Elizabeth Maupin has been reviewing arts and culture in Orlando since 1983, and now she is doing it just for fun!
"Betsy" always has great reviews during Fringe, and her new independent site, Elizabeth Maupin on Theater, is better than ever.
Here is her 2011 Fringe home page, About the Fringe. She has also posted reviews of 5 shows as of the first day!
One of the stand-out contributions to the Creative Mind Experiment was the Dog Powered Robot, created by Evan Miga and friends (including his Pomeranian, Fisher). Found via The Daily City.
About the Creative Mind Experiment:
See how differently creative minds interpret the same inspiration.
All of the creators agreed to participate without knowing what their source of inspiration would be. They were given a 3 min and 33 sec piece of music and asked to create “something” in that time frame. They can use any medium they wish and as little or as much of the music as they desire. The only rule is that they must create something that was inspired by something they heard or felt in the piece of music.
See what creators like Bob Kodzis (Creative Catalyst/Improv Actor), Brian Feldman (Performance Artist), Jordan Woods-Robinson (Blue Man/Actor/Fiddle Player), Evan Miga (DRIP Creative Engineer & Graphic Designer), Lindsay Cohen (Writer/Actor), Ryan Price (Community Builder/Hacker), Richard Paul (Improv artist), Brandon Roberts (Producer/Director/Actor, Creator of the PB&J Theatre Factory) , Tisse Mallon (Photographer/Creative Mind), Melissa Cowen (Child Dance Prodigy), Comedians, Musicians, Choreographers and more separately create.
Each creation is placed one right after another so you can see just how differently they think even when inspired by the exact same thing. 8 creators will participate in every show. View the show-by-show schedule to see when your favorites will appear!
Producers:
Jessica Mariko (Also the creator of DRIP http://www.ILoveDRIP.com/ and FRESH http://www.ValentinesDayOrlando.com/)
Linda Eve Elchak (Also the creator of Nao Dance Collective http://www.naodance.com/)
Memorial Day weekend is upon us. For every other holiday, there are a variety of ways to celebrate. Sometimes I don’t know my Thanksgiving plans until two weeks before. As a student, I had a part-time job in which I always worked Easter. Sometimes, I’ve even celebrated the Fourth of July without fireworks.
But I’ll be damned if I celebrate Memorial Day in any other way except Fringe. The Orlando Fringe Festival, to be specific – the first in North America and one weekend in which I get to come back to my beloved hometown and celebrate in the kookiest way imaginable.
“Pepe come here,” Blue shouts...
Copied from Rob Ward: Nipple Tape, Furries, and Gas Masks, Oh My - Pepe Makes a Cameo in VarieTEASE, this post about Pepe is the definition of a "Fab Fringe Moment".
Blue then calls the full cast together for a pre-show energy circle, some motivational words, and a prayer of sorts (to the theatre gods?). I like being a part of this. Performing as Pepe is one of my favorite things in the world to do, but oddly enough before a show, it can be a little lonely, so it’s nice to connect with a big cast … and there’s a lot of love in this circle. Good feeling.
Also today in the blogosphere, Katie Ball continues her marching rampage through the 2010 Fringe, with a post entitled, "MORE, MORE, MORE!".
”T-O-T-A-L-L-Y” is an inspiring story of a woman taking back her personal power. No bra burning or picket signs in sight, instead the irrepressible Kimleigh Smith uses sassy dialog, a sultry R&B voice and some sexy-ass dance moves to show her transformation from a teenage valley girl into a hot HOT woman of substance. Anyone, male or female, will be encouraged by T-O-T-A-L-L-Y 's story of facing crippling adversity, owning it, and then kicking it to the curb.
“Goblin Party Interactive” - Oh my God this was so much cooler than I could even imagine. It's the movie Labyrinth done Rocky Horror style, but joined by a range of clever puppets, dreamy kite work and puppeteers Heather Henson and Marsian's hysterical portrayals of the lead characters Sarah and the Goblin King. My suggestion: round up a crowd of friends, take the kites and ears you made at the Ibex tent, medicate however you see fit and then jump into the fray. TOO MUCH FUN.
“Some Other Day” is a beautifully simple story told by two artists who are proud to share the tradition of old Vaudevillian showmanship. Whether altering the space/time continuum, dabbling in the supernatural or bringing applause with just a smile, Schave and Reilly keep doing what they do best – being freaking adorable. “Some Other Day” is 50 minutes of genuine sweetness; it may not be for everyone, but the world would be better if it was.
"Canuck Cabaret"
I love Canadians, and what better way to celebrate than by witnessing the Canuck Cabaret? Hosted by Fringe sweetheart Paul Hutcheson and the saucy Sharon Nowlan, this variety show features new guests with each performance. I was lucky to get to see Schave and Reilly do an amazing juggling routine - so clever that my friends and I are still trying to figure out how they did it. And Paul and Sharon delivered a number of performances that ranged in tone from beautifully and serenely cosmic to the universally well-regarded theme of poo. I loved the show and actually wish I could go every day.
Posted from Katie Ball's Facebook Note, Choosing Fringe shows, it's a science (no really).
Some basic decision-making tips that have delivered a pretty decent rate of success for me. Doubtless you have your own methods and I'd be interested in hearing your ideas!
(In no particular order)
Posted from Katie Ball's Facebook Note, Why Fringe?
One of the best things about Fringe is that it's a big old soup pot of all kinds of people, both on stage and off. You get to see Joe Banker and Deena Drag bonding at the beer tent – only to learn seconds later that they've been going at it for years. Oh yeah and there's also some pretty spectacular theater and dance going on...
Mark Baratelli and the gang from the Daily City will be producing the Audience Choice Awards at the 2010 Orlando Fringe Festival. The awards are independently organized, and all of the awards were created by local artists. This year's show is curated by Fringe veteran Jeremy Seghers, who also curates art for Dandelion CommuniTEA Cafe.
You can get involved and vote at AudienceChoiceAwards.com.
Update: Elizabeth Maupin has launched an independent Orlando theatre blog.
After almost 26 years on the staff of the Orlando Sentinel, Elizabeth Maupin has been writing and creating community togetherness. For my part in this game, I'd like to congratulate her and wish her the best.
Above: Maupin with Boris the Robot at the Orlando Fringe. Boris is a retired robot. As of this post, Maupin is a retired Journalist.