Craig’s Lust

Posted on by Thor

Craig’s Lust performed at this year’s Fringe Festival. I had two opportunities to sketch these improv comedians at work prior to the Fringe.  On April 30th, the Comedy Death Match, held in the black box theater at the Orlando Shakes, featured 3 local groups competing against each other for pride and prize! Each group was given 20 minutes to put on their best show. Anything goes! Short form, long form, weird form, it was all acceptable. The winner of the show automatically had the option to move to be in the next show in May.

This month featured the returning champs The Third Thought from Tampa, The Pool Boys doing their wonderfully energetic and personable style, and the up-and-coming Craig’s Lust which performed a lively program about dating and sex. It was up to the audience to decide who group would be victorious.

Directly after the Comedy Death Match there was a long form presentation from a new local long form group. Then an all-play elimination style Improv Royal Rumble for anyone else who wants to get on the stage for a chance to strut their stuff.

Since I was following Craig’s Lust, I was rooting for them to win. Their comedy involved uncomfortable dating situations and people who don’t understand other peoples personal boundries. Voting involved audience members putting their ticket stub in one of the yellow buckets on stage. Craig’s Lust came in second place, and Pool Boys came in first place. Everyone in the audience won because it was an evening of non stop laughter.

Jem Rolls Off the Tongue

Posted on by Thor

This is Jem Rolls 93rd Fringe Festival. He hails from Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. He worked the Fringe lines hard here in Orlando pointing out to anyone who would listen that the flier’s back had an austere simplicity. It was blank. The show offered a solid hour of poetry, at times funny and at times mystifying. This wasn’t a performance that gave any linear narrative. His subjects were all over the map. His energy and enthusiasm are contagious.

One rather funny poem was titled, “We split up because the sex was too good.” He claims to be working on the sequel which will be, “We stayed together hoping the sex would get better.” In one poem he personified words that resisted his every attempt to wrangle them into a poem. He grimaced and leaned towards the audience to show how determined, selfish and difficult words can be. He recited a poem about how the British always win. “We won! We Won, Wewonwewon, we Won!” He blamed the American Revolution on the fact that Germans were doing the fighting not the British.

The poems came out so fast and furious that at times I didn’t know how to react. Bikini Katie sat across from me. Craig’s Lust had purchased ad space on her bare mid drift. Fried cheese curds had an ad on her right thigh and I believe Ship Happens had prime ad space above her cleavage. I could only squeeze a small bit of Lust into the sketch.

CRAIG’S LUST: a Sexploration

Posted on by Thor

Ryan Price of Invisible Frisbee Productions is producing an improvisational comedy show for this year’s Fringe called Craig’s Lust. I went to a rehearsal held at Rollin’s College. When I got there Ran was at the rehearsal space waiting for a meeting to clear out. The space was a small conference room on the ground floor of the Bush Science building room 102. This improv show had a creative edge because all the comedy skits revolve around the romantic crushes that people often don’t act upon. “Meeting people is hard. Meeting sane people is harder. Meeting sane
people on Craig’s list is nearly impossible! Join us for an improvised
adventure into dating, modern romance, and missed connections. Come
see us, and who knows, maybe you’ll be someone’s missed connection…
Your suggestions fuel the scenes. From the people who brought you 2013’s
improvised version of The 39 Steps.”

Stage manager Jamie Lynn Woods sat beside me filming the rehearsal. The rehearsal began with a quick session of zip, zap, zoop in which the cast members stood in a circle and threw imaginary knives at each other. Each comedy act was improvised with the actors building off of the scenarios that were offered by the other actors. I admire this sort of high wire act performed without nets. It was of course fun to watch the female actors flaunting their sexuality when needed, however if a male role was needed they could switch genders. It was when such roles were embraced with a flourish that I found myself laughing loudest.

One skit involved a company bowling outing. An employee’s wife caught the eye of the boss as she leaned down provocatively to pick up the ball. The boss patted her on the butt and she didn’t seem to mind at first. Such uninhibited lack of personal boundaries were often the source of a laugh. The woman’s husband was up for a promotion, so he encouraged her performance while hoping it didn’t get out of hand.

Nadia Garzon‘s friend was crocheting during the whole rehearsal. I could identify with his busy act of creation. At the end of the rehearsal, he gave me what he had made. It was a 4 inch high mushroom. I wasn’t sure what to do with it, but it traveled with me on a trip to Virginia. I decided to “plant” the mushroom on a wrought iron public bench figuring someone would be happy to discover it. I like this idea of leaving tiny artistic tokens around town. I’m considering the notion of an Origami business card that I could leave behind wherever I have planted myself to sketch. What I lack is the time to create them.

Craig’s Lust is being performed at the Orange Venue, Lowndes Shakespeare Theater (812 East Rollins Street, Orlando Fl.)

Thursday, May 15th, 2014  10:30pm to 11:30pm

Sunday, May 18th, 2014  10:30pm to 9:45pm

Thursday. May 22nd, 2014  8:15pm to 9:15pm

Friday, May 23nd, 2014  6:30pm to 7:30pm

Tickets are $11 along with your $9 Fringe button which is needed to get into any show.