Back in April, a bunch of local theatre folks got together to have dinner and meet up. Tonight was the second installment in what seems to be a 3-or-4-times-a-year event, held in local theatre spaces. The April 6th pot-luck was hosted by Mad Cow Theatre downtown, and today’s was held in the lobby of the Orlando REP.
Folk etymology has derived the term “potluck” from the Native American custom of potlatch; the word “potluck”, however, is actually of English origin. It is a portmanteau word formed from (cooking) pot and lucke. The earliest written citation is from 1592: “That that pure sanguine complexion of yours may never be famisht with pot lucke,” Thomas Nashe. As this shows, the original meaning was “food given away to guests”, probably derived from “whatever food one is lucky enough to find in the pot”, i.e. whatever food happens to be available, especially when offered to a guest. By extension, a more general meaning is “whatever is available in a particular circumstance or at a particular time.”
Potlatch is actually a good custom from which to derive this kind of dinner - the potlatch is often celebrated at special events, like births, celebrations of the harvest, and weddings. It is a show of wealth and prosperity, where the person holding the potlatch holds a feast, and trades some prized commodity for things they might need.
The tech community’s BarCamp and the PR and Media community’s BlogOrlando could be seen as a kind of potlatch - we’re trading ideas and experience.
The idea for the Theatre Pot-Luck was originally spawned by local actor John Baker via Elizabeth Maupin’s Orlando Sentinel theatre blog, which is also the best place see announcements for other upcoming events. The Orlando Arts Blog is another good place to check. Apparently, the Orlando Shakes has volunteered to hold the next one in a few months. Right now there is no organizer, it just sort of happens as someone steps up to offer space - which is, in my opinion, as it should be.
With Florida Creatives and BarCamp, the geeks are really fixated on a single person having all the ideas, and I think this is stifling the creativity and experimentation that could be happening if the organizations were more headless. One way we can do that with Florida Creatives is having chapters in other cities, which we are getting going in Melbourne/Brevard now, and hopefully more successfully in Jacksonville some day - the only stopping other cities is an initial organizer.
Yes, someone does have to take the reins, but only until it gains critical mass. Even when I tried to move the Happy Hour to the Fringe Beer tent some of the downtown folks still went to Crooked Bayou looking for their regular 3rd Monday beer-and-tots… funny.
I really meant to take some pictures, but when I was there, I just didn’t see an opportunity.
What goes on at a theatre potluck? Well I talked to Arwen Lowbridge from Fractured Atlas in New York - she’s down here visiting so she could check out Beth Marshall and Tod Kimbro’s My Illustrious Wasteland - they were both also there, along with Betsy Maupin, of course - I ate dinner with them and (for a few minutes) John DiDonna, but he had to run.
Arwen and I waxed delicious about non-GMO, CSA farms, picking your own fruit, and having fresh food delivered to your house. I also had my first face-to-face meeting with Maupin, who said something to the effect of “You look bigger than on the Internet”.
I later moved over to a table with David Almeida , Marcie and Stephen J Miller from Here Be Dragons. There were some interesting threads there too, like one about experimenting with different roles while you’re in school, because once you’re out, you get cast as yourself for the rest of your life. The other hot topic was nudity, since David had done a play at Fringe with an extended nude scene.
I also got to hear about the history of this event, which is really important to me. The more I get into this, I see myself leaning more towards the role of documentarian and historian. I’m actually thinking about shooting a 20-25 minute documentary in a few weeks if I get the logistics figured out - I also hope that I will be able to get the help with editing that I’m hoping for… more on this later.
Looking forward expectantly to the next Pot-Luck - next time I promise to bring something. Betsy’s chicken and David’s brownies were great, and I heard good things about some lo mein and Stephen’s apple pie too.
I came across this Canadian improv troupe somewhere in my web surfing this year, and this week I saw their videos on the Montreal Fringe’s Facebook page.
Some of our friends from previous Orlando Fringes will be there, like Barry Smith (Jesus in Montana, American Squatter), TJ Dawe (Totem Figures, Slipknot), and Greg Landucci (Dishpig, Mr. FOX), and Influx Dance (Goals for 2002). Also, some new friends from this year’s festival - The Cody Rivers Show (Stick to Glue) and Andrew Connor (Boom), will be there too.
