I Should’ve Just Married David Neilson Rehearsal

Downstairs Lady Theater Productions will be presenting, I Should’ve Just Married David Neilson, written by Carol Jacqueline Palumbo and directed by Mikaela A. Duffy. The show will be at the third annual Tampa International Fringe Festival. Carol also played the leading role of a blogger tapping away at her computer. Her roommate and BFF (Lizzie Reynolds) helped Carol from feeling like she might be getting into a writer’s rut. The two had clearly gone through much together, with their friendship weathering the storms of a crazy dating scene. As Carol got emotional about all the jerks she had dated, her BFF advised her to write those thoughts down. The only thing Carol had a harder time with, besides her writer’s block, was her love life. So why not combine the two, and make it SUPER painful!  

Carol’s first love, was David Neilson in Kindergarten. He told Carol’s mom that he had a thing for blue eyed brunettes,
and to Carol’s Stepford, Connecticut family, a statement like that was an
obvious declaration of everlasting love and marital intent. Things
didn’t work out that way.

A disastrous first kiss was hilarious in its slobbery details, followed by online dating, really bad dates, and even worse sex. Carol uses her humor to navigate through treacherous perils. There were plenty of trolls along the way, but this was not your typical fairy tale. This modern day Cinderella takes you on a journey through the good, the bad, and the “What the Actual F***?!” to finding love and perhaps a happily ever after.  Stage Manager, Morgan Polodna, played audio snippets of guys insipid and disgusting pick up lines, which made Carol, and both Pam and I, smile. It was the first time Carol had heard this element of the show.

Things got really dark as Carol related the details of being drugged and date raped. Her emotions were visceral and raw, and very real because perhaps this wasn’t just acting, but reliving a horrible truth. This scene really hit hard. I don’t think I have ever experienced theater that was that heartfelt. I particularly identified with her as a blogger, and she shared her thoughts online in all their intense rage. The overwhelming response from friends and people she didn’t even know, was a reminder that none of us are going through this life experience alone. As Carol said to herself, “You could give girls hope that a sense of humor could be your glass slipper of of this hell hole.”


A warm hug to this amazing show and cast. As I worked, I suddenly realized I had left my paint brushes at home. I had to resort to finger painting to finish up the sketch. It kind of made sense to slip back into finger painting mode since Carol’s first kindergarten love was so central to the show. Carol reminded me that I have sketched her in seven different shows over the years. Sadly, she is leaving Central Florida, so this will likely be the last time I will sketch one of her performances. Her bright flame will light up the next arts scene she becomes a part of.

The show opens tonight May 2, 2019 at HCC Rehearsal Hall on the Corner of Palm Ave and East 14th Street Tampa Florida.

Tickets are $10 with a $4.50 fee.

Thursday, May 2: 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 4: NOON

Sunday, May 5: 3:00 p.m.

Friday, May 10: 10:45 p.m.

Saturday, May 11: 8:00 p.m.

The Early Girl

Downstairs Lady Theatre presents The Early Girl written by Caroline Kava. Directed by Vicki Wicks, the play focuses on Lily, (Kelly Solberg), who plans to work at the brothel just a month
in order to secure a solid financial foundation for her daughter,
Dolly. She enters the brothel insecure and shy but with ambitions to make plenty of money. Jewel Box House Madam Lana (Dianna Bennett) believes in Lilly and encourages her, believing she will break records her first year in the house. Lana was once a working girl herself but now she runs her own establishment and she has only a few rules, no cell phones, only leave the house once a month for a “Doctor Day” and no violence.

This play doesn’t sensationalize the sex industry, instead it delved
into these women’s hopes dreams and lost aspirations. The setting is the
waiting area between Johns. The women pass the time reading and
chatting. The brothel setting is surprisingly domestic, a quiet suburban living room. The rehearsal I attended was in a Winter Garden home adding to the surreal domesticity.

Pam Schwartz came along with me to chaperone. I felt like Toulouse Lautrec sketching brothel life. While I struggled with the sketch, I heard her laughing at the off hand exchanges between the women on stage. The play is both comic and tragic. Lilly is mentored and advised by the more established girls. Jean (Carol Jacqueline Palumbo) who is a smart woman who once thought she was only going to earn some extra money and get out, but now she feels close to hitting rock bottom and Pat (Kat Kemmet) who uses her earnings to buy frivolous personal items, Laurel (April Tubbs) is hardened and keeps to herself reading but she sends the money back to her child in Spokane. George (Dina Najjar) has a regular customer named Eric who she feels may one day ask her to marry him. Each woman has their personal reasons for what they do and each has a heart of gold.

