Trading Soles at Fringe.

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I went to a rehearsal of Trading Soles written by Franco Colon. This show is a Bring Your Own Venue production. BYOV venues allow for more choices off of the usual Fringe lawn epicenter of the festival. The rehearsal space was off set from the road so it wasn’t easy to find. Actress Crysta Marie guided us in. The empty showroom had a two beds and several night stands. Bodies were lying on the floor.

Director Joseph Adam Gonzolez quickly explained the shows premise. BEN (Justin Cortes), an awkward freshman, meets his new roommate in college, ELI, (Franco Colon)an
arrogant, charming sophomore. BEN and ELI are complete opposites and do
not get along due to their differences. Ben has enough and tries to
move out of the dorm, but that’s when the chaos begins. Just when things
couldn’t get worse, they switch bodies. ELI sleeps
in his shoes and then they talk about walking in someones steps. They
wake up to find they are in each other’s bodies, more like trading
souls.

BEN and ELI have no choice but
to come together and figure out what in the world just happened. ELI is a closeted gay, and towards the end of the play while in his friends body, he comes out to Ben’s, mom (Crysta Marie). Her scream scared me half out of my whits. I wasn’t expecting it.

I only got to see the last few scenes of the play. I’m not sure why bodies littered the floor. The sketch was finished in a panicked flash.

TRADING SOLES remaining show times:
Thursday, May 25th, 10 PM
Saturday, May 27th, 7 PM
Sunday, May 28th, 4:30 PM

TICKET PRICING:
$10.00 Fringe Button (Sold at Breakthrough Theater 421 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) $9.00 + $1.25 ticketing fee (ONLINE or AT FRINGE BOX OFFICE ONLY. TICKETS WILL NOT BE SOLD AT BREAKTHROUGH)

La Reina Yolanda at Fringe.

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Leesa Castaneda, a a playwright, director and actress veteran of the Orlando theatre scene, is bringing her one woman show entitled La Reina Yolanda to the Orlando International Fringe Festival.

Written and performed by Leesa Castaneda and directed by Paul Castaneda, the play is about one woman’s life from childhood adventures to her battle with Alzheimer’s. The affection between the actress and director was evident as they talked during the tech. Sometimes the greatest journeys are the ones in our own mind.

Yolanda, is a fierce Latina who we follow from childhood to old age. Beset by tragedy, she leans on her sharp mind and family to land on her feet. An advocate for her family and the less fortunate, her mind becomes ravaged by Alzheimer’s. She’s faced with the fight for her mind, sense of self and the family she has fought hard to protect. When who we are begins to disappear piece by piece, how do we hold on to the essence of what defines us?

Two painting on stage were done by La Reina herself. one showed a priest walking past a gorgeous woman in a red dress and high heels. it was as if the priest were considering abandoning his robes to turn and follow the woman. the other painting was probably a self portrait of La Reina. She looked stoic and strong. This was a tech rehearsal, which involved lots of lighting adjustments prior to a complete run through of the show. We had forgotten to bring tissues from the Shakespeare Theater bathrooms. It wasn’t until the last scenes when sleeves had to be used. To see such an inspired and active woman loose her sense of identity was painful to watch.

La Reina Yolanda will have performances in the WHITE Venue

Remaining show times:

Monday, May 22nd 5:30 PM

Wednesday, May 24th 5:30 PM

Friday, May 26th 7:00 PM

Saturday, May 27th 4:00 PM

Sunday, May 28th 6:00 PM

The Orlando Fringe runs through May 29, 2017 in Loch Haven Park. Go to the Orlando Fringe website at orlandofringe.org for tickets and the Festival Dates and location.

#Kander and Ebb at Fringe.

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This
musical cabaret featured the works of Broadway composer John Kander and lyricist
Fred Ebb. They wrote music for such musicals as Chicago, Cabaret, Zorba, Fosse, and Kiss of the Spider Woman. The
Canadian singer, Ryan G. Hinds, came out with bright red glitter
lipstick, his suit and skin glowed orange in the hot stage light. The
pianist seemed bland by comparison, only lit by the glow of light off of
the sheet music. I couldn’t catch the lipstick in my sketch. 