If this information is wrong, sorry. Iwas having some trouble finding info on the Fringe site. If I’m missing anyone, I’d love to include them too.
Funny thing about Montreal and Blogging Fringe - if you search for it, we come up on the first page, from my post-fringe show last year where I was Seeking Updates from Montreal Fringe. My offer from last month (and last year) still stands - anyone who wants to can do whatever with Blogging Fringe - we have set up some conventions - Fringe Crush, Voicemail Reviews, and Fringe Moments - do with them what you will. If you send me links I will post them here, or I will give you an account and plenty of attribution on the site.
We will even import your blog posts word-for-word, but a warning that MySpace blogs are not very good for that purpose, since the feeds only include a few words for each blog post.
If you’re in Montreal or any other Fringe City, get in touch. I’d love to just know you’re out there.
I finally saw Here Be Dragons on Patron’s Pick Day. This was one of the few issue-based shows at Fringe, but it was really fabulous.
Thank you to Cervo Systems for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
I was leaving the festival on Saturday night and just felt inspired to call in and leave a message for everyone.
Thank you to Cervo Systems for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
Patron’s Pick is the only accolade our Fringe Festival bestows on shows, whether local or out of town. I think all of the Picks this year will end up being local, which is a crying shame. I should check previous years and see if out of town shows have earned this honor in the past.
Patron’s Pick day is great - you have the day off of work, you have already sort of seen everything you want to, and you’re also not rushing from one venue to the next and worried about scheduling things, because there is only one show playing at any given time - this makes parking a bit easier, too, from what I can remember.
Genevieve says in today’s newsletter:
Here are the Patron’s Pick winners and their performance times on Monday. We are still waiting on Blue and Brown, as it is a very tight race! As soon as we know, it will be posted on www.orlandofringe.org!
Yellow Venue: Skip Peril and the Players of the Lost Trunk, 10:15 am
Fringe Fundraiser: T.J. Dawe’s The Slip-Knot, a benefit for the Fringe, 11:30 am in the Orange Venue
Two years ago, John Valines and the Rickshaw Boy crew won the Fringe of the Fringe Award - last year they gave it to Blogging Fringe. Radio Rickshaw is a long-running podcast here in Orlando with a small network of shows, and a barbershop quartet.
Also hosting this episode is Greg Barris from the Heart of Darkness Rock and Roll Circus. I actually don’t know much about Greg, except he used to live in Orlando, and he was involved with SAK Comedy Lab. His show was part monologue and part stand-up comedy, and it was pretty good.
Sometime during the week, I bumped into John and Greg with the Marantz recorder interviewing folks, and they talked to me a bit. I talk about Twitter, USB Humping Dogs and Fringe Shows, and I might be on mushrooms.
Only 3 more days! (plus Patron’s Pick Day) Looks like When Pigs Fly and Alice in Wonderland have already been announced as Patron’s Picks for their venues, which sort of makes sense. If you’re interested in supporting the Fringe AND seeing TJ Dawe, check out Monday morning at 11:30, when TJ will be performing the Slip Knot.
As we rolled into the weekend last night with some light rain and lots of folks crowding the Shakespeare Center, I noticed three college-looking kids soliciting people for photographs. I walked up to tell them about Blogging Fringe, and it turned out they were the Orlando Metromix “SHOCK SQUAD”! Is Metromix the Sentinel one, that’s going to be changing their name? It’s not CityBeat, is it? It’s one of those. I went to see what coverage they had of the festival, and it was exactly one article - recommendations based on watching the preview. Also, no comments allowed. They asked me to link to them, and in hopes that they link back, here we go.
Last night, I lost my festival program. Normally no big deal, but this was different - I had written all sorts of notes in my program, marked down page numbers of shows, kept my tickets inside, and started to feel like my program was a treasured item - sort of like a stuffed animal or something, now lost. I checked the Brown Venue, the Blue Venue, the Ticket Booth, and the Garbage Can too, but my program was gone. I went to the box office to get some tickets re-printed ( handy reason for using credit card or the internet to buy your tickets), and proceeded to go through the tickets I did have with the volunteer to make sure I wasn’t missing any others.
