Search Results for: Wrestling

We Don’t Play Fight at the Fringe.

Posted on by Thor

I was surprised and pleased to see an entire wrestling ring set up inside the Orange Venue at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803) for We Don’t Play Fight. Professional wrestling is a form of theater in itself with each character having a back story. A wrestling promoter introduced the show explaining that he was searching for new talent to bring to the wrestling ring so that he might earn his way back into the big leagues. A female wrestler built like a tank wanted to begin training. The trainer like a drill Sargent didn’t allow her to training in half measures. She had to be all in or she should  get out. He yelled at her and berated her trying to get her to bring some anger into the ring. Her sister who never spoke a word, watched every move. These sisters had been in a car crash that killed both their parents. The shy sister watching the ring hadn’t said a word since the accident.

After an extensive slow motion training sequence it was finally time for the brick house sister to have her first match. She was doing great against a low class hick when the referee blew his whistle to end the first bout. she was clearly winning. When her opponent fell to the mat, it made a loud drum like resonating thud. When she turned her back to her opponent to walk to her corner of the ring, he blindsided her and broke her arm in a clear act of unsportsmanlike conduct. The silent sister came roaring into the ring to save her sister. She whaled on the hick who specifically hurt her sister to end her career. He was helpless against the silent sisters fury. She jumped off the ropes to pin him down and then she held him in a menacingly long choke  hold. The promoter desperate for a new wrestler had found a Tasmanian devil the the silent sister. When he offered her the job, she shouted with delight.

People in the audience played along shouting, cheering and booing when needed. The spectacle verged on the edge of art imitating life. An evil clown, whose sloppy make up reminded me of the Joker from Batman,  wrestled against a gold masked Adonis. Story fell to the wayside as the wrest;ling bouts heated up. I had hoped for a solid linear story, but action usurped story structure. Still, it was fun to watch the wrestlers throw themselves at each other in the loud tympani of a ring. Wrestling is big in Orlando right now with Full Sail hosting the WWE. A large wrestling logo blocked views of Lake Eola last month and people were always shooting photos of themselves in front of the garish monolith. There is no accounting for taste. 

Tickets are $12

Remaining show times for WE DON’T PLAY FIGHT:

Sunday May 28, 2017 at  4:30pm

Skill Focus Burlesque Presents: Computer Crash Course

Posted on by Thor

I went to a rehearsal for Skill Focus‘ Computer Crash Course. his nerdy burlesque show will be about memes, cats,  internet celebrities and everything else you need to know about computers. I was surprised that the rehearsal space was a suburban home only 5 minute drive from my home. Skill Focus: Burlesque, voted the Best Theater Company in the Orlando Weekly 2013 Best of pole,  is Orlando’s one and only Nerdy Burlesque troupe.
These ladies and gents combine their love of all things geeky with the
sass and comedy of old-school burlesque, all while aiming to put on the
most epic show you’ve ever seen.

The second I arrived, the full run through got started. An announcer began to describe exactly how burlesque should be done. Lita LaRoux acted out the poses described to comic effect. She interacted with her feather boa like she was wrestling a snake. She went through the entire routine like it was her first time which was charming and funny at the same time. She finally did disrobe to display a bright pink corset. That as well came off with a luxurious flourish.

Dahlia Ivory Paige performed as Carmin Sandieo in a long red trench coat and wide brim hat that made her look like a femme fatale from a Film nuor. She was the one performer who sang while she did her burlesque act. She actually had a really good singing voice which in itself is worth the price of admission. Her act was a bit darker and more mysterious that the others which are usually comical. A male performer, Fifi Latio, performed as a pirate. A bright red wig and eye patch completed his look. Come show day he will be covered in glitter. I discovered a new word at the rehearsal. “Derp” seems to refer to an
awkward charm that comes when things don’t work out as expected.


Rosita Sparkles nailed the funniest burlesque of the evening. She performed as a crazed cyber girlfriend who will stalk her man and never let him go. She had a maniacal wide eyed gaze that made her every move hilarious. She had an audience member help her remove a glove and then she clutched the glove refusing to let it go. She didn’t just disrobe, she literally ripped off her clothes in a crazed passion. Ruby Darling, Skill Focus’ fearless leader had bright blue hair. She took notes about every performance so that they could be tweaked and improved before the show. Every performer develops their own routine and the results are often inspired. Ruby’s routine was set in the wild west and she had a flourish of skirts worthy of the Moulin Rouge or a raw unbridled western stage show.

