Fringe Ticket Booth

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After two days of observing the Fringe from a distance, I decided it was time to get tickets and see a show! On the Green Lawn of Fabulousness I asked four different people what their favorite show was so far and they ALL pointed me to “The Cody Rivers Show presents: Meanwhile Everywhere”. I decided a four out of four survey guaranteed that my first Fringe show would be a great one.

But before I bought my ticket I had to of course sketch the ticket booth. While doing this sketch I spotted a friend of mine Ray as he bought a ticket. I shouted out his name and then we went outside to get some Greek food for dinner. Ray and I talked about an upcoming event he is planning and about art, marketing and life in general. While we were eating, Patient X Augustine of the Asylum, aka Erika Wilhite, sat down with us and performed a twisted yet delightful piece on her accordion. The accordion was set up with a small spot light on top which lit her face in an sinister way. When her song was finished, her handler, a burly man with an upturned mustache, pulled X away with a rope.

Later a sexy female pirate with an umbrella, a wet ghost and a girl in a pink tutu with butterfly wings were handing out blow pops in a reversal of Halloween traditions. The way the pirate offered the pop was quite enticing she would say “Care for a sucker?” or “Do you want a blow…………pop?” I declined her nasty offer. I am married after all. But boy they looked good, I think I saw a grape flavored one. How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Blow Pop? I can’t stop thinking about it.

Toni Taylor at Visual Fringe

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In the Visual Fringe room I had the rare pleasure of watching Toni Taylor working on one of her refined and luminous canvases. I sat at a round table across from her and began to sketch. I had just about finished drawing her when she placed her pallet on her portfolio and walked away to talk to some friends. While she was away I started drawing paintings on the walls and the insane number of fliers lying on the table. Several people started flipping through the portfolio and turned the pages over right onto the wet paints. Had I been paying attention I might have been able to stop them. When Toni returned she had to scrape off the paint with a pallet knife and wipe the pages clean with a rag. We had a good laugh about it when the damage was all cleaned up.

As I was finishing up my sketch Toni finally noticed that I was sketching. She was a bit shocked, she thought I was just writing notes. We started to talk and found that our lives had run near identical courses intersecting often. She lived in NYC at the same time I did and even was at the School of Visual Arts at about the same time as me. She lived in Washington Heights only blocks away from where I lived while in NYC. Then she moved to Orlando as I did and now she has a studio less than a mile from my studio. I seems crazy that we had not bumped into each other before. The Fringe continues to radiate its crazy unexpected magic.

Fringe Poetry Smackdown

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As evening rolled around the poets took to the stage for a no holds bared Poetry Smackdown. There were five judges. Three of the judges were Fringe celebrities including Pepe with the red Mohawk, Beth Marshall The Producing Artistic Director of the Fringe, and Wayburn Sassy entertainment legend and you tube celebrity. Two other judges were selected from the audience to keep the judging fair and impartial.

This sketch is of Curtis Meyer who impressed me with his strong rap like delivery. He would close his eyes as if in a revelry and then thrust his verse upon the audience gesturing the whole time with his hands.

After heated qualifying rounds which all seemed to involve sexuality in one form or another, poets must be a horny bunch, the wheat was separated from the chaff. In the end only one poet was left standing and that was Kendra Corrie who’s poetry resonated with a confident voice and message that was inspired. Her last poem was a response to a thirty something who said “if you area not liberal in your twentys you don’t have a heart and if you aren’t conservative in your thirtys you don’t have a brain.” Her poem spoke to the depths of idealism, hope and caring. She lifted me up weightless and full of joy. Screw American Idol there should be a nationally televised Poetry Smackdown celebrating the truly creative voices that can be found right in our back yard. On that stage Kendra is my Fringe Idol.

The Orlando International Fringe Festival Begins!

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I finally had a chance to go to Lock Haven Park to experience the Fringe Festival. In all my years in Orlando I have never been to the Fringe. I am a true Fringe virgin. When you enter Lock Haven Park the first thing you see is the sculpture titled “The Rocket Thrower” by Donald DeLue. For the Fringe he has a sporty Fringe tee shirt around his neck. Behind him on the green lawn of fabulousness are all the colorful tents of the food vendors, and an outdoor stage. The first impression is of entering a carnival.

The first thing I did was check out the Visual Fringe which is located in a round room inside the Shakespeare theater. A small sketch I did of Wayburn Sassy at a Fringe preview was on display. I am astounded by the talented artists that had work in the show. I am hoping that over time I will get to meet some of these artists and sketch them at work so I can share there work here. Anna McCambridge who runs the Visual Fringe welcomed me with a warm hug. I immediately felt at home at the Fringe.

While I did this sketch a young blond girl sat down next to the statue in the blazing sun probably waiting for a friend. She lasted a full 15 minutes in the sun before she then moved over to a shady spot and started using her cell phone. I sketched her in both locations so I had more of the human drama. As I was working on the details of the tents and food stations, I glanced up to find she was gone. I am not sure if she met her friend or not.

Visual Fringe Artist Dropoff

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The Fringe Festival is a 12 day festival that is founded on the concept of offering 100% unjuried, 100% uncensored, 100% accessible theater. music, dance, art and madness of all types and ages where 100% of the box office ticket sales go directly back to the artists within the Fringe. The Orlando Fringe is the longest running US Fringe festival.
At the last minute I found out about Visual Fringe which is a showcase for local artists during the Fringe Festival. On hand to accept artist entries were, Visual Fringe Producer Anna McCambridge and her mom as well as Director of Development Kristina Goetz. After I filled out the paperwork and finalized my submission, I sat back and started my first Fringe sketch. These three dedicated souls sat at this table from 12 noon till 6pm accepting art.
While I was sketching one artist came in and entered paintings for his girlfriend. He explained his trials and tribulations of the morning and Anna agreed to make a phone call to his girlfriend explaining the sacrifices he had made and that on behalf of the Fringe he deserved extra special treatment that night such as a back rub or nice dinner. To her credit, Anna actually made that call and she had never met the girlfriend or artist before. Now that is someone who is going the extra mile for the arts.

Central Florida Fair

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A Fringe Preview was held at the Central Florida Fair. I gave myself plenty of time to wander the midway and soak in the sights, sounds and smells of the fair. At the entry ticket booth the computer had died so I spent some time at the entrance watching the pigs being prepared for a showing. The thick barnyard smell was overwhelming for a city slicker like myself. When the computer was back up, I got my ticket and started to wander. I stopped under the only shady tree in sight and sketched the Ferris Wheel. I was off the main drag near a tent where rosters where making a ruckus. It is rather relaxing working to the chorus of clucking and crowing.

Wayburn Sassy and the Fringe Preview

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At the last minute I got a tip from reader, Dewey Chaffee that there was going to be a Fringe preview at the Central Florida Fair. As I arrived there was Wayburn Sassy shouting at the passers by trying to get them to come in to see the show. He used every carnies trick in the book with insults and curses thrown in for good measure. What I love about Wayburn is that he is not afraid to speak his mind. Whatever thought pops into his head is immediately shouted out. Wayburn is a hoot and I hope to catch him again at the Fringe Festival.

The Fringe performances were wonderful. Two acts particularly stood out for me. They were Varie Tease and Voci Dance. Varie Tease had amazing Moulin Rouge like costumes and tense exuberant dance moves. Voci dance was a modern dance troup and the performances were sublime. There is something very rewarding about watching cutting edge performances at a culture deprived event such as the Central Florida Fair. I left the Fringe preview feeling elated and confident that the arts are indeed alive in Central Florida.