Apparently, I’ve seen a lot of shows:
A Brief History of Petty Crime
American Squatter
Boom
*Flamenco con Fusion 08
Galapagos: The Directors Cut
*Mark Baratelli
Move!
MR. FOX
*Mr. Marmalade
On Second Thought
*once upon a time: The End
Oral
Parlour Games
perfectly broken
Power To Pleasing: The Sex Lives of Teenage Girls
*Red, White, and Ignorant: An American Love Story
Shadows In Bloom
Skip Peril and the Players of the Lost Trunk
*Swell
The Boy’s Own Jedi Handbook
*The Bric-a-Brac Vagabond Vintage Variety Show
The Cody Rivers Show presents: Stick to Glue
The Greg Barris Heart of Darkness Rock and Roll Circus
*The Screw You Revue: Déjà vu
*The Slipknot: A Benefit for the Orlando Fringe
Totem Figures
TV iMature
*Wet
When Pigs Fly
* Indicates shows I have not seen, but I have a ticket for.
All of these shows (that I have seen) are awesome. Go see them all. If I could only tell you three, I would include The Cody Rivers Show, On Second Thought and Boom (not in that order). I would say Power to Pleasing, but it’s sold out. I continue to tell folks that if they haven’t seen any dance, they MUST go - we always have great dance at this festival, and I’m seeing all of the 5 dance shows this year. Lastly, (not leastly) if you’ve never seen TJ Dawe, Barry Smith, Jimmy Hogg, Greg Landucci, Gemma Wilcox or any of the other out-of-town monologists (like Paul Hutcheson from On Second Thought, mentioned earlier), they are all worth your time and money. This is also not counting Patron’s Pick day, where I plan to see some shows that have floated to the top, but I managed to miss. It should be a fun experience.
What was also a fun experience was getting a random contact from some folks from Rake Theatre down in Boynton Beach - they’re putting on Fluency this week at the Fringe. Apparently, they are wanting to start an all-Florida arts blog - a very ambitious project. I have about 3 such very ambitious projects in my head, in the works with locals, or I at least own the domain name for them.
The South Florida folks’ project is called, of all things, Florida Arts Blog, which is a Wordpress.com site right now, but for some reason the posts about Fringe have disappeared… ::shrug:: Something and someone to watch in the coming weeks and months. I am trying to sell them on Florida Creatives myself, blogging can come later. They’ve also got a link to Mark’s Orlando Arts Blog up there… I wonder if they’ve been emailing him too…?
As it is every year, we post dozens of articles on this site, and everyone reads the Sentinel blog… I love what they’re doing over there, I just wish we had a little of their budget, standing in the community, or the built-in reputation that you get from being a year-round player in this game. If I could pay five seven bloggers, this would be a different world indeed.
As long as you’re comfortable with using your real name (and everyone should be by now), you can go participate in some of the conversation over in Maupin-Land, a magical place where they’ve never heard of video or photos.
The best conversations every year take place at the Attention Must Be Paid blog, and there are invariably a few posts with dozens of comments, like this one entitled “From the Fringe: What’s Good?” (24 comments). Then there’s one that’s pretty much the same idea called “What’s Fab about the Fringe?” (15 comments) — I fail to see the difference between the two posts.
Actually, I’m surprised we don’t have an 80-comment war happening - maybe they’ve lost their edge. We never had it to begin with, it seems.
Sure, the Sentinel claims to have a “Complete Fringe Festival Coverage” page, but all they did here was repurpose the same content they created somewhere else (and often not for Fringe), and they don’t even fit all the reviews on one page.
I know they are working with archaic technology, but if you’ve got the budget to hire 8 people to write about it, can’t you get Danny to post a list of all the reviews on one page?
I had some big plans for this year’s Blogging Fringe, but they had to be put on hold while I figure out how to have a full-time job and be “that guy” at the festival. Also, helping out with the actual Fringe website took a few of my ideas and gave them back to the festival, which is as it should be. With any luck you’ll notice Blogging Fringe coming out of the beta-testing period next year with a critical extra feature that I guarantee the Sentinel and the Weekly wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole: publicly editable pages for all the shows so we can have all the videos, links to reviews editable by anyone so we can have a for-real community site.
