Category Archives: Interview

#FringeFemmes 2026: Meet Mozhdeh Rahmanzaei

Female Artists, Fringe Festival, Interview, playwriting, , ,

By Constance Jaquay Strickland

Conversations with some of #HFF26’s compelling “Women on the Fringe”

Ten years ago, I conducted my first Fringe Femme interview out of a desperate need to hear and uplift the various works and voices of women of color during the Hollywood Fringe Festival. I selfishly wanted to bear witness, and in some small way, archive the multiplicity of beautiful conversations women of color were exploring. 

The reality was, I was having a hard time discovering and seeing the work of women of color. I knew I had a small network, no connections, and yet I still had found a way. Who else was out there existing as outliers? The hardest part of manifesting a new work is finding a way to let people know that you have a show. 

The 2026 Hollywood Fringe Femme Interview series is an ode to the women who find a way to tell their stories even when the odds are against them. Each year, a group of women dares to create work by any means necessary.

It is a pleasure to introduce Fringe Femme Mozhdeh Rahmanzaei. In a time when producing plays comes based on the season, Mozhdeh’s Freedom in Limbo is a stark reminder that writing plays comes at a high cost for many artists…

Oftentimes theatre does not exist on a schedule but is kept alive in the darkest of spaces, where light peaks through the hope and whispers of storytellers finding a way to tell the truth no matter the cost. That exile can be forced upon an individual, a choice to flee to survive or combat the practice being stifled, suffocated, or swallowed whole. No matter the why, exile separates and is traumatic physically and mentally. Yet for artists it also expands the how, and we find new ways to tell stories—innovation a natural response to a new environment. Have no confusion, though: exile is a collective issue and affects us all. 

I sit in the quiet of stillness in my little studio and speak aloud the names of artists, truthtellers on whose shoulders Mozhdeh stands: Wole Soyinka, Shirin Neshat, Elizabeth Catlett, Wilfredo Lam, Mona Hatoum, Isabel Allende, Emma Goldman, Assata Shakur, Dante Alighieri… this short list is long and continues growing and growing.

May Mozhdeh continue to be a link, a resource, a place of refuge + information while carrying, bearing and being the memory of home.

Destiny Faith

Constance Jaquay Strickland: How long have you been sitting with this work?

Mozhdeh Rahmanzaei: It has been quite a long process; this work started about 2 years ago, a few months before my graduation. It eventually became my thesis. Over time, I kept adding new material to the play, and it gradually grew from a 20-minute piece into a one-hour performance.

Constance: What led you to the Hollywood Fringe? Why now?

Mozhdeh: When I decided to create this solo show, my intention was always to take it as far as possible and perform it in different cities. It started in Seattle, then moved to Portland and now Los Angeles. I wanted to understand different audiences and how they respond, and to keep building a dialogue through each place.

A key part of my motivation is to bring attention to the lived experience of artists in Iran. Many people, especially in the U.S., may have a general awareness that art in Iran exists under censorship and repression, but fewer people know the details of what that actually looks like on a daily, human level. As an artist, I feel a responsibility to bring those realities onto the stage.

I chose the Hollywood Fringe Festival because I believe stories from the Middle East are important here, and I want to introduce the Fringe audience to something that might feel different from what they usually see, something more personal, urgent, and grounded in lived experience.

Constance: Now, you’ve given the work away, and it’s out there. How does that feel?

Mozhdeh: It feels both freeing and vulnerable. I’ve given a very personal piece of myself to the world, and now it no longer fully belongs to me. But at the same time, that’s exactly what I wanted: to let it live outside of me and connect with people.

Constance: What’s been your biggest challenge in terms of the Fringe and your development process?

Mozhdeh: My biggest challenge has been wearing so many hats at the same time—I’ve been the producer, actor, writer, costume designer, and in many ways even the stage manager. Holding all of those roles simultaneously has been intense, but also deeply educational. Financially, it has also been challenging as someone who has recently graduated, but I’ve come to actually appreciate challenges. I believe they build resilience, and I feel like I’ve grown a lot stronger through this process.

Another challenge has been the distance in my collaboration with my director. We’ve been rehearsing over Zoom because he is in a different city while I’m based in Seattle, which has required a different kind of focus and discipline in the development process.