The Early Girls ambitions get out of hand when she takes Eric, George’s regular to bed and kisses him which is in itself an infraction. George goes ballistic and a no hold barred cat fight ensues. Of course violence is against the house rules, and the girls have to stick together to keep from being broken apart. Though there are differences, they care about each other. As an outsider looking in, we get to care about each woman in turn as well. Though in an industry that might seem dis-empowering, these women are empowered.

The show is now at Tampa Fringe. 

HCC Studio Theatre

1411 E 11th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605

The remaining show dates are,

Thurs May 10 at 9pm,

Sat May 12 at 3pm

Tickets are $14.50

If you don’t want to make the drive to Tampa, the show is coming to Breakthrough Theater 419 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. This would be a great way to extend your Orlando International Fringe experience.
June 1-2 at 8pm
June 3 at 3pm and 8pm
Tickets are $12 General Admission
$10 for Breakthrough Alumni

Good Soldier explores the disturbing memories of a war veteran.

I contacted director Carol Jacqueline Palumbo to sketch a rehearsal of Good Soldier, written by Tony Pelham. Jonathan Raffoul plays the part of the good soldier as he relates the memories and horrors of war. Carol confided, that at the audition, she knew Jonathan was perfect for the part after his first reading. He has a palpable intensity that stays true to the part. Suffering from the horrors of war, he tries to make sense of it all.

Carol’s plan was to workshop a couple areas and then  let him run through the show a few times without any interruptions. The rehearsal was in Carol’s apartment which is packed up since she plans to move soon. The clutter of her belongings seemed appropriate for the clutter in the soldier’s mind. Clearly this soldier suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. When he related the memories of his fellow soldiers raping and killing a young beautiful female civilian, I empathized with his anger and guilt. Perhaps had he stayed in the room he could have stopped what was about to happen. He would have to live with the guilt his whole life. The rapist, killed in battle was considered a war hero.

Much of this incredible twenty minute monologue is addressed to an imagined therapist in the audience. The soldier responds to the therapist’s imagined questions with distaste and anger. It becomes clear that no therapist can explain away the horrors that play out again and again in his mind. When he mistakes the therapist for the rapist, he becomes menacing in his anger. Although a fuse has shorted, I empathized with the notion that he wanted justice even in war. Perhaps there is no such thing. The victors write history. Perhaps he wasn’t even fighting for a just cause. After the second read through Carol said to Jonathan, “That’s the performance to beat!” It really was a superb performance. You don’t want to miss this show.

Mark your calendar! The play is one of seven original short plays that is part of
Playwrights Roundtable‘s Summer Series that will debut at theOrlando Shakespeare Theater, 812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL. Performances will be held at 8pm in the Santos Dantin Studio Theatre, July 17th through August 2nd on the
weekends with Sunday 3pm matinee only shows.

The other shows in the Summer Shorts line up are:

  • Train Stop” by Mark Cornell

    Serio-comic, A Man and a Woman meet at a
    stop and consider the possibilities of their maybe-future relationship.

  • Dating, Sex, and the Space-Time Continuum” by David Strauss

    Do you ever wish your future and
    present selves could talk to each other and maybe warn you away from
    that one relationship you may or may not end up regretting?

  • Speaking of Mars” by Jonathan Cook

    A man and a woman are paired up for the
    historic first mission to Mars. But one of them has a secret…

  • Soles” by Katie Thayer

    It’s the end of the world as we know it, but is it too much to ask to go out with a pair of comfortable shoes?

  • Binged There, Done That” by Ken Preuss

    Sitcom is life. Especially when
    taken all in one sitting.

  • In Me” by William Newkirk

    Comedy, 1m, 1w – 20s – A couple discover some important truths about
    themselves while searching for a rather important part of their
    lovemaking.

 If you have any questions, please call (407) 761-2683 or email Playwrights Roundtable at
info@theprt.com.

Being a victim at Petrified Forest

Sylvia Katherine Viles the show director at Petrified Forest let me stop in for a walk through. I arrived early along with the cast who had to get into costumes and make up. In order for me to blend in on the trail as I sketched, Sylvia suggested I get into costume and makeup myself to become a victim on the trail as I sketched. A victim is just as important as a scare actor in that they distract the unsuspecting so that the scare isn’t anticipated.

