La Reina Yolanda at Fringe.

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Leesa Castaneda, a a playwright, director and actress veteran of the Orlando theatre scene, is bringing her one woman show entitled La Reina Yolanda to the Orlando International Fringe Festival.

Written and performed by Leesa Castaneda and directed by Paul Castaneda, the play is about one woman’s life from childhood adventures to her battle with Alzheimer’s. The affection between the actress and director was evident as they talked during the tech. Sometimes the greatest journeys are the ones in our own mind.

Yolanda, is a fierce Latina who we follow from childhood to old age. Beset by tragedy, she leans on her sharp mind and family to land on her feet. An advocate for her family and the less fortunate, her mind becomes ravaged by Alzheimer’s. She’s faced with the fight for her mind, sense of self and the family she has fought hard to protect. When who we are begins to disappear piece by piece, how do we hold on to the essence of what defines us?

Two painting on stage were done by La Reina herself. one showed a priest walking past a gorgeous woman in a red dress and high heels. it was as if the priest were considering abandoning his robes to turn and follow the woman. the other painting was probably a self portrait of La Reina. She looked stoic and strong. This was a tech rehearsal, which involved lots of lighting adjustments prior to a complete run through of the show. We had forgotten to bring tissues from the Shakespeare Theater bathrooms. It wasn’t until the last scenes when sleeves had to be used. To see such an inspired and active woman loose her sense of identity was painful to watch.

La Reina Yolanda will have performances in the WHITE Venue

Remaining show times:

Monday, May 22nd 5:30 PM

Wednesday, May 24th 5:30 PM

Friday, May 26th 7:00 PM

Saturday, May 27th 4:00 PM

Sunday, May 28th 6:00 PM

The Orlando Fringe runs through May 29, 2017 in Loch Haven Park. Go to the Orlando Fringe website at orlandofringe.org for tickets and the Festival Dates and location.

Phantasmagoria’s Wickedest Tales of All at Fringe.

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Phantasmagoria: Wickedest Tales of All will hit the Orlando International Fringe Festival with a vengeance. I sat in on a  tech rehearsal in the Orange Venue (Margeson Theater) inside the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. I sat in the top row of the theater. The huge cast was rehearsing a waltz. With so many actors on stage, the challenge was to keep couples from bumping into each other.  Once the dance was worked out, the actors were released to go back stage, and get into make up and finish their elaborate costuming. John DiDonna came up to the back row to say hi and offer me a chance to sketch the back stage chaos. However, I had to run in order to get to another show.

Stage hands started sweeping the stage and then someone discovered a quarter sized hole in the stage floor. It was fun to watch actors, stage hands, the tech and director all standing around the hole to figure out how to patch it up. should a performer’s heel get stuck it could be a tragic moment. The fight choreographer stuck his finger in and said, “This will seal it up, I’m sort of like the Dutch boy.” Someone else suggested that they should get an actor to stick their finger in and then rip it off leaving it behind in the hole. Corks were considered and of course Duct Tape fixes anything. I didn’t stick around to find out how the mysterious hole was eventually patched.

The driving premise behind the show is that any story that is old must be told until it is complete. Some stories are so horrific that the cast can find themselves in mortal danger. There was a drone perched on on of the boxes, so I am left wondering how it might come into play.

Corsets and Cuties – A Burlesque Cabaret – #flawless

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Corsets and Cuties has a Fringe show this year titled Flawless in the black venue which is in “The Venue”, (511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803). When I arrived for the dress rehearsal, everyone was working their way through the final dance number. With that worked out they then started to get into their outfits. Corsets had to be laced. Barbie Rhinestone leaned forward as another dancer pulled the laces tight. “Can you breath?” she was asked. When she said “Yes”, the laces got pulled tighter. Each corset had a different letter on the front, like an O, and a T. The letters finally made sense when all the dancers lines up on stage and spelled Strong.