The
show combines musical theater with celebrity gossip. He had Liza
Minnelli as a mentor and she inspired his career. Chita Rivera was also a major source of inspiration. The songs were
romantic and funny. He told the story of a musical set at the sea shore.
When he heard the musical as a high school student, he suddenly
realized that the lyrics could be interpreted as being rather dirty.
Songs about splashing in the waves could be reinterpreted as being about
pleasure filled orgasms and maybe a golden shower. 

The
singer met both Kander and Ebb loving one and being snubbed by the
other. It was a fun cabaret and the final song seemed to come too soon.
When the audience stood for a standing ovation, the singer shouted out,
“Oh sit down! Of course I’ll do another song.” It was typical of the
light hearted humor that was laced throughout the show. If you love old
school Broadway musicals, then this is the show for you.

Phantasmagoria’s Wickedest Tales of All at Fringe.

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Phantasmagoria: Wickedest Tales of All will hit the Orlando International Fringe Festival with a vengeance. I sat in on a  tech rehearsal in the Orange Venue (Margeson Theater) inside the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. I sat in the top row of the theater. The huge cast was rehearsing a waltz. With so many actors on stage, the challenge was to keep couples from bumping into each other.  Once the dance was worked out, the actors were released to go back stage, and get into make up and finish their elaborate costuming. John DiDonna came up to the back row to say hi and offer me a chance to sketch the back stage chaos. However, I had to run in order to get to another show.

Stage hands started sweeping the stage and then someone discovered a quarter sized hole in the stage floor. It was fun to watch actors, stage hands, the tech and director all standing around the hole to figure out how to patch it up. should a performer’s heel get stuck it could be a tragic moment. The fight choreographer stuck his finger in and said, “This will seal it up, I’m sort of like the Dutch boy.” Someone else suggested that they should get an actor to stick their finger in and then rip it off leaving it behind in the hole. Corks were considered and of course Duct Tape fixes anything. I didn’t stick around to find out how the mysterious hole was eventually patched.

The driving premise behind the show is that any story that is old must be told until it is complete. Some stories are so horrific that the cast can find themselves in mortal danger. There was a drone perched on on of the boxes, so I am left wondering how it might come into play.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for May 20th and 21st.

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Saturday May 20, 2017

1pm to 10pm Accidental Music Festival Marathon! 80 West Grant Street, Suite 11, Orlando, FL 32806. Accidental Music Festival’s Marathon AMF celebrates the emergence of Orlando as a hotbed of contemporary classical and creative music on May 20th. Featuring 18 ensembles and soloists performing a day-long concert of music almost exclusively by living composers at the Sodo Shopping Center, the event seeks to highlight the work of new and established groups dedicated to new music. This year there will also be family-friendly events during the day, including acoustic and electronic instrument petting zoos, where kids of all ages can test out instruments and learn about making music.

Lineup:

1:00p – Valhalla Quartet (student ensemble)

1:30p – Opera Orlando

2:00p – nullstate

2:30p – UCF Percussion Ensemble

3:00p – Yen-Yaw

3:30p – Alterity Woodwind Quintet

4:00p – Elizabeth Baker

4:30p – Continuum Quartet

5:00p – Helena

5:30p – dbDuo

6:00p – Luis Guerrero

6:30p – Belt & Ramirez

7:00p – blacksunblackmoon

7:30p – Lush Agave

8:00p – Hippocrene Saxophone Quartet

8:30p – Moloko Plus

9:00p – Thomas Milovac Unit Colossus

9:30p – Ensemble AMF

3pm to 11pm Free. Swamp Sistas La La at Orlando Fringe 2017. Outdoor stage Lock Haven Park. Orlando songwriter Beth McKee and Park Ave CDs are co-presenting the fifth annual Swamp Sistas La La, a family friendly, musical gathering of female-fronted acts, on May 20 from 3 to 11 p.m. on the Fringe Lawn Stage in Loch Haven Park. The musically diverse lineup ranges from singer songwriter to folk rock, a capella, rhythm and blues (both kinds) and Hip Hop, plus Orlando’s best story teller.

