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OUT OF THE LOOP FRINGE FESTIVAL

FIRST WEEKEND

PART ONE

 

Beware of Plastics, Robert’s Eternal Goldfish, Trick Boxing, (K) New Order,
Antarctica, No Show, and Passport to Womanhood


 

Other festival reviews:
First Weekend, Part One

First Weekend, Part Two

 


 

OUT OF THE LOOP FRINGE FESTIVAL – FIRST WEEKEND, PART ONE
(Beware of Plastics, Robert’s Eternal Goldfish, Trick Boxing, (K) New Order, Antarctica, No Show, and Passport to Womanhood)
WaterTower Theatre

A 10‐day celebration of theatre, dance, music, and art, the Out of the Loop Fringe Festival features performances by arts organizations and artists from across the nation.  Performances are held at the Addison Theatre Centre, in four performance venues.

Eighteen artists and performing arts organizations will participate in this year’s festival of which twelve are making their debut.  Seven world premieres will be presented at this year’s festival.

On the final day of the festival, WaterTower Theatre will invite back the Best of the Main Stage, Studio Theatre and Stone Cottage performers for a special performance, as chosen by our Loop passholders.  Passholders will have an opportunity to cast ballots for their “Best Of” choice on the final Saturday of the festival.

Festival Passes are $65.00 and include one admission to each Festival event.  WaterTower Theatre subscribers receive $10.00 off each Festival pass. 
Individual ticket prices for each event are $10.00 or $15.00. 

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1. BEWARE OF PLASTICS
Actors Conservatory Theatre

Directed by Christopher Hartman
Writing Advisor – Christine Donaldson

PERFORMERS
Hannah Barrientez-Widmer
Simone Brazzini
Arden Claire Coates
Ivy Beth Coates
Briee Daniels
Colleen McCarthy
Rachel Smith



Reviewed performance on Friday, March 7th, 2014

Reviewed by Richard Blake, Associate Theater Critic
For John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

Beware of Plastics is an original performance piece made up of monologues written and performed by seven young women. These young actresses share their personal experiences and opinions on diversity, times of celebration of the differences between us, and times of isolation because of dissimilarity.

The play only runs about thirty minutes, yet takes you on a wonderfully diverse journey through life... the hopes, dreams and sometimes disappointments that come along with the journey seen through the eyes of this splendid cast.

You would think seven independently delivered monologues would have no common thread, but all are interwoven in a wonderful tapestry of family, friends, and inner reflections of the outside world around each young woman.  While each monologue is delivered, the other young ladies come to life and assist in the visual telling of the words being spoken.

There are emotional stories, like a sister’s view of the world through her sister’s visual impairment and how it forces her to see the world; of an only child, due to the death of her siblings, and what a “box of love” now means to her and those that look up to her; about a family of ten siblings, all homeschooled and how they perceive each other compared to the way the world sees them; or of girl now living in the United States with her parents but dealing with the loss of personal contact from the family still in another country.  There’s truly a wonderful story and lesson to be learned from each one and you are left with moral re-evaluations of yourself afterwards.

What I find very interesting is that each monologue is a personal experience of that young actress.  The depth, personal reflection, and sometimes intenseness, is so impressive, you forget you are watching young actors on stage.  Every one of these lovely young ladies holds the stage with passion and drive to tell you their story and make you understand their plight or point-of-view.  It’s truly a wonderful presentation that effects you deeply and makes you think after you leave the theatre, and that doesn’t happen in some full-length professional shows I’ve seen.

Actors Conservatory Theatre definitely has some outstanding up-and-coming talent on their hands and I definitely look forward to seeing many more of their productions in the future.


Reviewed by Richard Blake, Associate Theater Critic
For John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

BEWARE OF PLASTICS   
Actors Conservatory Theatre
(Seen with Robert’s Eternal Goldfish)
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2. ROBERT’S ETERNAL GOLDFISH
Audacity Theatre Lab

Created and Performed by Brad McEntire

Reviewed performance on Friday, March 7th, 2014

Reviewed by Richard Blake, Associate Theater Critic
For John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

I’ll never look at a goldfish the same way again... ever!

