All posts by LAFPI

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: The Sentence

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Constance Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF23’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Ainsley Ferrell & Hannah Moore

WHAT: The Sentence

WHERE: Asylum @ Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre,  5636 Melrose Ave

WHY: New work by young artists! Always so thrilling and needed for the American Theatre canon. Ainsley and Hannah both have such a natural, grand way of existing on the stage. It felt so familiar, the way they engaged with one another, allowing for a tremendous amount of trust between them. I was sitting on the bench in the front of the stage, and I could see every gesture and move in their bodies. I could hear them breathing, and there was not a moment when the two were not living the play. An essential aspect of theatre – women coming together to support one another against male violence by any means necessary. This story was about two women, about friendship, and, ultimately, a love story that left you guessing until you walked out of the theatre. Who did it?! I found that it didn’t matter. The most important thing was that the characters were free from terror. Go support young talent telling new stories!

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9833

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Birds and the Curiosity

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , , , ,

by Constance Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF23’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Olivia Xing & Gefei Liu

WHAT: Birds and the Curiosity

WHERE: Hudson Theatres (Hudson Mainstage),6539 Santa Monica Boulevard

WHY: A majestic original new work. Olivia & Gefei, the design team, and their naturally excellent multi-cultural cast of character actors were beyond a delight. A story of a young woman able to visit her younger self is something we all have imagined. Witnessing adult Zhigeng engage with young Zhigeng spoke directly to the spirit. To see her experience life with her friends, grandmother, and her mother from a place of knowing—as this is a time travel play!—gave all of us in the audience a chance to go back in time and tell our younger selves that it will be/we are okay and that they are loved. I brought my nieces with me to see this show, and by the end of it, we all had tears in our eyes. This Theatre For Young Audiences (TYA) play broke age and cultural barriers and touched each one of us because we understood and remembered what it was like to be a kid—not knowing that what you see and believe will shift with time and that you will survive. Wow! What a truly generous gift from the playwrights to young and old audience members.

Oh! And I almost forgot how magical it was when the Ostrich came through the door; the use of puppetry and props in the show made me feel that I was not at a Fringe show but a fully produced play. BRAVO to all. Keep going! We need your voice in the theatre for young children and for those of us who may forget at times what it means to survive childhood.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9656

For the Community: “We’re excited to announce our AAPI Kids Morning! On the morning of 18th, any Asian American and Pacific Islander children and teens can bring their parent(s)/guardian(s) to see the show for FREE!!”

There is also cool merch available for sale to support the show, payable via Zelle + Venmo @birdsandthecuriosity.

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Who Am I? A Human Revolution 

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , , , ,

by Azo Safo

Quick peeks at #HFF23’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Helema Maggiore 

WHAT: Who Am I? A Human Revolution 

WHERE: Zephyr Theatre , 7456 Melrose Avenue

WHY: Singer/songwriter Helema Maggiore tells the harrowing story of addiction and recovery through music and storytelling. From the moment we are introduced to Helema as a child, we learn two things: she loves music and she adores her musician father who ultimately succumbs to drug addiction.  This not only drastically impacts Helema, who vows never to touch alcohol or drugs, but it also foreshadows some of Helema’s struggles as she grows into adulthood. This show is a testament to the human will to survive when life is seemingly hopeless, and the power of love, family and spirituality to bring us back to ourselves.  Helema’s voice and her music are remarkable and a highlight of this powerful play. 

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9553

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: A Scar is Born

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Constance Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF23’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Lorelei Zarifian

WHAT: A Scar is Born

WHERE: Asylum @ Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, 5636 Melrose Ave

WHY: To watch Lorelei onstage is to witness a woman not afraid to reveal all the pieces of herself. A woman who allows her vulnerability to be on full display. It was an incredible experience to be in the audience. There is this Lucille Ball quality to her, the ability to be incredibly funny while using self-caricature to enter the truth of what it means to be human—the resonance of one’s experiences and seeing them in real time. This is a magical piece that will continue to expand. When Lorelei opened her mouth and began to sing, it was an immediate emotional transportation. My heart fluttered as I did not expect to hear her sing, and there she was, this glorious light onstage that brought the room to stillness. I could have sat in that theatre with no awareness of time until the sun went down.   