Post rehearsal notes included how to step out of a skirt which involves lowering the skirt all the way to the floor while showcasing plenty of leg and keeping the butt elevated. There was one technical difficulty when Rosita couldn’t undo her corset. Ruby demonstrated how these clasps can become tangled and locked. Any guy might identify with the dilemma of trying to unclasp a bra and discovering that is refuses to give way. There is a technique of pushing away in a scooping motion that will free the clasp every time. There were many more acts that I described, so expect to be surprised.

Mark your calenders! Skill Focus Presents: Computer Crash Course will be performed on July 19th at The Venue, 511 Virginia Drive, Orlando FL at 10pm. 18+ ONLY! The Venue has a full bar for those 21and older.

Tickets:
$15 VIP front row seating
$10 General admission
Tickets available in advance at sfbcomputercrashcourse.eventbrite.com. It is going to be a wild and hilarious ride!

The Taming of the Shrew

Posted on by Thor

Having sketched the early stages of the set build, I decided to sit in the same Loge seat to sketch “The Taming of the Shrew” on September 25th. Actress Melissa Mason addressed the audience before the play began. This production would be staged in the 1880’swild west because Shakespeare’s play has much violence and a headstrong woman would make perfect sense in an early settlement where anything goes. The play was written in 1594.

The production was a comedic romp that employed some of Shakespeare’s favorite gags such as switched identities. Melissa played the beautiful Biance in  blonde curls and a pink dress who had many suitors. Lucertio (Chris Ryan), wealthy landowner Germino (Brandon Roberts), and local Hortensio (Chris Metz) are all trying to win her hand. Bianca’s father Baptista Minola (John Ahlin) however insisted that Bianca could not marry until her sister Kate (Deanna Gibson) was married. Kate was a bartender who preferred a foul mouthed brawl to any kindness.

At the center of the show is a high stakes battle of the sexes. Rancher Petruchio (Geoffrey Kent) is persuaded to pursue Kate. Bianca’s suitors covered all costs and if he succeeded he would profit from Kate’s rich dowry. The courtship was close to witnessing a WWF wrestling match. Endless impassioned fights were played for great comedic effect. Eventually the rancher wins Kate’s hand. Having married her, he begins to try and break her, just as he would a wild stallion. He denied his new bride food, sleep and fresh clothing while still singing her praises. This resulted in his getting a black eye but over time Kate was coaxed to admit gratitude. I grew more annoyed as Kate softened. I preferred seeing her fiery western independence.

When Lucentio won Bianca’s hand, the men at the reception make a wager about who has the most obedient wife. Surprisingly Kate is the only wife who comes when summoned. Petruchio wins the bet, his cowboy hat full of money. But the couple have also won each other, discovering mutual respect on the tale of conflict.

I must admit that there were moments in the play where Shakespeare’s words were lost on me. With so many characters changing their identities, I at times lost track of who was who. Kate’s final speech however was beautifully worded and inspired. Mark Your Calendar! The Taming of the Shrew is running through October 6th in the Margison Theater in the Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 E Rollins St  Orlando, FL). Tickets are between $20 and $40.  

Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker, a one man show, will open October 9th and run through November 10, 2013. This should be a perfect play for the Halloween season.

The Cortez Method

Posted on by Thor

I went to the World Premiere of The Cortez Method written by Rob Keefe and Directed by Mark Routhier at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater (812 East Rollins Street Orlando FL). Being in the small Mandell Theater, I was surprised at how intricate and ornate the set by scenic designer, Robbin Watts was.

The play takes place in a rural home in the Kentucky woods. Based on the set, you can tell that there have been recent renovations like new marble counter tops and flooring Bill, played by Paul Bernardo arrives home only to be surprised by his brother Walter, played by Riley Clermont. After some joking and wrestling it becomes clear that Walter is a no good brother who wants a handout. Some event from the brothers pasts makes Walter feel he is owed. Paul’s pregnant wife, Sarah, played by Suzanne O’Donnell is asleep off stage and Walters loud booming voice wakes her up and she pounds on the wall. Walter is not welcome in their home.

This is a dysfunctional family with a capitol D. Bill is constantly trying to appease his wife and brother. He seems whipped and tired. He also resents that everything has been poured into the opulent home furnishings like a five burner range and a stove whose name he cant pronounce. The fridge is battered and old, the one appliance from a past life. There are dark criminal currents beneath the country bliss. The play is a dark comedy in which the past and present collide. Walter claims he is like Cortez who burned his ship when invading the Aztec Empire to prove there was no retreat. It was all or nothing. A complete and total commitment. Walter had the same commitment to get a “loan” from his brother of about $30,000 to start a gate welding business. All of Bill’s money however was tied up in his home.