In this one-man show created and performed by Brad McEntire, you come face to face with Mr. Charlemagne J. Roberts. Roberts has a huge problem with people... all people. One day he becomes the unlikely custodian of a magical goldfish and Mr. Roberts' misanthropic view of the world is seriously challenged.

I have the utmost respect for one-man/woman shows and the ability of one performer to hold an audience captivated.  It is a tremendous task to accomplish and to do it with excellence as Mr. McEntire does for about an hour is a testament to his outstanding level of talent!

His character is engaging, illicit, antagonistic, and sometimes on the verge of a bit psychotic, yet every moment you hang on his every word, always wondering where he is taking you on this seemingly disjointed journey of self-awareness and discovery.  There are sections where he directly engages the audience, either for motivation or out of the sheer joy of causing patron uneasiness, but whatever the actual reason, it’s brilliantly done.  In the end, you discover yourself looking at his character with a different emotional understanding than when you begin, and a sense of compassion that comes from a place you can’t describe.

Mr. McEntire is also the playwright, and in that arena he also shines.  His character has an arc, albeit a strange and seemingly psychotic one, but it is there and it’s very powerful to watch evolve.  The story takes you on a precisely laid out journey through one man’s psyche while making you feel like you shouldn’t be there, listening.  The comedic elements allow necessary relief, and filter the sometimes harsh and intense moments.  Without them, the story would be so overwhelming, you would lose interest. 

Robert’s Eternal Goldfish works and Brad McEntire does everything perfectly in his writing, only overshadowing it with his stellar performance in it!

Reviewed by Richard Blake, Associate Theater Critic
For John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

ROBERT’S ETERNAL GOLDFISH
Audacity Theatre Lab
(Seen with Beware of Plastics)
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3. TRICK BOXING: A DANCE, A BOUT, A ROMANCE
Sossy Mechanics


Written, Choreographed and Directed by Megan McClellan and Brian Sostek

PERFORMERS
Megan McClellan and Brian Sostek

Reviewed performance on Friday, March 7th, 2014

Reviewed by Mary L Clark, Associate Theater Critic
For John Garcia’s THE COLUMN


A bare concrete floor, a white cyclorama as back wall, a trunk, some wooden boxes, and ninety minutes of pure, radiant, theatrical joy.

I could end the review right there but a bit more detail might be in order.  Megan McClellan and Brian Sostek make up the team of Sossy Mechanics, hailing from Minneapolis.  They are a trifecta duo – drama, comedy and dance – that together have been devising theatre and dance works since 2000.   They’ve performed in their home state, from Seattle to New York City, in Canada, the UK and Europe.  The lists of their performances and awards are both lengthy.

Their Out of the Loop Fringe Festival entry, Trick Boxing, delivers simply devised yet intricately presented art in the genres of vaudeville, films’ screwball comedy dance numbers, an old Bowery Boys movie and street theatre all wrapped into one glorious performance.

Out of the Loop’s press release describes the story best: “An immigrant apple-seller is bamboozled by hustlers, bookies, and a dance hall girl, into becoming a championship boxer in this 1930’s romantic comedy told through rapid-fire dialogue, high-energy dances, ridiculous puppetry, true love and, of course, boxing”.

That’s a nice, neat synopsis that doesn’t begin to extol how imaginative and marvelous this piece is.  Brian Sostek is a physically athletic, compact actor and dancer, reminiscent of James Cagney, who plays eleven characters, including three puppets, using individual vocal accents and facial expressions to the point that his natural face and voice disappear into the characterizations.  Each was so specifically stylized that one never lost who he was portraying, even if the shift was only for a moment.  Megan McClellan said afterward that “muscle has memory”, and with each change, his face, body and voice simply must shift into that characterization, his work is that precise.

McClellan plays Bella, the dance hall girl whose brother was bent on being the next boxing champion.  Using a hardcore demeanor and lower class dialect, her character becomes the story’s subplot instigator of change, the antithesis of the underhanded doings of the boxing environment, and the happy ending heroine.  She makes Bella’s character both heart-wrenching and sublime. 