Actually, next year, there may be a completely different concept out there, but that depends on several factors and some collaborations I have in the works with Katie Ball. Look for some fun stuff on the horizon.
Ryan leaves his thoughts about BOOM in the Blue Venue. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Thank you to Cervo Systems for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
Last night was the first day of shows for the 2008 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, and I must say the Fringe has got a lot of great stuff going on! So many wonderful shows, both from Orlando regulars and some new folks as well - there’s even a show that takes place in the women’s bathroom! No matter what happens at this year’s festival, you’ll be sure to find daily updates at http://www.bloggingfringe.com
First thing you’ll notice is that the size of “The Green” has about tripled in size, with the Beer Tent remaining the center of attention. Because of the Fringe Membership drive and the special treatment for VIP members, beer/wine tickets are now $4 each, but I’ve seen some folks getting $1 off with their badges.
I saw Voci Dance’s “Perfectly Broken” at the Red (outdoor) Venue at the Orlando Shakes (the old beer tent location, and I think this is such a great use of this space! Even if the conflicts with the Orlando REP are resolved next year, I still would love to see this extra venue stick around or replace the old Red Venue, which was so tiny and hard to find.
Voci didn’t disappoint either, with an all-new show - lots of solos, more dance pieces that tell short stories over the course of two or three pieces, a live two-piece band and some really amazing dancing. I also liked the “Vocitini” table they had set up outside.
Some cool things to check out are Tod Caviness’ Poetry Vending Machine - $5 gets you a custom-written poem by one of the poets in residence. Also check out the Saturday night Poetry Smackdown events.
Another interesting addition is the Digi-Dada Theatre - Mark Biddle from The Office Art Gallery has written a series of short skits for Fringe Patrons to perform on camera in his mini-TV studio at the Shakes Fest, and he will be compiling the clips into a longer surreal piece to show off sometime soon.
I also went to the opening night of Gemma Wilcox’s “Shadows in Bloom”, which feels like a prequel to last year’s “The Honeymoon Period is Officially Over”. I’d like to ask Gemma and see what she has to say about this. Lots more characters, and lots more Gemma!
We are just getting started, but there is one more thing I’d like to mention - anyone and everyone has the ability to get their 15 minutes in this year, thanks to Blogging Fringe. I will be syndicating blogs - it’s simple and you get to keep all the publicity! Just send me a link to your blog or your blog’s feed - I’ll filter out posts that mention the Fringe Festival and re-post them to Blogging Fringe. When people check out the most recent posts on the site or do a search, they’ll see your posts, but when they click the links, they are directed to your blog, so you get to keep all the comments and maybe make some new friends in the process. Contact me through www.BloggingFringe.com or MySpace/Facebook to get listed as a Contributor.
Last but not least, come join the Florida Creatives on Monday for a visit to the beer tent and some socializing - we’ll be there from 6PM until 7:30, then we’ll head to the Shakes for Barry Smith’s show, American Squatter.
Hope to see you all out at Loch Haven Park this week! Happy Fringe!
Why is May such a great month for holding events? Sure, for our Northern friends, it means the end of bad weather, the opening of roller coaster parks, and a change in the scenery as the trees and flowers start to show their summer colors, but here in Florida, it’s more like the start of the summer’s hot, humid, rainy monotony, the arrival of the tourists, time-share owners, kids on summer vacation, religious zealots protesting Gay Days, and of course, bad drivers in rental cars.
The main reason I look forward to May every year is the arrival of the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival (Thursday the 15th through Monday the 26th). Every year, theatre companies, dancers, comedians, clowns, musicians, improv actors, writer/directors, solo acts and large ensembles, exuberant teenagers and road-hardened veterans alike grace Loch Haven Park with their creativity and energy, and Orlando gives every ounce of it (and more) back to them as many of the national and international acts begin their Canadian Fringe circuit, which brings them to a new city every two weeks. Show prices range from free (as in free software) to $10, and all shows require the one-time purchase of a $6 festival button - 100% of your ticket money goes to the artist. This is one of the only unjuried, uncensored events I know of in Orlando outside of a few open-mic nights, and even some of those are passing judgment on the performers (the other best example here is BarCamp).
