Abridged Orlando Fringe Sketchbook

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The Abridged Orlando Fringe Sketchbook documents 10 years of the Orlando Fringe in sketches. The project began in 2009 and today, 10 years later, the sketching continues. Above is a sample of the first 10 pages of the book.

This Abridged Fringe Sketchbook is 110 pages with over 200 full-color sketches. The book is going to press now and will be available by the 2019 Orlando Fringe Festival. Each year has a few paragraphs highlighting my favorite shows of the year. The goal has been to assemble every sketch done at Fringe shows over the past 10 years at an affordable price.

The books will sell for about $25 at the Orlando Fringe. If you would like to pre-order a book, contact pam-schwartz@hotmail.com. If you pre-order, we will arrange to give you the book when you arrive at the Fringe Festival.  We can take orders via pay pal, checks, or of course, the preferred cash. The books can now be found out on the Green Lawn of Fabulousness and inside the Orlando Shakespeare Theater in the Fringe Merchandise booths. I pulled aside one for myself since I now fear they might sellout. If they do sell out we will print more books which can be delivered or picked up after Fringe.

A much larger 249 page book that has all the original articles written for Analog Artist Digital World is also being produced if we have enough pre-orders and interest!

Coconuts, Coral, and Cow S#it at Fringe

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The title for this show was quite misleading. I walked into the preview assuming I would find a strange comedy. Instead, I found a compelling personal drama. Actress Sara Kunz stood on a chair looking down into an abyss. Wind whistled in our ears as she subtly swayed forward and back. She began to cry. The moment lingers, allowing the audience time to realize that she might be willing to jump. The theater went black.

Sara excitedly considered a challenging hike in Hawaii. She loved physical challenges, they allow her to push to her physical limits and beyond. The park announcements in her iPod headset kept reminding her of the dangers. The announcer offered much needed humor, since she seemed to be directing her recorded commentary directly at Sara.

At an outdoor festival, Sara discovered that people would actually pay her money when she performed with her hula hoop. She showed us her act, which was incredible and graceful. She beamed when performing, a human flame, making the hula hoop move in unexpected and magical ways. Realizing that people actually paid her for her art, she decided to travel the world, busking along the way to supplement her life. Her parents didn’t think this was a wise life choice, but her mind was made up.

Someone she thought was her friend took a part of her that sent her into a spiraling depression. The scene I sketched had her seated in a therapist’s office as she described how her life had been put on hold. We returned to the Hawaiian hike where she was crossing a dangerous ravine that only had a PVC ladder as a crossing point. The ladder was across two chairs, but her terror as she crossed was palpable. I identified with this scene as I had just painted a mural and reaching up to paint the sky, high on the wall, was terrifying on the tall swaying scaffolding.

This performance was testimony to the fact that Sara had not only overcome the horrible experience in her past, but that she also has the strength to share her story so that others who might feel the same guilt and debilitating shame might realize that they are not alone. So don’t go to Coconuts, Coral, and Cow S#it expecting comedy, go to be challenged and inspired by the strength of the human spirit. I highly recommend the show.

Tickets are $8 plus a $10 Fringe Button.

The Green Venue is in the black box theater behind the Repertory Theater, 1001 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803

Remaining show times are:

2:00 PM

6:15 PM

5:45 PM

Weekend Top 6 Fringe Picks

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Saturday May 18, 2019

3 PM to 4 PM $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. Black Wood. Gold Venue in the Orlando Museum of Art 2416 Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803.

Carpenter Aunt Productions, Orlando, FL

It’s 1967, and Caroline
Logan has just joined the cast of TVs top supernatural soap opera. But
will nervous network censors and a vampire with line trouble derail her
career before it’s begun? Probe the dark shadows of dysfunction in a
hilarious and poignant new comedy written by Fringe fave Steve Schneider
(Escape From Baldwin Park, Ominous George) directed by Dave Russell
(president, SAK Comedy Lab), and starring a cast of top O-Town talent.

13 and up – Strong Language, Adult Content

8 PM to 9 PM  $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. A Showgirls Musical. Orange Venue in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803.

JMEG Theatrical, Winter Garden, FL

Sequins. Sabotage. Sex in the
pool? Based on every one’s favorite career killing cult classic, JMEG
Theatrical takes you to the 90’s with a parody musical that is sure to
have more than just your eyes popping. Nomi Malone arrived in Las Vegas
with just a suitcase and a dream. So pack your ice cubes, hitch a ride,
and wear your best Versayce!

18 and up – Nudity, Adult Content, Strong Language

This show includes strobe lighting effects.

10:30 PM to 11:30 PM  $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. Corsets and Cuties: #Celebrate. Black Venue in The Venue 511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803. 

Corsets and Cuties, LLC, Casselberry, FL

Fringe veterans Corsets
& Cuties have made their home at The Venue since their sold-out
debut August 2014. Sponsored by Premier Couples Superstore, the Cuties
personally welcome guests and attendees to their shows and the troupe
intends to light up the night this May in the Black Venue. With a
different guest star each night you never know what’s gonna happen with
this troupe. Be a part of the Cutie’s party and “have a good damn time.”