Precise is an understatement when it comes to this couple’s acting and dance movement.  Each gesture, turn or dance step is calculated or timed to the beat of the dance hall’s Big Band music like clockwork.  McClellan’s statuesque body and balletic acuteness is divine, their tap dancing crisp, and their paired dance numbers surpass any seen on the ice during the Olympics.  Their dance work is of a caliper only seen by the most veteran of musical theatre gypsies . . . . Actually, it’s better.  If McClellan and Sostek stood onstage, reading the phone book – but then danced – I’d pay money.

The only unfortunate thing about Trick Boxing is it will be gone by the time of this review.  The good news is that they want to return soon and are looking to find a venue in the DFW area.  So if you are a devotee of theatre excellence, find them for now at www.sossymechanics.com, and hopefully back here again to mesmerize audiences with this or another of their works.  Personally, I can’t wait.

Reviewed by Mary L Clark, Associate Theater Critic
For John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

TRICK BOXING: A DANCE, A BOUT, A ROMANCE
Sossy Mechanics
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4. (K) NEW ORDER: A DANCE-O-RAMA MOVEMENT SCENE
Muscle Memory Dance Theatre

Choreographed by Kiera Amison, Kristin Daniels, Lindsey Knight, Megan Odom, Jackie Beth Shilcutt, Lesley Snelson

PERFORMERS in order of appearance
Anna Wueller, Natalie Smith, Amanda Will, Jackie Beth Shilcutt, Baldo Paramo, Ada Palacios, Rhodessa Bell, Kiera Amison, Mary Nagy, Elaine Hernandez, Meghan Cardwell-Wilson, Rebeca Gamborino, Brandy Niccolai, Arrica Lagsding, Lindsey Knight, Veronica Ramirez

Reviewed performance on Friday, March 7th, 2014

Reviewed by Richard Blake, Associate Theater Critic
For John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

Choreographers Lesley Snelson, Kristin Daniels, Lindsey Knight, and Jackie Beth Shilcutt collaborate to give a nod to the beloved British rock band that transformed the global dance scene and culture throughout the 1980s and 90s. Muscle Memory Dance Theatre celebrates New Order's legacy by moving and grooving to some of the band's most popular hits.

For thirty-five minutes you are bombarded with an amazing amount of individual, duet and group dance in a wonderfully woven together homage to some great music from decades ago.  Now, I’m going to age myself here... but I love the choices in music for this production.  From melodic, slow songs to high-energy, dance tracks, all the music chosen is perfect for this presentation.

Sixteen talented dancers take you on a wonderful journey of movement and intensity throughout each piece.  Some of the pieces seem more rehearsed than others, but in whatever section being performed, they gave it their all.  The group dances fill the Main Stage at WaterTower Theatre with intricate, beautiful, and sometimes difficult exchanges in movement.  The flip side is some stunning duets and solo dance that take your breath away. The pictures created in movement and body positions are really stunning and captivate you in every song.

What is lacking in the production, visually, is the lighting.  I realize this is being performed in a repertory setting, however, I have NEVER seen a dance piece lit strictly from the top and front.  It is a great disservice to the dancers not to have side-lighting that highlights their form and structure in movement.  There are two foot lights located far downstage left and right, and when the dancers cross into them visually it is exciting.  Most of the time, however, the lighting as is causes deep disconcerting facial shadows and does nothing to highlight their bodies, and that is truly a shame.

The performance as a whole, though, is visually pleasing, the dancers are highly talented, and the structure of the piece is well formed.  This is a lovely dance presentation of exciting music that definitely pays tribute to New Order in an exciting way.

Reviewed by Richard Blake, Associate Theater Critic
For John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

(K) NEW ORDER: A DANCE-O-RAMA MOVEMENT SCENE
Muscle Memory Dance Theatre
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5. ANTARCTICA
by Carolyn Raship
Risk Theater Initiative

Directed by Marianne Galloway and Micah Lyles
Lighting Design – Dave Tenney
Sound Design – Ashley Wood

CAST

Marianne Galloway – Winnie
Jessica Cavanagh – Magda
Chad Gowen Spear – Polar Bear/The Boys/The Sign

Reviewed performance on Friday, March 7th, 2014

Reviewed by Mary L Clark, Associate Theater Critic
for John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

Remember Gilda Radner’s character on SNL, the one who is in her room, pretending to be a princess saved by her prince, or an explorer going on great adventures?  Did you play pretend too, after the lights were supposed to be out? . . . I certainly did.  Our childhood imagination, proving anything and everything is possible, is at the very heart of Antarctica by Risk Theatre Initiative, their selection for the Out of the Loop Fringe Festival.