The event is part of the Orlando Fringe Festival and will raise money to help Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida fight local hunger with a virtual fund drive at www.lalasummerhope.com. Funds raised will go to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida Summer Hope for Kids program to feed kids from low income families this summer, when no school means no school breakfast or lunch to many who need it. The campaign will run from April 26 until the end of the day on May 20th, cash and check donations will also be accepted at the La La.

Performing at the La La are:

LUVU, E-Turn, Terri Binion, Lynn Drury Music, Beth McKee, Sybil Gage & her Catahoulas, O-Sky, Helena, Renee is a Zombie, storyteller Madeline Pots, Kayonne Riley Music, Ka Malinalli and Loi Jeannette.

7pm $12. O-Town: Voices from Orlando. Fringe Brown Venue Orlando International Fringe Festival 812 Rollins Street Orlando Fl. David Lee,
recipient of the 2016 Orlando International Fringe Festival’s Lifetime
Achievement Award has created an original theatrical event that shares
stories and experiences from the days, weeks and months following the
aftermath of the Pulse nightclub attack that occurred in Orlando on June
12th,
2016. Interviews, blog postings and stories from the Orlando Sentinel
newspaper come to life on stage in a very personal and intimate way
through a company of 18 local Theatre Artists.

Sunday May 21, 2017

11pm to 5pm. Free. Streetscape Arts Market on Pine Street. CityArts Factory 29 S Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida 32801. We are starting a quarterly arts market downtown on Pine Street. We are looking for artists, artisans, crafters, jewelry makers, musicians, and food vendors.

Our goal is to continue growing the arts scene downtown. This will be a fun outdoor event that happens once a quarter. Spread the word and get in on the ground floor. 10×10 spots are going for $10. Email today for an application.

2:30pm to 1pm $12. Phantasmagoria’s “Wickedest Tales of All”. Fringe Orange Venue Orlando Shakespeare theater, 812 East Rollins Street Orlando Fl. Called “One of the most unique theater troupes in the country.” by Good
Day Atlanta, Phantasmagoria returns to Fringe with its all new touring
show “Wickedest Tales of All” – Haunted Storytelling, Phantastical
Dance, explosive stage combat and puppetry all woven into a tapestry of
macabre and whimsical horror. Featuring works by Poe, Dickens, and tales
of legend and folklore, this acclaimed Victorian Horror Troupe is sure
to chill and thrill all audiences!

10:30pm to 3:30pm $12. Corsets and Cuties- A Burlesque Cabaret- #Flawless. Fringe Black Venue, The Venue 511 Virginia Drive Orlando FL. Corsets & Cuties are back for round 3 of Fringe in an all-new
review. Listed among the Best of Orlando Burlesque (Orlando Weekly), the
Cuties are celebrating the best of the City Beautiful bringing their
unique mix of talent & cheeky humor to the stage. Sponsored by
Premier Couples Superstore, audiences have the chance to win fun take
home prizes. With a different guest star featured each show- we invite
you to see why the Cuties are #flawless. 18 and Up – Nudity, Sexual Content. 60 minutes.

Corsets and Cuties – A Burlesque Cabaret – #flawless

Posted on by Thor

Corsets and Cuties has a Fringe show this year titled Flawless in the black venue which is in “The Venue”, (511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803). When I arrived for the dress rehearsal, everyone was working their way through the final dance number. With that worked out they then started to get into their outfits. Corsets had to be laced. Barbie Rhinestone leaned forward as another dancer pulled the laces tight. “Can you breath?” she was asked. When she said “Yes”, the laces got pulled tighter. Each corset had a different letter on the front, like an O, and a T. The letters finally made sense when all the dancers lines up on stage and spelled Strong.

Some numbers were outright hilarious. This is burlesque with a comic twist and it will shock and amaze you. The group numbers celebrated all that is good about Orlando. You kind of expect delays and some glitches in a rehearsal and there was a problem back stage between numbers. A workman in a black hoodie came out tightening screws with a drill. Well the worker turned out to be a performer, and a sexy one at that. In one dance, a guy sat in a chair and a female performer did a handstand and leg split right in front of him. He was supposed to grab her hips but he grabbed her legs. They had to do the move over again, and then one more time during the performance. 

If you want a lighthearted and fun Fringe evening, then I would suggest  stopping out to the Black Venue for Flawless.