Some numbers were outright hilarious. This is burlesque with a comic twist and it will shock and amaze you. The group numbers celebrated all that is good about Orlando. You kind of expect delays and some glitches in a rehearsal and there was a problem back stage between numbers. A workman in a black hoodie came out tightening screws with a drill. Well the worker turned out to be a performer, and a sexy one at that. In one dance, a guy sat in a chair and a female performer did a handstand and leg split right in front of him. He was supposed to grab her hips but he grabbed her legs. They had to do the move over again, and then one more time during the performance. 

If you want a lighthearted and fun Fringe evening, then I would suggest  stopping out to the Black Venue for Flawless.

Show Times:

Price: $12

Thursday May 18, 2017 at 11:59pm

Sunday May 21, 2017 at 10:30pm

Wednesday May 24, 2017 at 9:00pm

Thursday May 25, 2017 at 11:59pm

Sunday May 28, 2017 at 9pm

O-Town: Voices from Orlando

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I was still reporting about the Orlando International Fringe Festival last year when the horrific shooting at the Pulse nightclub happened on June 12, 2016. Fringe is once again going to burst onto the Lock Haven Park complex bringing drama, and comedy for a solid week on unrelenting theater and fun. Last year after the shooting I asked Orlando artists to go to the Falcon Bar to create 49 portraits of the innocent lives lost at Pulse. Those 49 portraits were then exhibited at the Orlando Science Center and on that evening I was interviewed about the project. That interview then became the source of inspiration for a monologue in O-Town.

Prints of the 49 portraits hung behind the stage giving the somber impression of prison bars. The play is based on a series of interviews conducted mostly by David Lee, of people who have been affected by the tragedy. It opens with a monologue inspired by Our Town written by Thornton Wilder. The opening described Orlando on the eve of the shooting. People and places would be very different the next day. A homeless man would be lighting candles at the Dr Phillips memorial site each night, a costume shop owner would soon be creating thousands of rainbow ribbons…

I spoke with Christopher Hanson multiple times about how he survived that night at Pulse. The actor playing Christopher told the story of survival and personal responsibility with humor and lots of heart. Then the actor playing me took to the stage. I was surprised to find myself tearing up based on things I had said a year ago. It seems like a lifetime ago. People in the audience were also getting choked up. One woman cried through the whole show. I had just one paper towel I had decided to bring in from the men’s room.

Other monologues described fighting hate with love using Angel Action Wings made of PVC and and white fabric. People who planned to protest the funerals of Pulse victims were blocked by these angels who would sing to drown out their hate. A first responders wife described how her husband was changed by his evening in the aftermath of Pulse. He would experience PTSD from that night onward and there was no disability for the mental anguish. Had be broken his leg then there would be help.

These stories are all part of the larger picture of an entire community trying to recover from a horrible act of violence. A year later and the scars are still there, but Orlando had answered with love and acceptance. Hateful people still thrive, feeling invulnerable in a country in which politics encourage hate and accusations.  They try to cause senseless harm, but love is stronger that hate. It was an emotional night. After the show. I was hugged by several people who recognized me. I shut my eyes and felt the warmth. Tears streamed down my face.

All the monologues in O-Town: Voices from Orlando will be presented together on the Eve of the one year mark of the attack on Pulse Nightclub on Sunday June 11, 2017 at 7pm at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in the Margeson Theater. Profits will benefit the onePulse Foundation.org.

I can’t recommend this show enough. The monologues focus the audiences attention on aspects of the tragedy that never made their way to mainstream media outlets. It is a human and multi layered fabric. I met the actor, Daniel Cooksley, who played my part on stage. He said he had never performed a part with the subject sitting in the audience.

Fringe Show Times:

May 17, 2017 at 6PM

May 20, 2017 at 7PM

May 22, 2017 at 7PM

May 26, 2017 at 8:15PM

May 27, 2017 at 12:15PM

May 28, 2017 at 11:15AM

Frank to be Frank at Fringe.

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World-renowned! The Rat Pack’s 17th member! America’s most entertaining entertainer invites you to partake in his interactive live life retrospective. This riveting glimpse into a very special leading man is brought to you by Australian comic Emily June Newton and director Deanna Fleysher (aka Butt Kapinski). FRANK will grab you by your shoulders and make you feel nostalgia for a star you never knew!