18 months ago, I started gathering a group of my friends together every third Monday of the month for an event called Florida Creatives Happy Hour (Monday the 19th, 6PM @ Loch Haven Park). Now, those original 8 friends are hardly in the same room, but the group has grown to something resembling a small political party representing the creative professionals and hobbyists here in Central Florida (with a group getting started in Jacksonville as I write this). This month’s Florida Creatives falls during the Fringe Festival, so at 6PM on the 19th we will be descending upon their “Green Lawn of Fabulousness” to have a beer and some soul food and socialize. At 7:45, we will be attending American Squatter, starring Barry Smith, the creator of last year’s sell-out hit Jesus in Montana. Tickets are $10 plus your $6 Fringe button.
Despite the fact that Fringe starts on the same day every year, another festival seems to think they are better than the Fringe, by starting on the exact same day. Yes, the Florida Music Festival runs Thursday the 15th through Sunday the 18th this year, at pretty much every available venue downtown. In past years, you’ve been able to buy a one-time pass that gets you in to all the shows for the whole weekend, as well as nightly passes - buying a ticket to just one show will hardly do such an event justice. The festival also has a short film as well as an art contest, check these out too if you can find the time in between all of the other events happening at the exact same time.
What other events? How about that bizarre craft bazaar held semi-bi-anually at Stardust Video & Coffee, Grandma Party? (Saturday the 17th, 10AM to Sunset) For some reason they opted out of celebrating Earth Day in favor of overlapping with FMF and Fringe this year - the reason why is left as homework for the reader. Actually, if you find out, please try to explain this one to me too. At G-ma Party, you’ll not only find loads of handmade goods, like the cereal-and-eggs inspired work of the Breakfast Bunch, but trendy t-shirts, buckets of buttons, live music by some of Orlando’s best local bands (at least those who are friends with the festival organizers), a bal-looney community pool, and of course rummage piles and raffles.
Not as culturally significant, but still worth a mention, the second ever Florida Drupal User Group meeting will be held at the offices of MindComet in Maitland this Saturday (May 17th, 1PM). Check out the event and any follow-up at groups.drupal.org/florida.
Still more to come in this round-up of events, because I couldn’t write such a blog post without mentioning the Corazon Art and Music Festival being held at the Orlando Brewing Company (Sunday the 18th, starts 1PM, All Day). As I’m writing this I don’t have access to any listings, but I know tickets are $5, and I can give a serious recommendation, as this event is being thrown by Robert and Jonathan from Gamble Records, the folks who brought us the ELLA Music Festival in October. I expect you will see lots of singer-songwriter type acts, and you can trust Robert Johnson’s rolodex to bring you some great music (and art?).
There must be more happening during the next two weeks, but isn’t that enough? Of course, we can’t forget about this Friday (May 16th, 8AM-11AM) and the Likemind Orlando coffee meetup at the Lake Eola Panera Bread. This month there will be free coffee and hopefully a few free copies of a book called Murketing - I don’t have a lot of details about it, but I know the publishers of the book are sponsoring the coffee and snacks all over the US, so they get serious props.
If I’m missing anything here, please leave a shout-out, and I’ll try to include it in the next bulletin. Until next time, have a great May!
I have a choice: do I take the first three days of Fringe Week off, the middle three, or the last three? I know opening weekend, the last weekend and Memorial Day will be action-packed, but I also don’t want to lose too much money from work.
Blogging Fringe (or this year, my personal blog and OrlandoScene.TV) will be taking up some time, but I also don’t want to take ALL week off so I can save my pennies. Any thoughts, comments, suggestions?
As you all know, I’ve done this Blogging Fringe thing for the past two years. Sadly, this year looks like I’ll be pulled in more directions than ever before. I’ve been up until 2AM every night for weeks on end and I’m not sure when this will stop.
At the same time, I really love the opportunities the Fringe Festival presents to show off some great groups in Orlando and Internationally, and introduce the world to our potential.
At this point I have received dozens of press releases from faithful producers who would love a mention on the blog. I’d love to contact them, conduct interviews, post them to the site, get everyone excited and oh so much more, but that’s not going to happen.
Some of you have contributed time to this project before, others are simply friends, but you are all tied to the theatre community and you have proven your interest in making our community something special.