Show Times:

Price: $12

Thursday May 18, 2017 at 11:59pm

Sunday May 21, 2017 at 10:30pm

Wednesday May 24, 2017 at 9:00pm

Thursday May 25, 2017 at 11:59pm

Sunday May 28, 2017 at 9pm

O-Town: Voices from Orlando

Posted on by Thor

I was still reporting about the Orlando International Fringe Festival last year when the horrific shooting at the Pulse nightclub happened on June 12, 2016. Fringe is once again going to burst onto the Lock Haven Park complex bringing drama, and comedy for a solid week on unrelenting theater and fun. Last year after the shooting I asked Orlando artists to go to the Falcon Bar to create 49 portraits of the innocent lives lost at Pulse. Those 49 portraits were then exhibited at the Orlando Science Center and on that evening I was interviewed about the project. That interview then became the source of inspiration for a monologue in O-Town.

Prints of the 49 portraits hung behind the stage giving the somber impression of prison bars. The play is based on a series of interviews conducted mostly by David Lee, of people who have been affected by the tragedy. It opens with a monologue inspired by Our Town written by Thornton Wilder. The opening described Orlando on the eve of the shooting. People and places would be very different the next day. A homeless man would be lighting candles at the Dr Phillips memorial site each night, a costume shop owner would soon be creating thousands of rainbow ribbons…

I spoke with Christopher Hanson multiple times about how he survived that night at Pulse. The actor playing Christopher told the story of survival and personal responsibility with humor and lots of heart. Then the actor playing me took to the stage. I was surprised to find myself tearing up based on things I had said a year ago. It seems like a lifetime ago. People in the audience were also getting choked up. One woman cried through the whole show. I had just one paper towel I had decided to bring in from the men’s room.

Other monologues described fighting hate with love using Angel Action Wings made of PVC and and white fabric. People who planned to protest the funerals of Pulse victims were blocked by these angels who would sing to drown out their hate. A first responders wife described how her husband was changed by his evening in the aftermath of Pulse. He would experience PTSD from that night onward and there was no disability for the mental anguish. Had be broken his leg then there would be help.

These stories are all part of the larger picture of an entire community trying to recover from a horrible act of violence. A year later and the scars are still there, but Orlando had answered with love and acceptance. Hateful people still thrive, feeling invulnerable in a country in which politics encourage hate and accusations.  They try to cause senseless harm, but love is stronger that hate. It was an emotional night. After the show. I was hugged by several people who recognized me. I shut my eyes and felt the warmth. Tears streamed down my face.

All the monologues in O-Town: Voices from Orlando will be presented together on the Eve of the one year mark of the attack on Pulse Nightclub on Sunday June 11, 2017 at 7pm at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in the Margeson Theater. Profits will benefit the onePulse Foundation.org.

I can’t recommend this show enough. The monologues focus the audiences attention on aspects of the tragedy that never made their way to mainstream media outlets. It is a human and multi layered fabric. I met the actor, Daniel Cooksley, who played my part on stage. He said he had never performed a part with the subject sitting in the audience.

Fringe Show Times:

May 17, 2017 at 6PM

May 20, 2017 at 7PM

May 22, 2017 at 7PM

May 26, 2017 at 8:15PM

May 27, 2017 at 12:15PM

May 28, 2017 at 11:15AM

My FAVO Pulse exhibit.

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On the first Friday of each month, FAVO, (221 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32801) a former motel on Colonial Drive becomes a place to check out the latest visual art from local Orlando Artists. Jennifer Gwynne Oliver rents a ground floor studio, and at the last minute, an artist who planned to exhibit their work in her studio backed out. I had given Jennifer a call asking if I could hand one piece just to tests the waters. She responded that I could hang as much work as I wanted. So I packed about a dozen Pulse themed sketched in a granny card and transported the work to FAVO.

The nails were already in the wall and amazingly there were just enough nails for the amount of work I transported. The traffic was slow to start but my last minute Facebook invite brought out my trusted friends who showed their support. The corner studio was offset from most foot traffic. I was told that placing a stuffed panda outside the door used to attract potential viewers. I passed the time sketching. I had a few of my Urban Sketching books on hand and one book sold. That was the one sale for the night. I am satisfied that new people had a chance to see the Pulse related work that I cintinue to produce each week.

