LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON, EARLY SUNDAY EVENING*

A coming-of-age story with a twist!

Three characters. Two actors.

Meet Padma, a grandmother living in her old Boston home about to make a shocking announcement.

Meet Elizabeth, Padma’s granddaughter.

“It’s scary giving birth to one’s life, isn’t it?”

*BY JEAN LENOX TODDIE (1926-2011)

Before the likes of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez made waves in the folk scene of the 1960s, Connie Converse quietly shared her self-penned songs amongst friends during the early 1950s. However, her mysterious disappearance in August of 1974 left her music veiled in obscurity. It wasn’t until decades later, in 2009, that the world rediscovered her haunting melodies through a viral release of her original 1954 demo recordings on Spotify. Now, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Hope Levy steps into the spotlight to breathe new life into Converse’s evocative compositions, offering a captivating glimpse into the enigmatic world of “The Connie Converse Universe”.

I Need a Hero, a solo show by Kayla Engeman

I Need A Hero is a one woman show which features dancing, projection, singing, power points, voice over, and embarrassing home videos from 1998 to show the audience all the ways in which Kayla needs to be rescued: whether it’s from living at home with a loud Italian mother, going to endless weddings of her girlfriends, trying to walk home from a bar down a dark street, or losing a friend in a sudden accident. The show progresses through a list of trivial and serious grievances while using music, multimedia, and comedic storytelling to hit on themes of grief, anxiety, death, dating, family, friendship, childhood dreams, and trauma.

Written, directed, and performed by Kayla Engeman

June 8th at 8:30pm, June 15th at 5:30pm, and June 16th at 3:00pm

Ticket/show website: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10745?mode=media
Personal website: www.kaylaengeman.com/ineedahero
Instagram: @kaylaengeman
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/KaylaEngeman

“Me, Myself, and Why (Am I Here?)” by Maria Margaret Wilson.

How does one move forward after being confronted with their true self?

As the approach of middle age looms large over Maria’s head, she confronts the characters (nay, “baggage”) that have shaped her path to date in this not-quite-one-woman show that you’ll have to see to believe.

Maria Margaret Wilson is the writer-performer. Caroline Sweet directs.

Preview on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. Regular performances on Tuesday, June 18 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 22 at 9:00 p.m.

http://hollywoodfringe.oeg/projects/10823

Welcome to the party, future Boss Babes! Come travel the glamorous world of Varmon – the multi-level marketing beauty empire that has the best skincare products around and is also an irresistible business opportunity. Varmon is your ticket to Eternal Youth and Financial Freedom!* By the end of this absurd and interactive solo comedy, you’ll be ready to sign up and become a Varmonista yourself. Just don’t call it a pyramid scheme.

Upline: It’s Not a Show, It’s an opportunity (performed by Megan Stern and co-written with director Shannan Calcutt) is the winner of both the Audience Pick and Critics’ Choice awards in the Atlanta Fringe, as well as the Artist Pick for Encore in the Cincinnati Fringe. The Atlanta Journal Constitution named it one of the best shows of 2023.

* Eternal Youth and Financial Freedom not guaranteed. Your mileage may vary.

Upline will be at the LA LGBT Center’s Davidson / Valentini Theatre (1125 North McCadden Place) on June 8 @ 8pm, June 13 @ 9:15pm, June 22 @ 3:30pm, June 28 @ 9pm, and June 30 @ 2pm. Runtime is 60 minutes and tickets are $15.

This is a multimedia, musical, and solo show about a changeling named Mage Lynn. Mage Lynn the Changeling. She was an imaginative child with an extraordinary imagination. After being abused and outcast, she is left alone with no friends, no talents, and no control over her emotions (or bodily secretions). Desperate to find joy and acceptance, Mage Lynn embarks on an absurd quest through movie musicals, game shows, and even cartoons to find her happily ever after.