My plan for Blogging Fringe this year is to write a small number of posts on my personal blog and have them automatically re-posted to BloggingFringe.com, and I’m going to open that up to everyone in the world. All the content on the site will be release under a Creative Commons license, meaning anyone will be free to re-post and re-mix the work in any medium for non-commercial purposes This includes all archived content on the site as well.
Getting your content posted is simple. We’ll agree on a keyword, something like “bloggingfringe”, or “Orlando Fringe”, something you will only write on your blog if you’d like the content to be seen, and those posts will be re-posted with a link back to your blog. An example of this is on Liberatr.net where all the posts link to the original home instead of inside the site.
This project has never been about my own personal gain - I’ve sunk hundreds (thousands?) of dollars of my money into creating an environment for patrons and artists to have a conversation, but I believe I’ve fallen short of the mark up until now. Beth will be the first person to say that the Fringe website is not the place she’d like this conversation to happen - that’s one great thing about a site like ours.
All the editorial content on Blogging Fringe - the reviews, videos, audio podcasts, will no longer be called Blogging Fringe, but instead Ryan Price Media, Orlando Scene TV and Florida Creatives. These three websites will just be other first-class citizens of the community like anyone else in the world. If I end up being too busy to post many videos, podcasts or blogs, that will show, because they’ll be lost in the ocean of posts created by the blogging Fringe Faithful.
If I have to I’ll paint the administrator password to Blogging Fringe on a canvas and submit the artwork to Visual Fringe. That’s how open this should be. Anna, what’s the entry fee again?
More news on exactly how to get your blogs re-posted to a public, highly visible website for free coming soon. I hope the Fringe itself, the Orlando Weekly, Elizabeth Maupin, Orlando Arts Blog and others will be proud to include their blogs in the list, because the point is visibility, not exclusivity.
The contents of this email are posted here in order to make this information as public as I possibly can. If you’d like to contribute, you can start by posting a link to your blog in the comments! All serious submissions (and some not so serious) will be accepted.
321-441-3964
Any voicemails left here will be re-posted as comments unless otherwise noted.
Front Porch is a weekly radio show hosted by Julie Norris, Proprietor of Dandelion Communitea Cafe, and focuses on all things local. Each week features a different guest making a difference locally with eclectic blends of local music and various ramblings about what is happening in OurLando.
Tune your dial to WPRK 91.5 or listen online at wprkdj.org every Wednesday at noon.
…and buttons, and inspire the rest of the visuals for the 2008 festival. Last year’s protest signs started out sucking, but ended up getting close to a viral user-generated fun thing, so PUSH did one thing right last year.
Submissions of artwork are being accepted that will be on our 2008 Fringe poster, program cover, special limited edition T-shirts and limited edition buttons. If your art is selected, you will receive a 2008 Fringe Superpass , an invitation for you and a guest to our 2008 VIP Gala. Credit for your work will appear on the poster, program and Fringe website.
Due Date:
January, 7 2008 at 5pm
Submission Guidelines:
–Artwork of all mediums, genres and themes may be submitted.
–Please keep in mind that while we will not censor any submissions, artwork should be appropriate in nature for all audiences.
–Sponsor logos and text regarding the festival WILL also be on the merchandise along with your art. Graphic designs are welcome for submission, however, Fringe will have the final call on logo and text placement.
–All artwork MUST be sent in a basic 300 dpi jpg format to Beth Marshall at producer@orlandofringe.org
–Higher resolution will be necessary at a later date ONLY if your artwork is selected. (no discs, or actual pieces of art allowed)
–Confirmation email of receipt will be sent within one day. If you do not receive a confirmation email within that time period, please re-send or phone the Fringe office. Technology can be unfriendly at times and we want to make sure your submission is considered.
–Submissions must also include your basic information: name, email, phone number. Please include a brief bio or artist statement.
–Selection of 2008 Fringe artwork is determined by the Fringe Board of Directors. The winner will be announced by the end of January 2008.
