All posts by LAFPI

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Godless

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Constance Jaquay Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF25’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Cristina Fernandez

WHAT: Godless

WHERE: Hudson Theatres (Hudson Guild), 6539 Santa Monica Bl

WHY: Because Cristina’s show is a wonderfully nonlinear comedy that invites you to let go of control and ride the current of her thoughts, quirks, and curiosities. Because she trusts her audience, and in turn, we trust her back. Because she breaks the rules with such ease, you forget they ever existed. Because it’s authentic, wholesome, and yes—experimental, that means you won’t see anything else like it at Fringe. Because there are beautifully human moments when she doesn’t have to say anything at all. Because the tilt of her head, or a single swan-like movement across the space, becomes a performance all its own. Because she takes us on an emotional, very human ride through the inner terrain of fears, anxieties, and quiet worries—but never forgets to remind us that joy, laughter, and love are how we make it through.

Because at the end, just when you think it’s over, Cristina leads the entire audience out the door in a spontaneous Conga. Because yes, it takes a second to realize what’s happening—but when you do, it’s exactly what you need. Because it was wild, warm, and unexpectedly unifying. Because that one shared moment won’t fade from memory anytime soon.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10321

Click Here to Find More “Women on the Fringe!”

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Grief Baby’s Road Trip

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Constance Jaquay Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF25’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Adedana Ashebir

WHAT: Grief Baby’s Road Trip

WHERE: Hudson Theatres (Hudson Guild), 6539 Santa Monica Bl

WHY: Because my heart exploded as Adedana let us into her cycle of healing after the loss of her father. Because I wasn’t raised by my own father, and it was deeply moving to witness a daughter keep the memory—and voice—of her father alive with such tenderness. Because grief is hard to witness when you’re still in the thick of it.

Because it didn’t hit me until the next day, walking alone, that I, too, had my own ‘grief baby’—and I hadn’t allowed myself to name the losses I carry: my grandmother, and four dear friends. Because Adedana became a vessel for that release, for all of us. And that is a rare and beautiful gift an artist gives her audience.

Because Adedana has an extraordinary ability to connect. Her presence made me feel like we were friends gathered in circle—sharing, listening, remembering. Because her show is a tender meditation on what one life means to another. Because the sudden loss of a parent shifts your reality in a heartbeat, and she captured that surreal unraveling with grace and humor.

Because her journey—of discovering lessons tucked in her father’s parables and quotes, of deciding to learn to drive and make the brave solo trip to the Grand Canyon—was jaw-droppingly inspiring. Because it spoke to a young woman reclaiming agency, finding out who she is and what she’s made of.

Because this is the question pulsing underneath: Who are you after your parent dies? And who gives you permission to grieve out loud?

Because Adedana taught us how to hold space—for others, and for ourselves. Because we don’t always realize how our words land when someone is grieving. Sometimes, the most compassionate thing we can offer is silence, or presence.

Because this is a season of healing. The people are demanding a release. And Adedana answered that call with an open heart and outstretched arms.

Because she reminded me, and maybe will remind you too, that our ‘grief babies’ are real—and they deserve to be named and remembered. Because you have two more chances to this show!

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/11821

Click Here to Find More “Women on the Fringe!”

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: How Do I Hold It?

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Constance Jaquay Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF25’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Tabatha Myers

WHAT: How Do I Hold It?

WHERE: Thymele Arts (Kansas Room), 5481 Santa Monica Bl

WHY: Because this show doesn’t ask for your pity—it earns your presence. Because her words are spoken like a gust of wind: sudden, sweeping, and unforgettable. Because it’s rare to witness a performer this willing to blend absurdity with honesty, grief with punchlines, and horror with lightness. Because I walked away from this show with a keener sense and understanding of what it means to not let anyone steal your light. Because trauma isn’t linear, and neither is healing.

Because Tabatha reminded me to laugh. Because Tabatha reminds us all that expression doesn’t have to be tidy to be true. Because watching her on stage feels like sitting with a friend who finally lets you in. Because she never asks you to feel sorry for her—only to feel. Because joy and resilience are not opposites of pain, but its unexpected companions. Because her story holds both the weight of what she’s survived and the shimmer of who she’s still becoming. Because you’ll walk out seeing your own light a little clearer. Because this is a show that leaves room for you to heal sideways. Because the stage needs more writing like this. Because laughter in the dark is a revolution. Because Tabatha had this profound ability to see through violation, confusion, pain, and disappointment and find a way to keep living.

Go support this show, you won’t be sitting hoping to be entertained, instead, you’ll go through a quiet revelation of self. 

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/11783

Click Here to Find More “Women on the Fringe!”

