Fringe: Basic Training

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TJ Dawe from Vancouver BC Canada presented Basic Training at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. A friend of mine wanted to see the show which wasn’t on my radar. The lobby quickly filled and the venue was packed when the audience was let into the theater.

This was an incredible one man show where Kahill Ashanti played 23 characters in a powerful true story of a soldier having to confront a childhood he had tried to forget. What made the show so exhilarating was the way Kahill snapped between characters in an instant. Each time he transformed it was instantly clear who he was portraying. Kahill joined the elite Tops In Blue performance troupe and came under fire while entertaining troops during the first Iraq war.

Kahill snapped between his delicate caring mother to his conspiracy theorist hate filled father on a dime. At boot camp he had to survive a drill sergeant who would exploit any soldier’s weakness. When he attacked a soldier with torrents, Kahill befriended the soldier under attack. There were tender moments and so much athletic physicality to the performance.

Surviving boot camp and excelling as a soldier ill-prepared Kahill for once again facing his abusive stepfather when her returned home. When he finally stood up to the vindictive small man’s abuse it was a glorious moment. Kahill was a mature man who would no longer tolerate the small-minded vindictive behavior. The military service didn’t leave him hardened but rather compassionate. At one concert he offered a solo performance for a terminally ill child.

I went into the show with no expectations, but this was absolutely a tour de force of a performance. Basic Training won the Best Show in the Critics’ Choice Awards, which was very well deserved.

Fringe: Vulva Va Voom’s Medical Masochism

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Vulva Va Voom and Company from Tampa Florida presented Vulva Va Voom’s Medical Masochism at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. I was particularly intrigued because Beth Marshal, who ran the Fringe for years was playing the part of one of the medical staff. Billed as a Bondage, Dominance, Submission, and control (BDSM) carnival game that meets a psychiatric sideshow.

This was an Alice in Wonderland vision of bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism. The American Psychiatric Association “depathologized” kinky sex – including cross-dressing, fetishism, and BDSM.

Vulva was the patient being treated. She was very frank about her disorder.  In many ways this is a one woman show with the medical staff on the sidelines looking like the mad hatter and a field mouse. I always like learning what I can about a performer. The show led up to the final treatment which involved Vulva lying down on a bed of nails. The line between what was staged and real pain was blurred. A strange addition to this masochism was inviting the audience to take social media pictures of the public torture.

Was this theater? It was indeed like a freak sideshow where the audience wanted to witness pain. Though the costume implied burlesque and sexuality there wasn’t any on stage sexual overtures. I used to work on Times Square back in the 1980s where you could hear the sex acts through paper thin walls. Doom scrolling through social media forces us to witness endless violence and pain.

I admired the bravery of the performer but could not figure out if this was entertaining or disturbing. Was she acting or did she truly believe that torture was a treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? I wondered just how sharp the nails were on the bed she lay down on. If there was blood, I didn’t catch it in my sketch. I am still not sure if what I saw was entertainment or confession mixed with torture. The show was definitely VERY Fringe.

Fringe: The Greatest Betrayal

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Vague Idea Production from Aurora Onterio Canada presented The Greatest Betrayal at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Morgan Frey who is a child amputee, told her story with self-depreciating humor. She reflected on school crushes and delicately explained what it was like to fit in with a group of friends.  One boy caught her eye, and she was elated when he asked her out.

Things got dark and the audience grew silent when the date got far too real. The boy sexually assaulted her. Apparently there are predators who specifically target anyone with a frailty. There was no justice because she kept the assault to herself except to try and protect her friend. The betrayal came when she tried to warn a girlfriend about the boy. The friend refused to believe that he could assault anyone.

Friendship fractured in the name of popularity and teen intimacy. Morgan’s humor and soothing voice made the harsh truth hit all the harder. This show demands empathy in a country that glorifies violence and apathy. For anyone with an open heart the show has so much to offer. There is a raw truth to her story, and I felt some joy that she didn’t let that person destroy who she is. She still finds delight in everyday life and told her story with humor. On top of that she can stand in front of a packed audience to tell her truth. This solo show was really a story of bravery in an unjust world.