–If you have questions, please contact Beth Marshall at 407-648-0077 x1 or producer@orlandofringe.org
Our good friend and the website producer for the Orlando Fringe, Mark Baratelli, has returned from his tour of I Love a Piano, and he’s organizing another night of cabaret to benefit a local charity. I’m so sorry I missed the last event, because I love the female voice, but I won’t be missing this one for sure. Look for some more updates from Blogging Fringe as the event draws closer.
Here’s a copy of the event info from http://feeds.orlandosentinel.com/~r/entertainment/stage/theaterblog/~3/190728002/the-girls-women.html:
Last August a group of pretty swell women got together at Mad Cow Theatre to raise money to send Mark Baratelli and his show to the New York Fringe.
Now they’re back, and this time Laura Hodos, Luerne Herrera, Meghan Moroney and pianist Steve McKinnon are raising money for the Coalition for the Homeless.
Here’s the info:
Cast:
Laura Hodos
Luerne Herrera
Meghan Moroney
Pianist Steve McKinnon
Event Title:
A Night With the Girls 2
Date:
December 12, 2007
Time:
8pm
Show Length:
one hour and thirty minutes
Venue:
The Goldman Theater at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (http://www.orlandoshakes.org/)
Tickets:
$20 suggested donation to the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida
Reservations: email@markbaratelli.com
Available at the door
Cash only
This weekend, for the third year in a row now, I will say to my fellow Fringe Fanatics “You MUST check out the Orlando Puppet Festival“. This event is not for kids (there are some family-friendly shows), but intends to expose Orlando to high-art, cutting-edge expressive puppetry. I’ve seen dozens of different types of acts, some including human actors, others with minimalist puppets, and even puppets singing cabaret.
Headlining this year’s festival are Pennsylvania’s Cashore Marionettes with “Life in Motion” and “Simple Gifts”, and Vermont’s Sandglass Theatre with “Autumn Portraits” and “Isidor’s Cheek”. If you didn’t know this, New England has a thriving puppetry community, including a school in Connecticut with great puppetry programs. We have some of our own here in the South, most notably Atlanta, which is home to the Center for Puppetry Arts.
Another highlight of the festival is Friday night’s “late night” show, “Puppets from the Edge”, NOT to be missed. This is a bit of an open-mic night for puppets, with everyone from local artists to far-off visitors showing off shorter and more experimental pieces. I have some great video of last year’s event if I can ever get some time to edit it down.
A similar type of show is the screening of “Handmade Puppet Dreams” a shorts program of puppet films collected by Heather Henson, which has toured all over the world, from India to California and everywhere in between. Don’t miss the current show at the Gallery of Avalon Island (DMAC), which features puppets from the HMPD films.
Just two more events to plug: check out a live outdoor performance of Heather’s original piece, “Panther and Crane”, inspired by her life in Florida, 8PM Sunday at Hertiage Park in front of the History Center. This play also features our sweethearts Voci Dance. Finally, there will be an OPF wrap party at the Harp and Celt, the downtown bar and restaurant just two doors down from the Mad Cow.
Props to Jamie Donmoyer and Heather for making this great festival even better this year. Multiple venues, family-friendly events (check out the Cupcake Shows), outdoors, films, parties, and of course, some of the most amazing puppetry you will ever see in this town. Order your tickets in advance and get more information by visiting OrlandoPuppetFestival.com, and I hope to see you all there!
October 26, 27, 28 @ Mad Cow Theatre and 3 other venues closeby.
Can’t wait until October 26th?
Quench your puppetry thirst now, with these upcoming events as we Countdown to OPF 2007!
POTPOURRI OF PUPPETRY CABARET
WHERE THE AUDIENCE BECOMES THE PERFORMERS!
Join everyone’s favorite puppet host, Chupacabra and human host Tony Giordano as they kick off a hilarious evening of puppetry entertainment in a Potpourri of Puppetry Cabaret!
In the tradition of puppetry festivals throughout the nation, The Orlando Puppet Festival provides a stage for those performers experimenting in the art of puppetry. Whether nurturing a piece that has been developed over time, or spontaneously taking the stage with a fresh idea, the Potpourri of Puppetry Cabaret welcomes one and all.
Premiering in Central Florida in 2002, this evening of adult puppetry has featured a myriad of artists, experimenting with pieces before an eager audience. From laughter to tears, to sheer amazement, the audience is taken on a journey into each artist’s mind, as they present their short pieces in an open-mic format. Kick back, sip a complimentary beverage and enjoy an anything goes evening of puppetry entertainment: some planned, some inspired by the moment!