18 and up – Strong Language, Nudity, Adult Content

Sunday May 19, 2019

3 PM to 4 PM  $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. Black Cow Jumps. Purple Venue  in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803. 

Banks Helfrich, Clermont, FL

Multi-vignettes that place the
human back into humanity. Visceral reflections of how we perceive
ourselves when we remove our veils, and shift into authenticity. An
observation of reality in a performance space to create a clarity and
frankness that we all crave, if only we are willing to see ourselves in
others. An invitation to pause long enough to experience our Ah-ha
moments in a room full of people desiring connection. Life soup.

18 and up – Strong Language, Adult Content

5:30 PM to 6:25 PM  $11.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. The Hammered Dog. Red Venue in the

Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803.

Freeline Productions, Orlando, FL

Starring Fringe favorites Sarah
Lockard, Steven Johnson and Todd Allen-Long! From the creative team of
2016 Purple Patrons Pick Murder Sleep. Shy, insecure and emotionally
fragile Sandra meets the handsome, sexually possessive Ted at a
nightclub where a chance interaction quickly leads to an intense,
volatile relationship. Under the strain of her obscure past and Ted’s
emotional manipulation, her life takes a fateful turn. Some wounds never
heal.

13 and up – Adult Content

9:45 PM to 10:55 PM $10.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. How to Eat a Bear. Brown Venue  in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803.  

Crafty McVillain, Orlando, FL

Best friends Dave and Mark
decide that they will stop at nothing to satisfy their inexplicable
craving for bear meat and find out the hard way that their quest will
lead them down every path except victory.

13 and up

Abridged Orlando Fringe Sketchbook

Posted on by Thor

The Abridged Orlando Fringe Sketchbook documents 10 years of the Orlando Fringe in sketches. The project began in 2009 and today, 10 years later, the sketching continues. Above is a sample of the first 10 pages of the book.

This abridged Fringe Sketchbook is 110 pages with over 200 sketches. The book is going to press now and will be available at the 2019 Orlando Fringe Festival. Each year has a few paragraphs highlighting my favorite shows of the year. The goal has been to assemble every sketch done at Fringe shows over the past 10 years at an affordable price.

The books will sell for about $25 at the Orlando Fringe. If you would like to pre-order a book contact pam-schwartz@hotmail.com. If you pre-order we will arrange to give you the book when you arrive at the Fringe Festival. If there is enough interest we will print more books. We can take orders via pay pal, checks, or of course, cash. As an added bonus, prints and original Fringe paintings, are being offered at half price. $100 per print, and $200 for an original. Should you want me to frame the art I can arrange that for $100 more. If you order original art or a print, you will get an Abridged Orlando Fringe book thrown in for free.

A much larger 249 page book that has all the original articles written for Analog Artist Digital World is also being produced.

Buggin Out: A Small Musical

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This was a small musical for kids at the 2018 Fringe. The premise is simple enough, Mitch (Austin Palmer) is a shy Monarch Butterfly who has just molted and he is concerned about his new look. Tina the toothless termite (Melanie Leon) offers him some solace.

The show’s original songs are composed and performed by SAK keyboardist Ryan Goodwin, house left. The rhymes were playful and light-hearted. A large storm swept into Bugville and Mitch and his friends needed to bond together to ride it out. This high stakes scene had the actors crouched down together center stage behind chicken wire. The moral that kids, and perhaps parents, might take from the show is that friendship helps ride out any storm. In a time when divisiveness seems to be the daily norm, it is nice to hear a message that encourages kids to work together rather than fight.

Dammit Jim! I’m a Commedienne, Not a Doctor!

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Dammit, Jim! I’m a Comedienne, Not a Doctor!
was a one woman show written and performed by Polly Esther at the 2018 Fringe Festival. She wore a short skirt and gold tights that made her look a bit like a Star Fleet Cadette. Her shirt had Spock’s live long and prosper, hand gesture printed over her chest.

An innocent suggestion of watching “Star Trek: The Next Generation” for the first time quickly turned into obsession with the entire Star Trek universe. Every series. Every season. Every film. Then came the Las Vegas convention. These are the voyages of Polly Esther, her ongoing mission to explore this strange new world and how this universe has helped her boldly go forward in her journey as a recovering alcoholic.

At one of the Star Trek Conventions she me someone else who was a recovering alcoholic and they decided on a whim to send out an invite for anyone else to come to their hotel room. They were shocked by how many people showed up to that meeting.  It was a heart warming reminder that we are not alone in our troubled path through life. Her fan girl enthusiasm was a joy to watch and her story gave some meaning and significance to the whole Fan Convention phenomenon. Embrace your geek, and share it with the world.

God Bless Cambodia at the 2018 Fringe

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In God Bless Cambodia, Randy Ross is a chronically single man who decides to travel the world through four continents after the loss of a job. He hopes to change his luck with love. Yet as he highlights his many relationships it becomes clear why he is hopelessly single. His world travels world result in more sexual misadventures.