I realized that I had enough time to sketch as all the actors lined up to get their make up done. This was face painting triage style with each painting job taking 10 minutes to do at most. Like a barber, some face painters liked to chat with the actors as they worked. The lead makeup artist might shout out “That is enough, on to the next!” To all an actor to the makeup chair the artist would shout out, “Next victim?” One actor was leaning back in the makeup chair and he lost his balance toppling backwards. Another actor asked for my help because he couldn’t find his glasses. I scoured the ground and was just about to give up when I spotted the glasses under the makeup table.

I was the last person to get make up applied. I asked what type of paint was being used but didn’t get an answer. The actor next to me explained that baby oil was best for taking off thick stage makeup. I froze as the first cool blast of paint darkened my eye sockets. The spray paint smelled toxic to me or at least that is what ran through my paranoid thoughts. I tried not to breath but couldn’t hold my breath long enough. I breathed through my mouth each time I needed another breath of air. I was told I only needed to look dirty and weathered. I was being spared from being bloodied. Apparently blood is rather sticky and they didn’t want it to get all over my drawing. At first glance, I looked a bit like a reptile.

Actress Tara Rewis walked me back through the maze of pallets and fencing to where she was staged. I decided that the haunted school bus was the perfect spot to sketch. My costume consisted of a simple jacket that seemed as if it was from the Civil war era. It had on big brass button. The rest of my clothing was all black that night which was perfect camouflage for the evening.

Sylvia shouted, 10 minutes to house open!” The professional actors in the group shouted back, “Thank you 10!” Before the actors all took their places there was a pep rally in the front staging area. Standing on a picnic table, Kimmy Clark shouted out, “Boo Rah!”  Everyone shouted back, “Boo Rah!” This was repeated until the woods were filled with the shouting. Actress Carol Jacqueline Palumbo walked me back to the school bus where she was working along with 2 young girls, Madison in a white dress and Jordyn in a red dress, Ken was inside the bus and he gave the guests the biggest scare. He was hidden behind one of the seats and he would shout out, “What are you doing on my bus!” Strobe lights blinded people and he had a creepy photographers studio set up with an umbrella to deflect the light. any model that volunteered might not survive the photo shoot.


Carol lay on top of a shopping card looking dead as her scarf draped down to the ground. One couple stopped to look at her for several minuted waiting for her to blink. Amazingly Carol kept her cool until the guest were distracted and they went into the bus. Madison kept stopping over to see how the sketch was progressing. She seemed quite amazed and entertained. Jordyn is the daughter of Nichole Scott. I met Madison when I sketched the auditions for the Forest. Everyone in the bus staging area were made to look like burn victims. Creepy dolls were strewn about. The girls often implored trail gusts to play with them. “You would make a good dolly.” they might say. A camp fire emitted a warm glow and there was a toilet which was often used as a thrown. We knew that any time we heard a band saw that the guests were about to enter our area. Madison and Jordon would scramble back to their staging areas to be ready. Once Madison tripped on a root in her haste. Jordan had an allergic reaction of some sort from the bug spray or make up. Imaginary horrors became real. I was terrified that mosquitoes might eat me alive, but I survived.


Tara told me that even as I sat still, some guests would be frightened by my presence. She was right. I laughed each time someone turned with a start. I must have a creepy laugh. I was hidden behind the door that leads into the bus area. I stared opening the door towards me which I imagined might create a ghostly feel as people entered. When the sketch was done, I had t walk the trail to find my way out. I caught up to two ladies being walked through the trail along with Elaine, one of the face painters. Suddenly Elaine was lifted up by a cast member and she screamed as he dragged her away like a cave man. The women shouted in terror as Sam screamed. I laughed out loud. It was definitely the bast scare of the night. Later the women ware reunited with their friend. They chastised her. She has an ongoing agreement with certain members of the cast that they can carry her away if she walks the trail.

When I got home, Terry looked puzzled by my appearance. I then walked towards my pet cockatoo and he let off a blood curdling scream and he fluttered away from me in terror. I would have to wash off the paint since he was so upset. We don’t have any baby oil and Terry experimented with her body lotions and then some Vaseline. Nothing worked to get the make up off. Ultimately I took a very long shower and using soap and a harsh luffa, I managed to remove the make up along with a top layer of skin as well.

Mark Your Calendar! You don’t want to miss this attraction. It is located on S.R. 436, just 1/4 mile West of 17-92. Just look for the huge inflated black cat. 1360 E Altamonte Dr, Altamonte Springs, FL. You can get tickets online or at the Forest. Check their calendar to see which dates work for you.