearing a banana skirt. Tamisha performed this sensual dance with abandon. She was tough to catch on the sketch page since she was in constant motion, and when she wasn’t she was hidden behind a stage screen doing a costume change.

Josephine lived with passion. Besides her skyrocketing career, she also told us about the many men in her life. Having a live band on stage helped the show feel like it was from the luscious vaudeville era. There was a moment where Josephine posed for artist Frida Kahlo. From the intimacy of the moment I wondered if Frida and Josephine might have been lovers.  Both women were celebrated, openly bisexual icons who fiercely defied the rigid cultural, racial, and sexual boundaries of the early 20th century.

I cursed myself for not choosing that moment to sketch Josephine, There was enough time in that still moment where I could have slowed down enough to produce a well observed sketch. Oh well, life moves on. Keep making bold choices and live without regrets. I am sure that is what Josephine would have told me if we were to meet in Paris before or during WWII.

Fringe: Sororicide

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Lavender Moon Productions from Orlando Florida presented Sororicide at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This campy murder mystery was written by Rheanne Walton and Savana Petranoff who first met as stage managers at Florida State University in Talahassee.

While waiting to get into the theater, I met the mom of one of the performers and she had a beautiful black and white Husky with sky blue eyes by the name of Quinn the Pomsky. A Pomsky is part Pomeranian and part Husky. Quinn is mostly Husky in appearance with a Pom dash of fluffy cuteness. This adorable pup is a bit of a star who has performed in commercials and other important roles in film. Quinn has run on the star-studded Hollywood walk of fame and proudly posed on the red carpet before screening premieres.

Sorocicide is built around the premise that the Delta Nu Sorority is raising funds for a pup rescue campaign. Quinn had a walk on role in the show but there are permits that have to be obtained along with other red tape that held up the pup performance. Quinn had to watch the show from the audience. Christina Breza who plays Hanna in the show is Quinn’s god mother. She came out just before the doors opened and gave Quinn a reassuring hug.

The show was chaotic to start. Sorority sisters walked all around the room meeting one another and chatting with members of the audience. Gradually they gathered around three long tables for their meeting. However the meeting could not start because the Sorority sister president was missing. She was the one who usually presided over these meetings. One sorority sister had been seated right beside me, but she wasn’t Chelsea.

The show is a who done it. A few phone calls reaching out to friends soon revealed that Chelsea, the Sorority sister President had been murdered. The fundraiser meeting then turned into arguments among the members about who might have killed Chelsea and why. One of the sisters was studying criminology, so she tarted interviewing people to try and get to the bottom of the mystery. The audience was also invited into the investigation.

College student stereotypes played a roll in the performances. One girl kept posing and shooting selfies while puckering her lips and tossing her hair. There were several Christian zealots who opposed any form of drink or partying, yet they too could be suspects. There were a couple of random party jocks at the end of the table who made light of the situation and bragged about their exploits.

Though in a position of authority in running the charity, Chelsea wasn’t liked by many. Everyone seemed to have had a confrontation with her at some point. The goal was to figure out who had the motive and opportunity to like totally kill Chelsea.

All I know is that Quinn the Pomsky did not kill Chelsea and might have sniffed out the suspect in record time if allowed on the stage.

Fringe: The Review

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Martin Dockery from Brooklyn New York presented The Review at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. In this show, two lawyers met in an office. The younger lawyer wanted to go over a performance review. There was unspoken tension from the start and it became clear that the elder lawyer felt he should be in the position to perform the review rather than be judged. Both lawyers probably would not be in the firm if not for the hard work of their fathers.

The office was frames out by a simple string of lights on the stage floor. On occasion the lawyers would ask the lighting to change since it must have been a smart office run by Alexa.

Martin Dockery played the part of the lawyer receiving the review. When it came time to point out how his performance was lagging, he mentioned an inappropriate photo he found on his wife’s computer. The photo was of the other lawyer half clothed trying to look sexy. The photo may have been sent by mistake to the wrong woman, or it might have been sent on purpose.

The quick-witted banter back and forth was a delight to watch and the underlying tension was eased by the hilarious way the drama played out. The two lawyers tried to push the photo incident aside and get back to the business of the review but it was the elephant in the room and it charged back any time Martin’s position in the firm seemed threatened.

The mysterious smoochie faced photo became the primary bargaining piece in the review. Rather than having his job threatened, Martin insisted that he deserved a promotion to become on the partners in the law firm. To protect his reputation, the younger lawyer had to agree that the promotion was a very good idea and well deserved. The review went swimmingly for Martin despite his questionable performance record. He was a hard-hitting negotiator that anyone would want working for them in a courtroom case.

In describing the business-like nature of the Review you might thing the show would be stiff and dry. But there was a playful undercurrent in every exchange. These two men must have grown up together and they were used to laying the game of one upping one another. It was like Willie Loman from Death of a Salesman was having a wish fulfillment dream. His marriage might be on the rocks but he certainly had a guaranteed position in the firm.

The Art of Aging

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In May, I turned 65 years old. That officially makes me an old man. What better event to go to than one titled, The Art of Aging. I have no intention of slowing down as an artist and neither did any of the artists assembled on the Timucua Arts Foundation stage. The event was a thought-provoking panel discussion where artists shared how their relationship with art has transformed across different phases of life. Through personal stories and open conversation, the panelists explored how art shapes perspective, fuels resilience, and reflects the passage of time. The audience discovered how creativity continues to redefine itself at every age.