Constance: Can you speak a bit about the Underground Theatres of Iran? Is this where plays of banished playwrights still live? Where new stories are being told and archived with the body instead of the pen?

Mozhdeh: Underground theatre in Iran is similar to underground music. It is a space where artists spend years trying to obtain official permission to perform, and when they are unable to get approval, many eventually give up. In Iran, performances must be approved by the Department of Performing Arts to be staged. Without that permission, it is not possible to officially present a play. Some of my friends in Iran no longer even apply for permits to perform. One of them told me that they now stage their plays in their home garage and invite people there. It is a bit heartbreaking, but it is the reality.

Constance: Silence. To stay silent, you say, is the cost of no home. Eternally, I feel I understand that. Yet can you give insight into what that means or represents to you, Mozhdeh?

Mozhdeh: For me, silence is never just the absence of words—it is a condition of survival. It is what people are forced into when speaking becomes too dangerous, too costly, or simply unheard. In that sense, silence becomes both protection and imprisonment at the same time.
When I say that silence is the cost of having no home, I mean that in exile or displacement, you often learn that speaking freely can make you even more vulnerable, while silence allows you to endure. But endurance is not the same as freedom.

So silence represents a tension: it is the space where you stay alive, but also where parts of your truth remain unspoken. The work is my attempt to break that silence—not by erasing it, but by making it visible and shared.

Constance: In your play, you also speak Farsi.  I love that audiences have the chance to hear an ancient language onstage right in Hollywood. Is it difficult to write a multilingual play?

Mozhdeh: Yes, it wasn’t that difficult. Maybe it was challenging at first, but it became easier over time. In fact, I enjoy performing some of the lines in English. Acting in two languages has also helped me as an actor—it has made me more aware of how each language affects my body and presence on stage, and how switching between them changes the way I perform.

Constance: Also, what clues or revelations have you discovered about what it means to be seen or go unseen?

Mozhdeh: What I discovered is that being seen is not only about visibility on stage, but about being truly understood in your complexity as a human being. In this process, I realized that we are often most seen when there is genuine listening, presence, and openness from others. At the same time, being unseen is not always about physical absence—it can happen even in a crowd, when your inner world, your history or your truth is not acknowledged. This work taught me that theatre has the power to shift that experience, even briefly, by creating a space where someone’s silence, voice and presence can finally be witnessed.

Constance: What joy did you discover when creating your show?

Mozhdeh: Culture and art can act like a bridge between two different worlds and ways of thinking. One of the greatest joys I discovered while creating this show was learning how to build something together through two different languages and perspectives. My director and I come from different cultures and artistic approaches, and I realized how exciting and inspiring that difference can be. It became a space of exchange, discovery, and creative energy.

Constance: Did you face any obstacles?

Mozhdeh: One of the biggest obstacles for me in creating this play, and especially in performing it, was that I had to act out moments on stage that I had personally experienced years ago and that were part of my own life. But I did it because, in my view, the stage is a place where we must be honest and tell the truth about reality.

Constance: So what has it cost you (and ‘cost’ goes beyond money) to bring Freedom in Limbo to the Hollywood Fringe?

Mozhdeh: Bringing Freedom in Limbo to the Hollywood Fringe has cost me far more than money. It required months of work, emotional vulnerability, and the courage to revisit painful memories of exile and displacement. As an immigrant artist far from my family and homeland, every step of this process has demanded persistence, sacrifice, and faith in the importance of telling this story. Yet despite the cost, I believe these stories deserve to be heard.

Constance: After the lights and the audience disappear, what do you hope one remembers or takes away after seeing your show?

Mozhdeh: After the lights go out and the audience leaves, I hope they carry with them a sense of shared humanity. I want them to remember that behind every story of displacement or silence, there is a person who continues to dream, to question, and to survive. If anything remains, I hope it is a feeling—that even in moments of loss and uncertainty, connection is still possible, and voices that have been silenced still find a way to be heard.

Never give up. I kept going until it finally happened.

Constance: Is your play a love letter or a plea to Iran? Do you believe theatre is a bridge to healing and rebuilding?