Though the play begins as a fairy tale, it soon becomes clear that we are actually in the imagination of a little girl, who is actively using fantasy to survive the harsh realities of the world and deal with her real-life trauma

“Atypical Grace” by Maria Fagan Hassani.

Marilynn runs a weekly support group for parents who have children who are struggling with learning disabilities. These parents are as diverse as their children’s needs, but Marilynn continually searches for a way to empathetically meet the parents where they are. From Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD) to trouble with math or reading comprehension, each parent shares their child’s ups and downs with learning and their own individual challenges supporting their kiddos. As all parents know, parenting doesn’t stop at the classroom door, it’s a never-ending job that’s best done with a healthy dose of forgiveness. Watch as a group of parents come together to face some of the trials, tribulations, and joys of raising children with so many needs.

Heather Dowling directs.

Preview on Sunday, June 9, 2024 at 12:30 p.m. Regular performances on Friday, June 21 at 7:15 p.m. and Saturday, June 29 at 3:45 p.m.

http://hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10815

The Fairy Who Cried Gems

by Lily Abha Cratsley

The Fairy Who Cried Gems is a one-woman show exploring how we can build joy out of legacies of trauma. Lily Abha Cratsley serves as the storyteller, presenting a collection of folktales inspired by the lived experiences of Indian women growing up in the United States. This love letter to her little sisters is often fantastical, sometimes verbatim, and always honest. Join us at the Madnani Theater during the Hollywood Fringe Festival this June for an immersion into the oral history of Desi-American girlhood.

Artistic Team for the 2024 Hollywood Fringe Festival

Written & Performed by Lily Abha Cratsley

Directed by Simran Fulton

Scheduled Performances at the Madnani Theater

Sunday, June 9 at 7:00pm
Saturday, June 15 at 11:30am
Monday, June 17 at 7:00pm
Wednesday, June 26 at 7:00pm
Sunday, June 30 at 6:30pm

Purchase tickets & leave reviews at hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10449

Follow our journey on Instagram at @thefairywhocriedgems

Learn more about the playwright & production history at lilyabha.com

I’ve Grown Plenty, Thanks! by Maria Bartolotta

We all have that friend – who life seems to throw so many wrenches at them, we run out of supportive things to say. All we’ve got left are cliche quips like “you’ll look back on this some day and see how much it helped you grow!”

Maria is that friend.

An evening full of music and laughs, Maria Bartolotta lets you in on her latest therapy session as she navigates why certain things in life, like love, don’t come so naturally to her. Combined with music from some of your Broadway favorites, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Garfunkel & Oates, and many more, Maria takes us on the mental rollercoaster of dating in the last 10 years, balancing phone screens with vulnerability, and her unique experience – causing her to ask the ever-alluding question: What’s Wrong With Me?!

Will she figure it out? Who knows. Will she make you laugh in the process? Most definitely.

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS PRODUCTION MAY CONTAIN SOME EMOTIONALLY CHALLENGING CONTENT

Created and Performed by Maria Bartolotta

Preview Saturday June 8th 7:00pm, Friday June 14 2024, 8:30 PM, Saturday June 15 2024, 4:30 PM, Sunday June 16 2024, 12:30pm, Monday June 17 2024, 6:30 PM @ Three Clubs (Three Clubs Stage Room) 1123 N VINE ST.

hollywoodfringe.org

MariaBartolotta.com 

Instagram: @maria_bartolotta_ 1 Tiktok: @avemaria869

#IveGrownPlentyThanks #IGPT

Nate and Sarah have finally decided they are ready to start trying for a baby, but their excitement quickly fades when Nate can’t perform after a long day of “working from home”. Sarah devises a ridiculous deal she thinks will keep Nate satisfied, while also banishing pornography from their life. Things quickly go awry as both of them are confronted with the reality of their self-esteem, shame, boundaries, and libidos. Can you ever have too much of a good thing if that “good thing” is intimacy with your partner? The Deal shines a hilarious (but heartfelt) light on the secret, and not-so-secret, things we do to please one another, both in bed and in life.