Welcome to Matteson!: Final Poster

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For the final version of the Welcome to Matteson! poster, I changed some costumes and changed a hairstyle. It was decided that a plaid shirt would hint at a a lower middle-class status. More importantly I added a suburban home covered in snow in the background. Matteson is a suburb about an hour dive south of Chicago. So this was a better hint at what that quiet neighborhood might look like. The circular arch I had placed in the previous version of the poster was moved up and became a glass dome of a snow globe which was cracking. The cracks indicate that there is some drama or underlying tension in the scene.

Welcome to Matteson! is a dark comedy play by Inda Craig-Galván that explores classism, race, and reverse gentrification when a wealthy Black couple in suburban Illinois hosts a dinner for new neighbors forcibly relocated from Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing project. The tension-filled, witty play explores racial, socio-economic conflicts.

I sketched the production at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater and had a great time. The couple moving into the neighborhood was witty and playful which had me rooting for them right from the start. The husband of the household had roots to the city streets of Chicago so the two men got along great. The hostess however felt that her property value had dropped once people from the projects were moved into her neighborhood. She played the part of the hostess but was really resentful of her guests. The drama unfolded playfully and then it seemed that the couples were trapped together in this awkward social situation when the hostess could no longer hide her bias.

Welcome to Matteson! ran at the Orlando Shakes through March 29, 2025.

A Christmas Carol: First Pass

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The first pass at A Christmas Carol poster for the Orlando Shakespeare Theater had Scrooge lifting Tiny Tim. I have been painting Christmas Carol posters for about 4 or 5 years, so I have quite a bit of reference piled up on my hard drive. On this pass, I decided that having Tiny Tim lifting his crutch was not needed. I originally had the title smaller so the crutch could be seen, then I enlarged the title knowing I would be changing the pose.

Bob Cratchit’s wife was cast so I needed to go in and repaint her. Tiny Tim was also would need to be repainted. I used a past actor for Bob Cratchit and there was doubt that he would reprise the role so he too would need to be changed.

Being a bald artist, I then felt uncomfortable that Scrooge was out in the snow with no hat. I needed to put a top hat on his head. I know that with no hat, the heat from a body will escape quickly upwards like a chimney if you are bald.  That is part of the reason I am still in Florida.

Many of the elements are similar to past Christmas Carol posters. The snow had just started falling and the gas lamps are blazing. Warm light emanated from inside a window hinting at a warm fireplace. This composition relies on a strong diagonal line from Tiny Tim down to this mom. The painting is super sloppy since I know that changes are needing to be made.

Christmas Carol ran from November 26 through December 24, 2025, at the Orlando Shakes, Margeson Theater.

Fringe: The Pink List

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Fabulett Productions from London England presented The Pink List at the Orlando International Film Festival. In Nazi Germany homosexuals were prosecuted and sent to concentration camps during World War II. After Germany lost the war and the concentration camps were liberated the persecutions continues. Germans are very good about making detailed lists and they created the Pink Lists documented people of questionable sexuality. Even decades after the war was over, persecution continued.

Writer-performer Michael Trauffer brought this seldom referenced aspect of WWII history to life with a musical. I had my doubts that a musical solo show could encapsulate such a serious subject but Michael approached the story with humanity. His character, Karl Hellwig, was tender and affectionate. When a popular boy befriended him, he was head over heels in love. When that same boy embraced the doctrine of the Hitler youth. Though he idolized the boy he had to question his choice to follow the dark path of the Hitler youth.

Karl was separated from his crush when he was shipped off to a camp. In camp he managed to befriend a camp guard who managed to give him perks which kept him alive. That relationship was also short lived in the hellscape of the Nazi Concentration camp.

When the camp was liberated by the Americans you would think that freedom would be the sweet reward for surviving the camp. After liberation the same bureaucrats rose to power to run the post war Germany. 12 years later, Karl was once again picked up by authorities because his name was on the Pink List. He found himself in court having to defend his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. His sexuality negated all those civil liberties.

America is now goose stepping its way down the same road of prosecuting people and putting them in camps. History quickly repeats itself when people are treated as scapegoats by the fascists in power. When people are treated as the enemy within you can convince people to do atrocious acts. Humans more often than not, choose violence over empathy.