Mozhdeh: I believe theatre can be a form of healing—I truly believe in it. And this is not a shout toward Iran, but a shout for Iran—perhaps one day, our voices and our demand for freedom will be heard.

Constance: Can one ever return home after exile?

Mozhdeh: Definitely no.

Constance: What is lost from exile? Not only for the individual or their family, but for Iran?

Mozhdeh: This work was shaped by both personal experience and witnessing the experiences of others. As an artist forced to leave my homeland, I have lived with displacement, uncertainty, and the feeling of being caught between two worlds. At the same time, I have witnessed the struggles of countless Iranians—artists, activists and ordinary people—whose voices have been silenced or suppressed. This piece grew out of both my own journey and the stories I carry with me from those who could not speak freely for themselves.

Constance: As an African-American woman whose ancestors were stolen from their home and tongue, I often think about the idea of home, memory, displacement, and what is left from that rupture. What have you learned about displacement and what ‘Home’ means?

Mozhdeh: To me, this separation carried a deeper meaning. It taught me that a country, a homeland, a land—at its core—means family. That is what I came to understand. Home means family, something I had never truly understood before. If I were to describe it, I would say that home is the place where you can walk freely and without fear, without constantly worrying that you might fall.

Constance: Can anywhere else ever replace ‘Home’?

Mozhdeh: No. A new place can offer safety, opportunities, and even happiness, but it can never fully replace home. Home is more than a place; it is the people, memories, and sense of belonging that stay with us wherever we go.

For info on Freedom in Limbo at the Hollywood Fringe, visit https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/12444

Go Here for More About Mozhdeh Rahmanzaei

#FringeFemmes 2026: Meet Destiny Faith

Female Artists, Fringe Festival, Interview, playwriting, , ,

By Constance Jaquay Strickland

Conversations with some of #HFF26’s compelling “Women on the Fringe”

Ten years ago, I conducted my first Fringe Femme interview out of a desperate need to hear and uplift the various works and voices of women of color during the Hollywood Fringe Festival. I selfishly wanted to bear witness and, in some small way, archive the multiplicity of beautiful voices and conversations women of color were exploring.

The reality was, I was having a hard time discovering and seeing the work of women of color. I knew I had a small network, no connections, and yet I still found a way. Who else was out there existing as outliers? The hardest part of manifesting a new work is finding a way to let people know that you have a show.

The 2026 Hollywood Fringe Femme Interview series is an ode to the women who find a way to tell their stories even when the odds are against them. Each year, a group of women dares to create work by any means necessary.

This year, I am beyond thrilled to introduce the first of this tiny but mighty cohort, Destiny Faith, actor + writer of The End of the World.

A solo show that is not afraid to address topics that are continually under-recognized, undiscussed or addressed without care, I was moved by the audacity and vulnerability Destiny brings to The End of the World… reminding us that our humanity, our capacity to hold emotions, feelings, fears and concerns are what makes up a healthy, forgiving and empathy-led community, society and culture. She reminds us that Black women are not monolithic, that we contain multitudes. She breaks stereotypes of staying silent and carrying the torch of Black women’s strength by boldly releasing, writing and sharing her perspective with the world. No longer allowing to go unseen.

Destiny Faith

Constance Jaquay Strickland: How long have you been sitting with this work? What led you to the Hollywood Fringe Festival and why now?

Destiny Faith: Hmm, this question is interesting for me because there are aspects of this work I’ve been sitting with for a long time. I’ve wanted to do a solo show for years, but had no idea what it would be about. The themes around mental health, existentialism and the loneliness of trying to connect in a disconnected world had been with me for a while, showing up again and again through different events in my life. A couple of years ago, I performed a seven-minute spoken-word piece at an open mic at Willie Agee Playhouse in Inglewood titled the Token Black Girl. It came out of a sudden awareness (almost a punch to the gut) of how subtle and constant the dehumanization of Black women is, and how little I’d actually let myself register it in my life.