Risk Theatre returns to the OOLTFF with a magical journey into the minds of two, lonesome fifteen-year-old high school girls who become BBF’s, and then decide to “change everything” through a fantastical trip to Antarctica while still in their school uniforms. An enchanted polar bear/man joins the fantasy tour to complicate their plans.

Winnie and Magda are complete opposites, which makes their friendship and journey to see the penguins all the more special.  Winnie is the “don’t think, just do” one, while Magda is more hesitant, analytical, and a maker of lists. 

Actresses Marianne Galloway and Jessica Cavanagh play the young girls with “Whatever” flippancy of just about all teens.  Their varied physicality and acting styles accentuate their misfit friendship, and their interpretation of that oh-so-awkward age is so spot on as to have taken me back to my own geeky self at that age.

Galloway uses some Valley Girl vocal inflections, and reminded me of a cross between Lindsay Lohan and Jimmy Fallon’s “Ew” girl!   Winnie’s “bi-polar” flip from apathetic school girl to enthusiastic adventurer should be familiar to those who have a teenager in their home.  Cavanagh’s wonderful comedic timing assist shy Magda come up with the best one-liners.  She mixes a bit of droll, a touch of snide, and quirky facial expressions to become the play’s emphatic character.

Chad Gowen Spear portrays the polar bear, some high school boys, and assists by holding up signs to either define a scene or further the story.  Early signs, however, were in dim light so the audience had to play quick catch up to the plot. 

Director Marianne Galloway and Micah Lyles keep it all pretty simple.  Accented by pop music, they use two school desks, minimal props and costume changes to keep focus on the girls’ relationship.  School backpacks, umbrella for a tent, and Magda’s all-important tape recorder beautifully reflect the girls’ imagination and the immediacy of their fantasy adventure.

Antarctica is a semi-dark comedy about the pain of growing up, about change and discovery.  It is also about unlikely friendship that can withstand all the change and years, and endure.

Reviewed by Mary L Clark, Associate Theater Critic
for John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

ANTARCTICA
Risk Theater Initiative

Final performances on Friday, March 14th at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, March 16th
at 5:00 pm
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6. NO SHOW: A ONE WOMAN SHOW

Written, Conceived and Performed by Jenn Dodd

Reviewed performance on Saturday, March 8th, 2014

Reviewed by Joel David Taylor, Associate Theater Critic for John Garcia’s THE COLUMN


Jenn Dodd, Ben Hill, Tom Lorenzo Katie Hartman and Sharon Jamilkowski collaborate to present a show that is clever, witty, hilariously funny, at times provocative, and always entertaining.  Creator, co-writer and performer Dodd and the others have strong backgrounds in comedy writing and performing with groups and in places that include Second City, Circle in the Square Theatre School, Columbia and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In No Show: A One Woman Show, all create and perform a show that is worth experiencing as much for sheer entertainment value as for the training and insight it offers actors and performers of all levels to show the hard work that goes into making a comedy show seem entirely improvisational. 

It is opening night of a one woman show – tickets are sold, the audience is seated, and friends and family of the star have arrived for the big night – but the star has disappeared. Or has she? Through the appearance of several characters that do show up, the audience is entertained, sometimes shocked, and surprised as everyone waits for star of the show to be found.

Playing over a half dozen different and distinct characters, Dodd displays differing comedic styles and delivery, delving into blatant, extreme feminism, low brow sex jokes, alien conspiracies and problems with technology, as well as material so subtle and underplayed that some might not get the joke, which is alright as there is plenty of humor to go around.