HOW: This production only had three viewings, but keep an eye out for extensions or arrivals at other Festivals, including Cannonball 23 in Philadelphia this September.  Learn more at https://ascarisborn.wordpress.com/

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#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Will the Real Me Please Stand Up?

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Heather Dowling

Quick peeks at #HFF23’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO:  Alexandra Ryan 

WHAT:   Will the Real Me Please Stand Up?

WHERE: Asylum @ Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, 5636 Melrose Ave

WHY: “Tired of the cliché meme quote, ‘Be yourself; everyone else is already taken?’ Then you will totally appreciate Alexandra Ryan’s very funny, honest and sometimes painful one-person show…”

Click Here for more of Heather’s “Fringe Femmes” Review on Gia On The Move!

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9917

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Valley of Light

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , , , ,

by Eloise Coopersmith

Quick peeks at #HFF23’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

WHO: Naomi Melville

WHAT: Valley of Light

WHERE: The Broadwater (Main Stage), 1076 Lillian Way

WHY: “…a reminder of the power of music and storytelling and in its desire to convey profound messages and forge connections with the audience.”

Click Here for more of Eloise’s “Fringe Femmes” Review on Gia On The Move!

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9746

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Two Cats on a Date

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Elana Luo

Quick peeks at #HFF23’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Griffin Kelly

WHAT: Two Cats on a Date

WHERE: Actors Company (Let Live Theater), 916 N.Formosa Ave

WHY: “… the heart of the piece transcends its feline premise, and facilitates the human connection that is the joy of live theatre.”

Click Here for more of Elana’s “Fringe Femmes” Review on Gia On The Move!

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9738

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Cherries, Rare & Fair

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , , ,

by Eloise Coopersmith

Quick peeks at #HFF23’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Suzie Bohannan

WHAT: Cherries, Rare & Fair

WHERE: Three Clubs , 1123 N Vine St

WHY: “… an unforgettable experience, where inhibitions are shed and the audience is whisked away on a journey of whimsy and uninhibited revelry.”

Click Here for more of Eloise’s “Fringe Femmes” Review on Gia On The Move!

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9954

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Waking Up to All of Me

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Heather Dowling

Quick peeks at #HFF23’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO:  Amber Susa 

WHAT:   Waking Up to All of Me

WHERE: Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Avenue

WHY: Amber’s one-person show invites us to journey with her through the moments that took her away from the most expressive and shining parts of herself. She instead started to defer to the needs and the dysfunction of others, while trying to protect them, too. It is a story you would not expect from such a powerful, graceful woman and that is what makes the show powerful. This story is a chance to consider that we are not privy to the winding path a person has tread to wake up to all of who they are. These are stories worth hearing.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9723

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Sister From Another Planet

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , , ,

by Azo Safo

Quick peeks at #HFF23’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Nancy Beverly

WHAT: Sister From Another Planet

WHERE: Zephyr Theatre , 7456 Melrose Avenue

WHY: This show is a combination of humor, wit and charm.  At its core, it is about self-discovery.  What starts as a love for books and a series of nudges from the universe leads Nancy Beverly on a personal journey toward finding her true identity.  Is Nancy a boy or a girl?  It’s a question she is asked as a child and it’s one that stays with her until a spiritual awakening brings her to the answers she seeks. Every moment of this solo play is a precious, well crafted masterpiece, which is not surprising because Nancy Beverly is an accomplished writer.  But, there’s also the added layer of warmth and vulnerability in her performance that adds so much heart to the piece. The tone of the play is lighthearted and sweet and the performance is thoroughly engaging. 

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9695

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