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Napolean’s Wh*re Sister

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , , , ,

by Jennifer Ashe

Quick peeks at #HFF25’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Shannon Corbeil

WHAT: Napolean’s Wh*re Sister

WHERE: The Broadwater (Second Stage), 6320 Santa Monica Bl

WHY: Shannon Corbeil has written an all-female romp taking us back to the very beginning of Napoleon’s rule, a time in which his sister, Pauline, is not behaving. Set at a party where the audience doubles as the guests, this broad and raunchy comedy uses improv, audience participation and just straight up silliness to shout out the inequity of the sexes and how society demands perfection from women… and punishes them if they dare to revel in their own sexuality.

The cast – Shannon Corbeil, Deborah Lee Smith, Sarah J. Eagen and Shelley Regner – is clearly having a blast. You will learn a bit of history and celebrate a woman who says, “I am who I am and I don’t give a damn!”

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/11772

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: A Minor Inconvenience

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Jennifer Ashe

Quick peeks at #HFF25’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Faye Widjaja and Cerulean Long

WHAT: A Minor Inconvenience

WHERE: Actors Company (Other Space Theater) 916 N. Formosa

WHY: This ambitious project brings a young production team together to sing and share the struggles to find oneself on the brink of adulthood. They explore the fear of the future, the heartbreak of loss and the hope for the life ahead. This is a sung-through musical with some lovely voices and harmonies.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9750

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: She’s About to POP!

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Constance Jaquay Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF25’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Charlene Modeste

WHAT: She’s About to POP!

WHERE: Hudson Theatres (Hudson Guild), 6539 Santa Monica Bl

WHY: Because this story isn’t fiction—it’s lived.

Because Charlene’s voice is as smooth as butter.

Because fibroids are a silent epidemic in Black women’s bodies, and silence has never saved us.

Because Charlene dares to make the invisible visible.

Because reproductive justice isn’t a luxury—it’s a right.

Because navigating a flawed system while in pain is a performance in itself—and she lived it before she ever stepped onstage.

Because we’ve been taught to endure, but not to speak.

Because she speaks anyway.

Because cannabis, healing, and the right to choose have been violently policed when you’re a Black woman.

Because she names what so many carry in secret.

Because her body becomes a battleground, and then a beacon.

Because storytelling is survival.

Because she makes you laugh, ache, and think—sometimes all in the same breath.

Because you’ll carry this one with you, long after the curtain falls.

Because the more we talk about healthcare injustice, the more power we build as a  community.

Because Charlene has the right to receive the medical care she believes in.

Because now is the time to go support this show.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/11580

Click Here to Find More “Women on the Fringe!”

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Too Much of a Good Thing

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Eloise Coopersmith

Quick peeks at #HFF25’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Rachel Redleaf

WHAT: Too Much of a Good Thing

WHERE: Skiptown Playhouse, 655 N. Heliotrope Dr

WHY: …This is a story of personal triumph and self-discovery, resonating with anyone who has struggled with body image or faced body shaming. The audience, men and women alike, were deeply moved by the emotional depth of her narrative, demonstrating the universal power of her experience…

Go Here for more of Eloise’s Review on Gia On The Move!

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/11883

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Funeral Show

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Eloise Coopersmith

Quick peeks at #HFF25’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Elena Martinez

WHAT: Funeral Show

WHERE: The Broadwater (Studio), 1078 Lillian Way

WHY: …Elena Martinez brings a distinctively dry sense of humor to the stage, which may not resonate with everyone, but her interactions with the audience, particularly as she coaches volunteers, bring a playful and interactive energy that remains consistent throughout the show…

Go Here for more of Eloise’s Review on Gia On The Move!

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/11710

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Rag Doll on a Bombsite

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , , , ,

Quick peeks at #HFF25’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Shelley Cooper

WHAT: Rag Doll on a Bombsite

WHERE: Hudson Theatres (Hudson Guild), 6539 Santa Monica Bl

WHY: It’s a surprising treat, heading to the Fringe and getting a look into history – particularly, at remarkable women in history. Here, writer/perfomer Shelley Cooper (directed by Kelsey Miller) reveals hard truths about Lotte Lenya’s dark and violent upbringing, shedding light on her celebrated portrayal of Jenny Diver in “The Three Penny Opera”… and her need to share it with an audience. We travel backstage, onstage and into the corners of Lotte’s past along with her present romance with composer Kurt Weill in a very personal and affecting way, thanks to Shelley’s considerable chops as a singer and dancer.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/12077

Click Here to Find More “Women on the Fringe!”

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: The Injustice of Virginity

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

Quick peeks at #HFF25’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Thea Pueschel

WHAT: The Injustice of Virginity

WHERE: The Hobgoblin Playhouse,  6440 Santa Monica Bl

WHY: It’s always fun to see a collaboration between a smart writer/director and engaging performer, and Dominique Turner is delightful as a self-effacing 20-something who’s determined to leave her hometown in CA’s Central Valley, specifically to get her cherry popped. Her destination? LA’s San Fernando Valley, the porn capital of the world. Thea Pueschel’s tale is an unexpected journey that hits close to home, with earned laughs and hard revelations.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/11733