During the show, several of the characters borrow and repeat a phrase often used to describe Seinfeld, the sitcom that was developed on the strength and entertainment skills of the actors, but often did not have any real plot. “A show that is about nothing, funny”.  Like Seinfeld, No Show relies on the strength of its characters to keep it entertaining.  Dodd uses a variety of costumes and wigs, mannerisms, speech patterns, and cultural accents to make her characters distinct enough to be believable.

A minimalist set design and props include two chairs, a cell phone, sandwich and bag of chips from a local sandwich shop, beer, and a purse.  Creative use of multi-media projections, Dodd’s strong improve skills, and a creative writing team help take the audience on an unforgettable journey to a show that is about something FUNNY! 

No Show: A One Woman Show is clever, witty, unexpected at times, and was the highlight of my day at the Out of the Loop Fringe Festival.  Dodd’s performance reminds me of skits performed by the great Jonathan Winters and Red Skelton.  Big exclamation points to her and this show !!

Reviewed by Joel David Taylor, Associate Theater Critic
for John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

NO SHOW: A ONE WOMAN SHOW
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7. PASSPORT TO WOMANHOOD
Alex Tha Great

Written and Performed by Alex Tha Great

Reviewed performance on Saturday, March 8th, 2014

Reviewed by Mary L Clark, Associate Theater Critic
for John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

I am a lover of Spoken Word, the immediacy and intensity of the poet, the sometimes rawness of their language.  It is art “in your face” and as real as their stories and intention.

Alex Tha Great is a Spoken Word artist, performing her poetry across the country since 2009 and, according to her bio, more recently in a theatrical setting.  Her work, Passport to Womanhood, was awarded “Best One Woman Show” at this year’s Houston Fringe Festival, and is now at the Out of the Loop Fringe Festival for two weekends.

Taking individual poems and blending them into a story, Passport to Womanhood charts the journey of Kenya Isa (sp) Miracle, a young girl embarking into womanhood.  She recounts memories of growing up and reflects how her life shaped her into the person she’s become.  Alex uses stories, letters, prayers and pleas as Kenya’s biography, and her words are powerhouses of emotion and angst.

Putting such rawness into a theatrical format can be tricky – either the words or the acting can overlap and get lost – and in this case both happened in an unfortunate way.

My heart hurt as I began to see how uncomfortable Alex is onstage.  There is next to no stage blocking in her piece, leading to her shifting unsurely around the space, backing up several times and off to one side as if she couldn’t wait to get off the stage.  Her eye contact with the audience, as she speaks directly to them, is scant and only to two people on opposite sides of the front row.

Alex takes the play’s title to heart, using a “going on a trip” metaphor with packed suitcase and passport at the ready.  But then she takes the suitcase behind a black curtain and makes overly long, completely unnecessary costume changes, not once but four or five times with no filler music, only the sound of her suitcase being zipped and unzipped – most awkward for the audience.

The set is a folding table and chair where only once she sits and writes a letter with feathered pen.  It is obvious she is not actually writing, and becomes so uncomfortable to watch that, for many sections of her performance, I closed my eyes as I did not want to be distracted from her words, by far the best part of the production. 

Passport to Womanhood is a definite work in progress with need of complete reflection as to who Alex’s audience is, and revision as how to present it.  I am biting my tongue severely here, as I sat in the audience and easily envisioned how simply her work could be presented.  I hope she will allow a veteran director to take her under their wing and help her showcase her words in a much better light than seen at this festival. 

Towards the end of the work, Kenya tells us that “the strongest (power/asset) will always be the voice.  My wish is that Alex Tha Great listens to her character and learns from her wisdom.

Reviewed by Mary L Clark, Associate Theater Critic
for John Garcia’s THE COLUMN

PASSPORT TO WOMANHOOD
Alex Tha Great

Final performances on Thursday, March 13th at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, March 15th at 8:00 pm
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OUT OF THE LOOP FRINGE FESTIVAL – FIRST WEEKEND, PART ONE
WaterTower Theatre

Festival Passes are $65.00 and include one admission to each Festival event.  WaterTower Theatre subscribers receive $10.00 off each Festival pass. 
Individual ticket prices for each event are $10.00 or $15.00. 

www.watertowertheatre.org/outofloop.aspx