There was something rewarding about announcing on Facebook that I was going to sketch Big Swinging Dicks. The full title of the play being produced for this year’s Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival is, “Big Swinging Dick’s Topless bar presents The Naked Drag Queen farting”. Now that is a mouthful! I was going to a staged reading of the play. Carl Gauze, the writer and producer, had invited me to the reading which started around 7pm at Breakthrough Theater in Winter Park. Since I work in Winter Park, and I got off at 5pm, I had some time to kill prior to the reading. I went to Shipyard Brewery to wet my palette. There I bumped into Brian Sikorski at the bar. I got to learn a little about his background as an artist. There was also an older couple there who had traveled the country searching for the best micro brewery’s.
I ordered a vegetarian mushroom sandwich which I washed down with several beers. I was satiated and ready to sketch. I walked several blocks over to the Breakthrough Theater. I had never been inside this theater. In the tiny entrance foyer,the cast was seated on the couch and chairs and they were doing a practice run through of the reading. There was one empty chair so I quietly sat down. Several of the actors I knew. Mike Maples was playing the part of a bigoted bar owner who had to change his world view when a drag queen starts bringing in audiences that could not be ignored. Sarah Lockhard landed the choice roll of the drag queen diva. She had the odd distinction of being a woman playing a man playing a woman. She rubbed her hands together as she read. I have seen her perform some insanely funny comedic rolls in the past. I agonized for a moment wondering if I had enough time to sketch. I decided to just jump in. The reading was laugh out loud funny.
When the first reading was finished, the director, Desmond Flynn, offered some notes. Soon people started to arrive. The Breakthrough Theater is a small intimate space. The stage set resembled a quaint 1950’s living room. The second read through was just as funny as the first. This is going to be a fun Fringe show!
Show times…
5/20 FRI 9:25PM
5/22 SUN 12:00PM
5/24 TUE 6:45PM
5/28 SAT 8:25PM