The second act gets violent as no one gets what they want. The most astonishing character was Odette, played by Melanie Whipple. She was Walters girl who would set him straight. She was missing teeth, was disheveled and looked stoned or ill.  When Walter grabs her, she defends herself. Bill’s wife has a warped idea of how they need to protect their home and Bill does everything he is asked to do. He is like a small dog on a leash who puts up some resistance but always relents with a tug. I was confused by the confrontation between the couple. There was resentment and hate and yet, in the heat of the argument, they kissed. Bill seems changed by what had transpired. He rips the shades off the windows and the room blazed light. Just what changed remained unclear. I suspect he would continue to do as he was told. He would never be free from his past.

This play marks a renewed commitment by the 25 year old Orlando Shakespeare Theater to present original plays.The play is a very adult story of family dysfunction, infidelity, and substance abuse. It is best suited for adult audiences. Mark Your Calendar! The play runs through September 22nd. Tickets are about $25.

Phantasmagoria

Posted on by Thor

I went to a dress rehearsal for Empty Space Theater Company’s, Phantasmagoria III in the Patron’s Room at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center. The circular room was magically transformed into a circus ring. Suspended below the circular dome was a circular screen which was used for projections. The rehearsal began with a 7PM fight choreography session. Even rehearsed at 1/4 speed, the sword fight was strangely menacing in the small space.

John DiDona, the director, then circled up all the actors to hold hands before a complete run through of the show. He told the cast, “Every story is important. We are dangerous, we have seen to much.” Someone shouted, “Merde!”, or was it “Murder? The room went dark as actors took their places. Two clowns in simple black suits began wrestling with boxes in the ring to comic effect. John let me know that this was the 13 minute pre-show that went on as the audience filtered in.

The Phantasmagoria cast tells some of the classic horror stories incorporating music, dance, puppetry and drama to sinister effect. The Tell Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe made great use of projections on the overhead screen with chipped wall paint patterns and then  giant eye as the narrator discussed the cold blooded, highly thought out plot to kill his neighbor, an old man. The whole cast recreated the sound of the heart with guttural verbalization. It was creepy. The Cold Embrace told the tale off an artist who fell in and out of love with a cousin. Heart broken, the cousin died and then returned to haunt the fickle artist, embracing him with her invisible cold fingers.

The dark show was filled with dancing skeletons, a giant bloodthirsty wolf and beings in the darkness that were hard to identify. The ringmaster was barefooted, because corpses are barefooted in the morgue, Brittany Wine explained. Characters at times stood behind me as they whispered their lines sending a chill down my spine. The circular room is intimate, small, with no room to escape. These were classic tales told with drama and effect. Now in it’s third year, the show keeps growing and evolving along with it’s characters, each of whom had a dark painful back-story.

When: October 12-31st,  8:30 p.m.

Venue: Lowndes Shakespeare Center, Patron’s Room

Address: 812 E. Rollins St.

Phone: (407) 328-9005

Web Site: http://www.redchairproject.com

Price: $20

7 Challenges Writers Workshop.

Posted on by Thor

Phil Deaver and Lezlie Laws hosted a writers workshop at Rollins College. The focus for the day was to address the seven challenges that face writers. There is a different energy that is felt when you work in a room full of creative people. I feel it when I sketch.
Lezlie discussed reasons she has found to avoid writing. She pointed out that she had manifested hurricanes just to keep from sitting down and facing a blank page. What she usually does however is find busy work. She knows now that if she ends up straightening up in the garage, that she should be writing. She pointed out that when a writer is not writing, they are abandoning themselves.
Phil pointed out that he sits down to write even when he has nothing to write about. If writing were easy, then everyone would be doing it. He feels that the important thing is to turn on the spigot. The first sentences he writes are often useless but if he persists they will begin to work. Once the ideas begin to form, the writer can feel a wave of happiness. Phil said that a writer should try to work longer than they usually do, to write even when the ideas are not ready and fully formed. He pointed out that the struggle adds character to the final “sketch” or narrative. Writing is often like wandering into a dark cave without a flashlight. What you don’t know will come to you. The artist needs to be open, not digging or forcing ideas into existence.
A quote was offered and I paraphrase, I treat writing like a rehearsal, I attempt to try out everything. I reject nothing. Lezlie and Phil had the students do a word association game that forced their brain to remain in the left brain mode, allowing for free association and creative thought. From a random list of words generated by the students they then assembled a paragraph and the results were surprising and strikingly visual.
Phil said that authors need to stay at the work table, if they do then everything would come to bear. If the author keeps pushing , then inspiration would come. It comes only when the author is wrestling the muse. The writer has to write about conflict. The story must deal with tensions exploring a dynamic arc. Revelations only come out of that conflict. The author must set the trap then spring it. Many authors promote an illusion by writing around the conflict. Many people are artful dodgers. A writer should not be afraid of failure, a writer should be afraid of not doing anything.