Reading a travel guide book he learns that you can travel cheap if you travel like a backpacker. On a trip to his local camping store he meets a colorful sales person. He asked for a 60 liter backpack with a waterproof cover, and the salesman had him covered. He added “I don’t know if your going to Bangkok, but if you are, I highly recommend a massage at a place called tugs.” Taken aback, He noted the info and decided to ask for a travel shirt. “In Ko Samui there is a body spa called the curious finger.” The salesman sniffed his pinkie to relive the memory. TMI but in the end Randy spent $500, but as he left the shop he decided not to shake the salesman’s hand.

Much of the show was laugh out loud funny. I can identify with this middle aged man’s desire for travel after the loss of a relationship. It was like Eat, Pray, Love, minus the praying and with high class literary sex instead of love.

What If at Fringe

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What If by Caitlyn Wisser dealt with tow workers starting their jobs at a new office. The female had plenty of past experience while the males only credibility came form the fact that he belonged to the same fraternity as the boss. The male was immediately promoted to the position of account executive while the female was asked if she could get the men some coffee. At the water cooler she met a female executive who recognized the injustice but suggested that she just tow the line until an opportunity arose.

The two new employees faced off about the injustice which the male couldn’t recognize. The theater lights flickered and dimmed and they both set their heads on the table. This was a time shift and they both woke up in a world where all their expectations had changed. Woman were paid equally to men and the only requirement for advancement was talent and ambition. Men were granted maternity leave along with woman and since women were the primary politicians, there was peace and prosperity.

It took the male worker a long time to adjust to the new world order but in the end he found he too was happy. When they slipped back to the old world order he defended his coworker when she was was disrespected by other male co-workers. The premise of the show was sound but some of the writing felt labored and forced. On top of this, the musical Along the Way, was in the theater next door and the paper thin theater walls allowed the boisterous musical numbers to seep into each scene in this show. What if, What If had been a musical?

Save Me, Dolly Parton at Fringe

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Beth Marshall’s Husband presented Save Me Dolly Parton written by Megan Gogerty. This was a one woman show featuring a witty stories of politics, pop Culture parenting and how Dolly Parton saved the day. Theresa Smith-Levin as Megan described her trip to a record store and picking up her first Dolly Parton album. She and her beau thought it would be a joke, but the music resonated with her. She didn’t want to over state, but simply put Dolly Parton is the greatest woman alive in her mind.

Megan and her husband decided to have a child and of course this loaded multiple new challenges and responsibilities into their lives. She read all the parenting books she could find, book marked the pages and figured she had this parenting thing down, at least in theory. Probably her most funny story came when she described a plane flight she needed to take. Her husband was busy so she had to take the trip alone with her baby in tow. At first the flight was pleasant with passengers glancing at her child lovingly. Then as the flight wore on her child grew tired and cranky. The next part of her story was shouted over the recorded sounds of a baby crying. She screamed that that noise has been ingrained into mother for centuries and that moms would do anything to stop that sound. Passengers were no longer glancing over with affection everyone looked annoyed.

The screaming dilemma didn’t stop on the plane. After landing she had to lug all her bags through the airport to the luggage claim. There she willed the bags to appear on the conveyor. The baby carriage arrive first thing and she lunged to get it off the line. Then she saw her bag. It had been wrapped by an airline employee in industrial grade plastic, like Seran wrap but bulletproof and terrorist proof. To quiet the baby she needed to get inside the bag. She couldn’t lean over of the baby which sounded life a fire alarm right now would fall out. She had to squat down, back straight and try and rip the plastic open with her bare teeth. She decided to place the baby in the carriage so she could complete the task and in an instant he fell asleep. In her relief she started to cry. This was something she hadn’t prepared herself for. And this wasn’t the only time this might occur. she imagined it playing out again and again each time she traveled. Hadn’t feminism solved this? She wanted more feminism.

This was a highly polished one woman show that seemed to flow without a hitch. Theresa Smith-Levin is a powerhouse of a performer. I have seen her working behind the scenes on many shows I have sketched over the years and this was the first time I got to see her raw force on the stage. If you are a young parent you needed to see this show. If you aren’t a parent like myself, you still would have laughed out loud and enjoyed the ride.

The Haunting of Saint River at Fringe

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Bremner Duthie from New Orleans presented The Hauting of Saint River a dark eerie one man musical with mysterious original songs. The haunted house in his tale is located in the deep south of New Orleans. The buyer essentially felt he had sold his soul to the devil to acquire the property. At first he is able to live with the hoes few creeks and groans but in time he becomes sleep deprived and the time spent at the edge of sleep become moments of absolute terror.

A female neighbor across the river become his one refuge as he slips into the houses depths. It sits on the edge of the river banks and seems ready to slip into the rivers grip taking him with it. A small box was used as a screen for historic flashes but the projection also slipped around the box onto the back wall of the theater.

The show felt like a work in progress. To me it seemed like the kind of shows a ten year old might throw together in the bedroom. It was mad and experimental. flashlights were used for the typical campfire under-lit face effects and a ghost puppet danced to the New Orleans Jazz while members of the audience held flashlights to illuminate her. Unfortunately the puppet wasn’t menacing or scary at all, detracting from the intended mysterious thrust of the story.

The story was most successful when Bremner asked the audience to imagine the ghostly threat as he described the characters slip into madness.