Leah Love acted as the host for the evening, by asking each artist in turn questions about their art and process.

Dr. Antonio Andrade is a musician and Ear Nose and Throat doctor in Altamonte Springs, who has over 50 years of experience in the medical field. He played a short musical composition to familiarize the audience with his work.

Terry Olson is an arts instigator and multifaceted arts enthusiast whose life has been defined by building spaces where the arts can thrive. Now, he draws from decades of leadership experience in creative roles to serve as Timucua’s President of the Board. Terry has been prolific in having exhibits of his photography work all around Orlando. I also often see him at the arts events I sketch so he is well entrenching in the arts scene.

Mimi Hwang is a contemporary abstract painter; Mimi’s work is shaped by her Asian heritage and Western birth. Her paintings are poetic landscapes where abstract modern expressionism is combined with elements of traditional Asian art. Mimi’s paintings were on display on the walls of the venue so she referred to several when discussing her work.

Chonody Race Track

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I went to James Chonody’s art studio to sketch his living room which has this intricate slot car racetrack. The track has as much detail as an intricate HO railroad diorama. HO scale is 1:87 in proportion. I had a brother-in-law who set up and incredibly detailed HO set up so I am always intrigued by this intricate small world. I am certain that racing slot cars is far more entertaining that watching a train roll around the town in a circle. James Chonody is a painter, so he has an eye for detail. He used to have fireworks that exploded over the town using fiber optics. That was later phased out.

While I was working on the sketch, James was working on a model of an engine which was also incredible accurate and detailed. I wanted to get James in the sketch, but I would have had to make the race track too small to accomplish that.

I like that he has an I Dream of Genie bottle hung on the wall and the sign above the whole race track display says, “Two Men in A Cave.” James and his brother live in the home. At the time, I was still searching for an apartment to rent or home to buy. James was kind enough to offer a spare room but as an artist I have too much stuff. Artists are hoarders. I also wanted to live in Downtown Orlando and that is accomplished for now with my art studio rental on East Livingston Street just 2 blocks north of Lake Eola. Livingston has a bicycle lane which I really appreciate. I use it extensively. Art is going up on the walls of my studio this week so I can share work with anyone who stops by on July 4th.  My office has large southern facing windows which looking out to the street, so I am actually happy to welcome visitors at any time.

Eola Heights Open House

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I have moved into a new studio space two blocks north of Lake Eola. The last cardboard boxes have been unpacked and it is time to start setting up the studio. Before I start getting furniture for the studio space, I decided to have an open house on July 4. My thought is that people will be making their way to Lake Eola all day for the fireworks which start around 9PM.

Many of the rooms in the Eola Heights apartment are virtually empty right now except the office which is where I sit each day to write articles and post on social media. The art studio itself is empty except for some flat files. I have plenty of framed art stored in the archives so I will cover all the empty wall space with art this week. With six empty rooms, I decided to think of the entire studio as prime gallery space.

My studio and office windows face south, and I put art in the windows each day, so people have something to see when they walk by. On July 4th there will be so many more people walking by to migrate down the two blocks to Lake Eola.

The open house is a celebration of my move to downtown. I walk or bike to many of the events I sketch now which is delightful. I used to have to drive an hour and a half to get to events.

I have started a series of plein-air oil paintings of Lake Eola. I get up at 6AM each morning and walk to the lake to paint. This morning I was painting and a huge splash of water hit me while I was painting. WTF, my shirt was soaked. I looked up at the tree branches above me. Was I just hit with a splash of pelican pee? I sniffed my wet hand, it didn’t have any scent.  Then I looked behind me. The sprinklers had turned on to water the prodigious amount of grass behind me. My spot in the pine needles was just at the outer edge of the reach of the spray of water. I would get hit every time the stream arched my way. I had to quickly pack up.

My oil painting panel was soaked. I had sketched on the panel with an ink brush and that ink started bleeding down the now wet surface. Bloody hell, I need to get waterproof ink. I had built a flat storage container to get the 13 by 21-inch panels to and from the studio. I felt the design was ingenious with a sliding panel which could slide open like a drawer creating a desk for the palate to go on. Unfortunately, the design was too slim which meant the painting would get scraped when I slid it back in the container to transport. I need to double the depth to avoid scraping off paint. That is my task for today.

If you plan to see the fireworks at Lake Eola, you should stop by the Eola Heights studio and say hello. You can see my failed plein-air attempt firsthand, but hopefully I will have the problems worked out by July 4th and have several complete Lake Eola paintings. I have a bunch of Winter Park small plein-air lakeside paintings in the kitchen which are just $50 each.

The Analog Artist Digital World address is 513 East Livingston Street, Unit B, Orlando Florida 32803. The entrance is under the car port where my silver Prius will be parked. I can’t offer parking on the property but there should be parking spots all around the neighborhood. Parking is available in downtown surface lots and garages. So, search out a super-supremo parking spot and then stop by the studio to say hello, see some art, and soak in the air conditioning before going down the two blocks to Lake Eola to scout out a fireworks viewing location. I will be walking down to Lake Eola to do a digital sketch or watercolor as the sun sets.