As we entered the round patron’s room, Frank welcomed each audience member. Some were given mini flashlights. Frank is a woman dressed as a man, pretending to be a woman dressed like a man. Gender and the theatrical five o’clock shadow were all quite confusing. I had been advised to see this show thanks to one of the critics at the press preview.  Several bolts of fabric were at the front of the sage, and Frank showed them to the audience saying in a sing son voice, “beautiful fabrics!” The audience when coached sang along. Frank regaled us with his many successes and the audience was puddy in his hands.

He held a popularity contest with one member of audience and was shocked as the tide gradually turned in favor of the audience member. The theater went black an Frank hid back stage and tried to sneak out of the theater but intrepid audience members caught him in the beams of their flash lights. Frank shouted “No! Don’t shine that light on me!” Which meant, please keep me in the limelight.

Later that evening, after the show, we stood in line for Joe’s NYC Bar and there was a beautiful actress in front of us. Perhaps because I had been sketching, I recognized her as Frank. She said that our audience had been the best audience she had experienced at fringe. The whole “Beautiful fabrics” routine had been improvised and built upon because the audience was so willing to play along. There is a certain magic that happens when a performer meets just the right audience. I was glad to be a witness to some of that magic thanks to Frank.

A Drink with Country Joe at the Fringe Beer Tent.

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Joe Rosier had hopes of get in into the 2016 Fringe Festival. Unfortunately his name wasn’t picked in the Fringe Lottery. In the past, he had performed solo shows as a country doctor telling ghost tales, and Odysseys S. Grant relating Civil war stories. With his grizzled age and shaggy white beard, Joe was perfect for such historical roles.  Shortly after the lottery, one of Joe’s eyes closed up and minor age discomforts became serious health issues.

Chemo therapy resulted in hair loss and the need for a neck brace. That didn’t slow Joe down. He was at the years fringe and I got to spend some time with him at the beer tent. Joe posed for my Mennello Museum  Mural and I’ve sketched him a number of to the in costume. Producers, actors an directors greeted Joe like the celebrity he is. the last time I saw Joe was in December and I bumped in him while walking towards the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Joe was dressed as Santa Claus of course. As we walked past the Harp and Celt, a young woman seated outside shouted to Joe to come in. There was z private party and they needed Santa Clause. I regret not follow.’ Joe inside. I heard he was the life of the party, and all I young women sat in his lap to whisper their Christmas wishes.

Robotman performed at the outdoor stage at Fringe.

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Robotman is a local jazz band that really got the outdoor tent crowd excited at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. I had just heard them perform a week ago in College Park, so I was excited to hear them again. I sat in the front row to soak it all in. The band has a driving beat that caused m to rock and sway as I sketched. The music felt experiments free flowing and spontaneous. Each piece was original, written by different members o the band.

The band members are: Matt McCarthy on Trumpet and Flugelhorn, 
Jeremy Fratti on Saxophone,
Marco Bojorquez on Acoustic Bass and Electric Bass,
Jeremy Katalenic on the Drum Kit,
and John Krasula on Guitars.

It was a great afternoon of great music. Nothing feels better this letting the music inspire the lines and washes to dance.

The Space Pirate Puppy Musical, at Fringe.

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I sketched at a press preview for Space Pirate Puppy Musical in the Yellow Venue at the Fringe Festival. This show presented by Tasty Monster Productions from Welborne, UK was clearly intended for younger audiences. The premise as simple take a Star Trek crew and make them all puppies. Earth has gone to the dogs, literally. After the incident humans have
gone underground and into space leaving dogs to run the planet. The Space Pirates have decided that they need to pave over Earth to put
up a parking lot for their new nightclub on the moon. The Puppies have
to join forces with their arch enemies the Ninja Kittens and with the
assistance of the Great Oracle, must seek the power of the greatest
weapon they’ve never heard of. The action and staging was constantly on the move. The music was fun, but not very memorable.

At one point a porcupine puppet appeared on house right. That got me thinking that the whole show might have been more whimsical as a puppet show. A woman in the front row did laugh out loud once. Then she said “What? I though it was a funny name.” I kind of lost interest in the plot. It all felt a bit haphazard. At least the theater was air conditioned.