Once it was time to wind down, all the art went back in my granny cart and it was wheeled back to my car. It was a good night to catch up with friends and share my work. Who could ask for more?

Festa Itlaiana

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I went to Lake Lilly Park in Maitland where there was an Italian Festival. The festival was in the venue right on Lake Lilly. I parked a few blocks away at the Maitland Art Center and hiked the short distance to the festival. New cars were parked on the grass from a local dealership. I decided to sketch a food tent that was doing a booming business. They were selling freshly made cannolis. Cannoli consist of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta. The heavy set guy was stirring the cannoli custard. I believe they filled the cannolis on the spot as they were sold. I was sitting next to an Italian family. The young boy was running everywhere and the petite wife seemed to be always trying to wrangle him in. They didn’t seem to mind my sketching.

Once the quick sketch was done, I scouted inside. There were expensive slices of pizza. and I ordered one. On stage was a singer who was crooning Frank Sinatra classics. The next act was an accordion player. In the corner of the venue were exotic Venetian masks. Another table offered travel plans to Italy. The audience relaxed at the round tables. By the time I made my way back outside, the cannoli vendor had run out of cannolis. I was devastated. How could I write about my experiences without at least tasting a cannoli? There was an Italian ice vendor who still had product, but I didn’t decided to try any.

The scene inside reminded me of the wedding scene in the Godfather movie in which classic Vegas performers entertained the guests. This small event just lacked that level of professional polish. In general the vendors were commercial and not necessarily Italian themed. For instance Verizon was offering information about their Internet packages. I was desperate to get rid of At&T which gave me horrible reception in my apartment. They also never figured out how to mail me my bills, so it was stressful to have to double check to make sure i was paying them despite never getting billed. Probably because of this Italian Festival, I ended up switching to Verizon and Now my reception is better and they send me monthly bills. Life is much easier. it was satisfying to get rid of AT&T which offered literally no costumer service.

In NYC there were always lots of these ethnic street festivals. I miss just running into festivals on the fly. Festivals do exist in Orlando, you just have to keep an eye out to find them.

Eye Surgery

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Artist Linda Sarasino had cateracts. Surgery was arranged for each of her eyes on separate days. Since the surgery would leave one eye with a highly dilated pupil, she needed to have someone take her to the surgery and get her home safely. I volunteered to drive. In the waiting room Linda had to fill out legal forms that pointed out every possible thing that could go wrong with the surgery with results such as blindness and death. She signed away her life and we waited. There were the usual doctors office golf and lifestyle magazine, but I decided to sketch.

Finally she was called back to the surgery room and I waited alone. She left behind her bag glasses and jacket. Time moved slowly. Surgery would involve inserting a corrective lens inside her cornea to correct her vision. She had to use eye drops 4 times a day for two days leading up to the surgery. The procedure itself would take just 15 minutes and she would be given anesthesia. The anesthesia can cause amnesia which means many people do not remember the procedure. She has had a bad reaction to the drug that causes the amnesia so they had to reduce the amount given to her. She wasn’t knocked out and she was able to see the knife cut into her eye and the lens inserted. A bright light distorted and gave her the impression that she was experiencing an LSD trip.

This is a procedure done every day and considered quite routine. But it isn’t routine for the person having it done. I sat waiting for well over 15 minutes and the legal forms had my mind wandering to worst case scenarios. When I was called back, Linda was in a wheel chair. A plastic mesh eye patch was over the affected eye. Being transparent if kept her from looking like a pirate. She was wheeled to the back door and then we walked to my ca in the parking lot.

That night, I asked her to go outside to look at the sunset overlooking a golf course. She covered her eye that had the surgery and looked at the sunset and then covered that eye to look through the new lens. She started to cry. She had never see the colors so vibrant and pure. The cataract caused everything to have a yellowish dull cast. She pointed to some subtle wisps of pink clouds  on the northern horizon. I couldn’t see the same pink. Her vision was now better than my own. as the sky darkened, I took a picture of her with her arms outstretched looking like Julie Andrews on a mountain top. As an artist sight means everything, and she had been given the gift of being able to see the world in a brand new way.