Dress Rehearsal

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David Lee the author of this play had been given the wrong theme before he started writing. Chasmin Hallyburton had told him the theme was Traditions rather than Transitions. He started writing at 2am and the final draft seems to fit the intended theme perfectly anyway. Play in a day works in strange and twisted ways.

Beth Marshall came out to the courtyard after lunch with some touristy clothing on hangers. She had a black mu-mu for John Connon who was going to play her. She gave him her necklace and he was given a big red wig and as the crowning touch, a Mickey Mouse beanie. Sarah Lockhard had a bright orange T-shirt that said, “Aqua Girl.” She was given a Stitch hat with floppy alien ears and a tiny Stitch head hanging from a chord. The fact that I had worked on Lilo and Stitch when I was at Disney Feature Animation warmed my heart. Stitch is as much a pop icon as Mickey now. Being the youngest member of the cast Sarah had fun playing a spunky child. Steven Middleton had his own costume picked out. His loud Hawaiian shirt had palm trees and a bright sunset against the bright blue design.

Beth wanted John to have her tattoos so I stepped in and painted the tattoos in watercolor on his arms and feet. His right arm had an intricate spiraling ivy pattern festooned with leaves and a spade. His left arm had an owl and each foot had a tattoo. I simplified the designs since I knew they would be seen from a distance. He was a little worried at how permanent they might be but I assured him they would wash right off. Watercolor always washes off my skin easily. Clothing on the other hand…

I watched the actors rehearse again and again till the play was second nature. Sarah grew more animated and energetic with each pass. Though I heard this short play perhaps 20 to 4o times, I always found something fresh and unexpected in each performance that made me laugh. When there was a line that said, “We’re traveling light, no props Missy.” John looked at his non-existent cigarette with disdain. Sarah discovered the sunroof as she shouted, “I AM a seagull.” Extending her wings in the wind.

Play in a Day

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Beth Marshall invited me down to the Orlando Shakes on November 3rd to experience the creative process of Play in a Day. Play in a Day kicked off the festivities for Playfest, the Harriet Lake Festival of New Plays which ran from November 3-6. When I entered the Shakes, actors were already divided into six groups and they were doing the initial read throughs of of the scripts. Play authors had been given the theme of unexpected transitions and a twist, no props allowed, the previous day. Most scripts had been written overnight right up to the moment they had been turned in at 7am. There was then a thirty minute pow wow between the writer, director and actors. Then the writers were asked to leave to avoid endless re-writes. I decided to sketch actors Sarah Lockhard, John Connon and Steve Middleton who were reading and laughing. The play was short, only about seven minutes, but it was fun. Someone in the lower lobby shouted, “I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s funny!” Beth Marshal who had just sat down said “That is the perfect review.” Rob Ward had also stopped in to read the part of Michael Wanzie. He did a hilarious, spot on impersonation.

The short play, titled, “Family Road Trip” was about a family road trip to Orlando. Sarah was the daughter riding in the back seat and John played the mom while Stephen was the dad behind the wheel. David Lee the author now lives in NYC but he had a long history at the Orlando Shakes. Beth explained the piece to the actors, “David writes for the audience, the whole thing is a poem. He’s not Anton Chekhov.” She asked the actors to try a read through with British accents which she didn’t like, then Southern accents which worked better. When they pointed out specific Orlando venues, like the Orlando Science Center, the Orlando Rep and the Orlando Museum of Art, she asked them to loose the accent. Stephen asked for some clarification so he could better memorize the lines. Much of the dialogue centered around groupings of three.

David Lee texted Beth from NYC, “Do they like the skit?” Beth texted back, “Steven found all the deep meaning, Sarah is playing Veruka Salt and John is playing me! “When asked to describe the short play she was directing, Beth said, ” It is HA-Larious!” I decided to stick with this group of actors and see how the rehearsal progressed. They would have to be ready to perform at 7pm that night.

Fringe 0pening Night Gala Show

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The Fringe Gala Show was hosted by the Oops Guys, Dennis Giacino and Fiely Matias. They introduced a game show spoof entitled, “Drop your Balls!” This was an adult themed game show, so parents don’t let your children read this post! The five contestants were introduced and they sat in metal folding chairs in a neat line. Each contestant was given a clear nylon sack with several colorful balls. The sacks were tied to the contestants belts and they dangled between their legs. The rules were simple. At the end of the evening, the contestant with the most balls would win.

First in line for the brave contestants was an eating challenge. The challenges included, down that banana, spread the icing, suck a Twinkie or go down on Little Debbie. The first contestant was David Lee who is in the Pulitzer prize winning Fringe show titled, “Thom Paine” in the yellow venue. To find his challenge David had to “Spin the Asian” which involved gently pushing Fiely allowing him to spin in place. When he decided to stop spinning, he announced, “Suck that twinkie!” A chair was bought out to center stage and a plastic drop cloth was spread out on the floor with help from Katie Thayer dressed in a sexy red dress and knee high red leather high heel boots. She turned out to be from the show, “Big Swinging Dick’s Topless Bar and Naked Drag Queen Farting!” a hilarious show written by Carl F. Gauze in the green venue. The twinky was placed on the chair and gentle music began to play with the chirping of birds. David removed the Twinky from its wrapper, then he re-wrapped the twinky theatrically in the drop cloth implying he would only perform the act if it was done safely. He shouted, “This kind of reminds me of a Lucille Ball sketch.” He was awarded two balls for his performance.

Kevin J. Thornton from the show “I Love You, Were Fucked” was given the challenge to, “Down that Banana.” He turned his back to the audience as he gently peeled the banana which he held at his crotch. He then got on his back and lifted his legs and hips touching his toes way above his head. He then lowered his hips until he was able to nip off the tip of the banana. I wasn’t aware a person’s back muscles could stretch that much! The crowd went wild! He was awarded 3 balls.

Rob Gee who is in “Smart Arse” was given the challenge to “Lick that Pie.” He teased the pie by gently tapping it at first with his index finger until the crowd couldn’t take it anymore. He licked the red filling once and then devoured the pie in one ravenous mouth filled, masticating gulp. Lisa Sleeper was the only woman contestant. She plays Sleeping Beauty in “Bitches of the Kingdom” which is a musical satire about the pissed off princess’ of the Disney classics. Lulu Picart sang a song from the show. She plays Mulan. Since I worked so hard on that film with pride, doing so much overtime, I listened intently. The song was lyrical as she sang about how Asian girls are beautiful with those blossoms in their hair. But then she wondered why she was the only princess who didn’t get the guy. She realized she might be a lesbian. Fairy tails might be fine with some Gertrude Stein! Now this was a twist I didn’t expect, but I loved it, as did the audience! So Lisa had to contend with some sloppy banana action, she slipped the peeled banana in and out of her mouth multiple times before she dipped it in whipped cream and took a big ravenous bite. She was awarded two balls.

Pepe, who was there representing for Kids Fringe, was hilarious in every challenge. When asked to demonstrate how to give a flyer to an unsuspecting Fringe patron, Pepe provocatively insisted the audience member grab the flyer from his crotch with their teeth. When it came time for the contestants to count their balls, Pepe’s sack split open spilling all his balls on the stage. When his balls were collected, Pepe was the winner with eight balls.