Space will have an amazing set and costumes.

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Local playwright Cory Volence wrote Space which is being presented at this years Orlando International Fringe Festival  by Hubris Theater Company from Brooklyn New York.  On the edge of the universe, in the darkest corner of our galaxy, four people will discover that the space between love and hate is as thin as a razor and twice as sharp. This dark science fiction drama follows the crew of a ship bound for a distant planet as they slowly realize that the only thing more dangerous than space is each other.

Evan Miga was working hard on a space suit for the show in the weeks before the show opens. He covered the actor in duct tape and pealed it off which gave him a mold the exact size of the actors body on which to build the suit. He fabricated it first in cardboard and then the pieces would be laser cut out of sheets of foam that were hanging on the garage wall. The show probably has the most sophisticated set at this year’s Fringe. The space ship consoles have illuminated dials and keypads. All the pieces are modular fitting together quickly with slots and groves. Everything when disassembled fits neatly in the back of Evans smart car. The set pieces were designed in the computer and then cut by a robotic arm at FACTURE  (520 Virginia Drive Orlando FL) a non-profit maker space here in Orlando.

After designing one leg of the space suit, Evan explained that he could replicate what he had done in the computer for the other leg. The suit will also incorporate glowing electronic pieces reminiscent of Tron. He then went on to design a space boot. He build the boot out of cardboard around a black leather boot. He was a bit concerned because he was using his own boot and the actors feet were bigger. He needed a size 12 which just happened to be my shoe size. I gave him one of my hiking boots to check if the sole of the space boot was big enough. It was. The tricky part of the boot design was to allow for the boot to deform when the foot rolled during a walk. Trial and error resulted in multiple attempts with the cardboard boot breaking apart rather than deforming. In the end, he found a design that worked.

Evan explained that the crew of the ship were on a 15 year mission to travel to another planed and set up a terra form device that would bring life to the new world. Being together for 15 years can challenge any relationship so the crew begin to get on each others nerves. It is a great concept and I suspect this will be one of the best shows at the Fringe this year. I can’t wait to see it. These shows will sell out These shows will sell out.

Tickets are $10. Brown venue in the Orlando Shakespeare Center 812 E. Rollins Street Orlando FL.

Remaining show dates:

May 24,  7:15pm – 8:15pm

May 26,  11:15pm – 12:15pm

May 27,  11:15pm – 12:15pm

May 28,  8:45pm – 9:45pm

May 29,  7:00 pm – 9:00pm

The Trojan Rabbit.

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Jeff Ferree created this life sized Trojan Rabbit. He works in the scene shop at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, so he’s good at building stuff. He based his design on the Trojan Bunny in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Bunny popped up all around town, to promote the Orlando Shakespeare production of Spamalot. First Thursday

This sketch was done at Earth Day which also happened to fall on the Same day as the World Wide Sketch Crawl. I put out an invitation on Facebook to host the Orlando Crawl and about 5 or 6 artists showed up during the course of the day. As we sketched the rabbit, most of the crawlers Sat on the retaining wall to my right. I sat leaning back against a palm tree, and right next to me was a water bowl for dogs Which was used quite often by parched over heated dogs. The smoothie truck was quite popular among the humans who also wanted to cool down. I believe it was The Art Reach people who started blowing bubbles that floated in to the scene.

Jeff used the rabbit to attract peoples attention and then inform them about Spamalot. As I did this sketch,  I realized that there was nothing inside. I later contacted Jeff, and suggested that the bunny could be a good art gallery. When the bunny was moved outside the Shakespeare theater during the International Fringe Festival, Jeff allowed me to mount a show of Fringe related sketches inside. After Earth Day someone actually stole the bunnies tail. Who would steal a bunny tail? It makes for an odd useless trophy. Jeff let me use a scene shop drill which made it easy for me to mount the frames to the walls using brackets which made it near impossible to take a frame off the wall much like paintings in hotel rooms. The bunny was retired after its last appearance outside the Orlando Museum of Art for an animal themed First Thursday, which is a bit of a meat market for singles with some art. Once again I mounted prints inside. I don’t think many people ventured inside.