The story is important to tell at this time in America’s history. The music didn’t stick with me but the message hits home. I am reading books about Stalag VI the German forced labor camp my father helped liberateat the end of WWII. Over 200 Soviet prisoners died each day even after being given K rations. Telling such a serious story as musical softens the blow. Was this a hard history lesson of entertainment? It needs to be both.

The Critique

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On May 2, I walked over to FAVO for Parker Sketch’s monthly Art Critique. Artists crowd into his FAVO art studio and show their work. FAVO is a former motel where artist convert individual units into artist’s studios. I sketched the first presenter Colette (444cole444 on Instagram). She produces abstract colorful paintings. She brought three of her primitive face paintings. The sort of reminds me of Picasso paintings crossed with tribal face masks.

When the inspiration hits, it hits hard. She explained that she produces these very quickly. They hearken back to her families’ past and she works at a feverish pace when hit by the inspiration. Comments from fellow artist were mostly about the way they were framed. Lattice edges the painting and there are gaps between the edge of the painting and the lattice which often had wads of what appeared like bubble gum. The commentary was that collectors and curators would not like the wads since they would not seem archival. The bright pink color is what resonated with me since it jumps out from across the room.

After Cole presented, Louise Bova presented one of her many sketchbooks that had painterly abstractions on every page. Sketchbooks are my favorite medium, so I was infatuated.  You can learn more about an artist by looking through one sketchbook than you can by talking to them for many hours. Louise flipped through the sketchbook quickly, which was my only regret. I would have liked to study each page at a more leisurely pace. Louise has an exhibition coming up in September, so I will get to see the work on the walls and take more time to look. The abstract work had an amazing energy to it. There is violence to the way masses of color and lines are thrown down. I could learn something about letting go from studying the work. She then showed a more representational piece painted entirely in blue of an urban street scene. It reminded me of paintings I used to do in NYC of the Fish market at 4AM.  I have a Louise Bova painting in my collection that is from her NYC years. This blue painting reminded me of that black and white painting done in an artist’s studio. I identify more with representational work since that is what I do each day, but the energy of her abstracts are attractive. There might be a sweet spot between those two worlds.

Louise made the mistake of saying the works in the sketchbooks were JUST studies. I often say the work in my sketchbooks are JUST sketches. Anyway, a conversation was sparked about how artists undersell their work in the words they use. That conversation went on way too long. I could see from her work that she is a confident and accomplished artist. I can take only so much art speak sometimes.

I presented my short, animated film, COVID Dystopia at this Critique. It was the FAVO premiere for the film. I have taken the film around the world to cities like Berlin, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Reno and Wild Rivers, and the Orlando Film Festival to name a few. The film won the Best Animated Film Award multiple times.  I often would give a talk in front of audiences after those screenings and take questions, but there was never any criticism of the film. The FAVO screening is the only time a group of artists could offer suggestions and insight. Parker Sketch said the film needed more moments where the pace might slow down and I agree. I recognize that the film happens so fast the no one can possibly fully absorb all the imagery. Though I have hand drawn animation in each scene there isn’t a simple fluid story line to follow. The entire 5 minute film is a fast-paced fever dream. I now have the film on YouTube to be seen for free, yet very few people have looked at it. The time to study the insanity of letting the virus rip has passed. Despite this, I still have the COVID Dystopia book to get to press. 100 years from now there will be interest in seeing this view of man’s inhumanity and inability to adapt to a virus.

Fringe: The One Who Calls

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Midnight Stories from Orlando Florida presented The One Who Calls at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. On a public access broadcast called Sightings, Shawn (Bre Wells), a ufologist fielded calls late into the night from believers. She was jaded having heard everything before but firmly believed that UFOs do exist. For her the evidence was overwhelming.

She was used to getting calls from quacks who claimed to see something, but it was easily explained away. Many members of the audience were actually callers. When they called into the show, they would stand up. This was a fun way to make the audience feel like they were also part of the rural community of callers.