Potpourri of Puppetry Cabaret will be held at 7:30 pm on September 15, 2007 at Mad Cow Theatre, 105 South Magnolia Avenue in downtown Orlando.
Want to be part of the act? Sign up ahead of time by contacting Jamie Donmoyer at 407.760.9290 or info@orlandopuppetfestival.com or just show up! Puppets will be provided for improvised acts!
WHO: The Orlando Puppet Festival Presented by IBEX and Mad Cow Theatre
WHAT: Potpourri of Puppetry Cabaret
WHEN: September 15, 2007 7:30 pm, Approx. 120 min
WHERE: Mad Cow Theatre 105 South Magnolia (between Pine St. and Church St.) Orlando, FL 32801
TICKETS: $8 per person, includes a complimentary beverage!
Tickets are available by calling the Box Office at 407.297.8788 or visiting www.madcowtheatre.com.
Reservations are recommended, must be 17 or older to be admitted.
The all-new OrlandoFringe.org website has a link to the 2008 Fringe artist application. I am helping out with some programming and implementation of the site this year, and I’m very honored to be able to help out.
I was thinking about doing a Blogging Fringe show (or something in a similar vein) but then I saw that you can get 7 shows at the outdoor stage for less money than I paid to rent a vendor space last year - I’m so taking that option. Expect to see 7 Blogging Fringe shows, all videotaped, all including interviews with patrons and artists, all including songs and dances (maybe). Who knows what we’ll be doing? All I know is I’ll have to apply later, because I’m broke.
If I could bind myself to doing 7 events during Fringe this year, then maybe I can prove my ability to do 7 shows next year, or perhaps an outdoor event will always be our deal from now on.
What would you like to see at a Blogging Fringe show outdoors?
That’s right. Thursday night, July 26th, 2007 the Orange County Commission met and voted on the building of a new sports arena (for the Orlando Magic, the old one is to be sold and demolished), some renovations on the 70+ year old Citrus Bowl (home of the Capital One Bowl, the Champs Sports Bowl, and… not much else), and of most importance to you, the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center (see if you can get us to stop calling it OPAC any time soon).
“Betsy” Maupin has a bit of news about the PAC in her latest blog. John Kennedy (political blogger for the Sentinel) was giving semi-live updates during the meeting, and my new favorite news aggregator for Orlando, Outside.in, doesn’t have much news at all.
The best coverage of “the venues” by far has been the Orlando Weekly. Searching their site for “Pleasure Dome” or “Venues” will bring up lots of relevant results (including the several reasons why they were not interested in building a new arena or renovating the Citrus Bowl. The Orlando Weekly Blog has also been getting much more frequent updating lately, so if you’re into reading blogs, check out their RSS.
In Edinburgh, venuemanagers choose their plays. Professional work, which deserves a wider audience,debuts at the festival. Producers and talent scouts swarm the city, expecting andenjoying a certain level of quality.By contrast, the lottery system that has sustained and nurtured festivals throughoutNorth America contains a flaw that will always curtail growth. Truly challenging andtruly brave theatrical art drowns in a sea of amateurism. Edmonton’s most talentedwriters, directors and performers launched their careers at the festival, using it asan opportunity to learn and grow, but it’s hardly a destination for the country’s — oreven the city’s — best players. Some nights, sitting with two other people in Acacia Hall, as an accountant stumbles through a series of cliches about his cat, thedarkness of divorce and globalism, the Brave Fringer can’t help but wonder:
Shouldn’t I be watching a real play, or sleeping in my bed?
Surely Mayne and his colleagues know this, but the Fringe needs better plays, notbetter access to tickets, for a genuine breakthrough. And the only way to ensurequality is to circumvent the lottery system, partially at first, with juried venues.
In the tradition of puppetry festivals throughout the nation, The Orlando Puppet Festival provides a stage for those performers experimenting in the art of puppetry. Whether nurturing a piece that has been developed over time, or spontaneously taking the stage with a fresh idea, the Potpourri of Puppetry Cabaret welcomes one and all. 