One frantic call stood out from the others and that sighting lead to a series of sightings that grew closer to the broadcasting site. A hysteria set in. It of course reminded me of the hysteria that resulted when Orson Wells broadcast The War of the Worlds on the eve of Halloween just before WWII in 1938.

One very creepy call had static and heavy breathing. Could this be ET himself? Shawns research into UFOs was highly researched but the scientific community ignored her findings. This evening might finally offer validation. Lights flickered and for a moment the hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

After a rural hick confessed that he made the sighting up, a female caller who had never called in before offered reassurances. She then drove to the station to speak with Shawn in person. Believing in UFOs has a lot to do with wanting to believe we are not alone in the universe. The female visitor strongly believed in Shawn’s talent and findings. In the end what we all need is human connection and a feeling of being part of a community. Weather that community is interstellar or a tiny rural town, we all want to feel connected.

Fringe: The S#it

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Can’t Stand Sitting from Toronto Canada presented The S#it at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The show opened with writer-star Matti McLean seated on a stool half naked. The stool was meant to stand in for a toilet. This hard edged solo show was a perfect fit for the venue of Ten10Brewing. It was a small venue for a cramped bathroom setting.

A passionate romance had turned sour leading not only to  loss of passion but a deep resentment. The toilet was in a apartment with little to no privacy. This historic bowel movement was happening just feet from where his partner was seated.

Part comedy and part gut wrenching confession the audience was taken along for the ride as the honeymoon period flickered out between the seated protagonist and his partner in the next room. Although they were pulling apart there was still comfort in being close to someone who knew every quirk of personality. How can you let go of someone when you are both so close? Were they better off apart or could the rift be healed? All of this existential though occurred while seated on the royal porcelain throne.

I always root for the underdog and hope that love with find a way. But sometimes even when the love is still there, the passion flickers out as people move apart. Just like a long exhausting s#it there can be some relief and even bliss when it is all over and the bowl is flushed.

The explicit nudity in the show reinforced that we are all exposed when we are deep in a relationship. Sensuality isn’t always pretty but being truly understood and accepted is so rare that it is hard to let go once it is found.

Travel Light & Sketch Often

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Travel Light and Sketch Often was a gouache painting demo by Michael Held. The Albin Polasek Museum holds an annual Winter Park Paint Out, and Michael was one of the rock star artists who helped raise money for the museum. Each year over twenty professionally acclaimed plein air artists paint at the Polasek Museum and at other locations throughout Winter Park and Orlando. Art lovers are invited to watch the artists at work and attend free painting demonstrations like the workshop I attended. The Paint Out happens in April before the worst of the Florida heat kicks in.

Artwork created during the Winter Park Paint Out is on display as soon as they are completed and dropped off at the museum’s wet room. These paintings are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds going to support the Museum.

The description for Michael Held’s workshop lured me in, since it sounded very much like the light kit I carry when I travel. Michael uses gouache which is a medium I want to start working into my kit. I put down very light washes of watercolor on my sketches but at times, it would be nice to go back in and paint opaque paint on top to bring out highlights.

Michael is different than other painters at the Paint Out. Rather than depicting local landscapes, in all their detail, she prefers to paint close ups of birds in a loose and very vibrant style. She doesn’t try to catch wide vistas; she prefers close ups on avian subjects.The camera is not her enemy. She described some of the other artists at the paint out as illustrators and she considers herself more of a visual poet.

She showed her travel kit and I really liked the compact container she had to hold her gouache colors. She said that they never dry out when sealed. She also used a spritz bottle often to moisten the colors. I had a tiny spritz bottle but it didn’t seem to make it to the studio in the last move.

Michael painted one of Albin Polasek’s statues with all of the foliage behind it. It was a challenging subject made more challenging since she needed to keep talking about what she was thinking at each step of the process. I know that talking while at work cuts me off from the more spontaneous and creative side of my brain. Michael described that stages of a painting to great comic effect. Every painting had its ugly phase and every time the artist had to push past that phase.

I learned a whole lot from watching Michael paint, I also loved her story of going through a very difficult time in her life and then pushing ahead to quickly become a renowned painter. She travels often with her small gouache painting set up and she has inspired me to start painting in the medium myself.