That newfound awareness made me bitter and heartbroken, and I still haven’t fully gotten over it. After sharing that spoken-word piece and getting a strong response, people told me I should turn it into a one-woman show, and so I eventually did. Black women’s pain gets minimized so consistently that depression isn’t even on the table as a possibility for us. So I built a character who refuses that silence. She’s going to do the unthinkable, and she’s going to be loud about it. I wanted Hollywood Fringe first because it’s my backyard. I’ve been attending for years, and before I ran in Edinburgh, I wanted my own community’s eyes on it first.

Constance: Now, you’ve given the work away and it’s out there. How does that feel?

Destiny: It feels like it’s no longer just my own. I set out to tell my story, to be heard, to feel seen through art. And along the way, others have felt seen, too, and started sharing their own stories back. It’s humbling. It’s a reminder that whatever sits and persists in your heart isn’t just for you. It’s there, begging to be let out, because someone else needs it. That’s humbling, and it makes me want to make more.

Constance: What are you enjoying most as you create your show?

Destiny: I’m enjoying laughing and playing with the audience. I’m finally at a point where I feel more dropped into this role, into Desiree’s journey, which has let me really listen to and move with the audience. So every show has been different. I’m finally out of my head and can play.

Constance: What has been the most surprising discovery?

Destiny: I’ve been most surprised by how connected people are to little nuances in the story that I thought were so weird or so specific to me, that I almost didn’t put them in. I’m always shocked at how connected people feel to those exact moments.

Constance: What’s been your biggest challenge in terms of the Fringe?

Destiny: The biggest challenge, and I think a lot of other indie creators can relate to this, is having a vision much bigger than your pockets. I dream big, and I care so much about the integrity of the story, but you have such limited time and space to make everything the way you want it to be. I hated having to cut things that I felt would’ve made the show stronger, but cutting things has only made me get clearer and more specific about the experience I want my audience to have with the story.

Constance: What do you hope audience members take away from your show?

Destiny: I hope audiences get offline and look people in the eye. I’m begging us not to lose our humanity to social media and AI. It’s not real. These moments in the theater are real. The moments in nature, at the beach, are real. Everyone’s right and wrong about everything, but who we are as people extends beyond our 150-characters online. If we actually slowed down and sat with one another, and genuinely held space for one another, we’d feel less alone. (If we don’t learn to be human first, AI will do it for us…and take over our booooooddiiiiieeeeesssss :P)

Constance: How does spoken word help in telling the show’s story?

Destiny: I view spoken word in this show almost like a musical number. Sometimes we don’t have the perfect words to say, but a song always seems to do the trick. Music and rhythm can take something complex and full of nuance and help it land somewhere palatable, somewhere memorable. The spoken word isn’t just a peek into Desiree’s inner world; it also marks the significant milestones in her journey.

Constance: It’s not easy being a Black woman in any decade, but it sure is a privilege. How has letting go of the strong Black women trope freed you as an artist and woman?

Destiny: Such a good question, because I don’t know if I’ve fully let it go yet. But I’m learning to free myself more and more and allowing myself to be broken and vulnerable, imperfect. Allowing myself to not always work twice as hard, to not care about a trope that minimizes my humanity, just because I’m upset. The more I let go of caring how the world perceives me, the more I’m able to fully connect to myself. And connection to self gives us space for true healing. In this show, Desiree gets to be everything that Black women “shouldn’t be”: depressed, joyful, angry, scared, rude, bratty, funny, and hopeful. 

Constance: What joy did you discover when creating your show?

Destiny: The joy I discovered was getting to play and be funny. Most people see me do drama, and a lot of my life I’ve had to be serious and responsible—but I have a dry, goofy side that only a few people get to see. It’s great to expose that part of me in an environment that’s safe, that’s my own, and in my own voice. I don’t often see my type of humor represented in Black characters, so there’s real joy in getting to be what I don’t usually get to be or see.

Constance: What has it cost you to bring The End of the World to life?

Destiny: It has cost me so much sleep! Lol. 

Constance: What experience influenced this new work?

Destiny: This story is very personal to me. When I sat down to reflect on what my show should be about, I thought about major turning points in my life that I believe have contributed to who I am as a person. Two moments kept coming to mind in conjunction with each other, in parallel, even though they were fifteen years apart: the day my stepdad attempted suicide in front of my family and me, and one of the lowest moments of my adult life, during the lockdown in 2020.

I was fifteen when my stepdad attempted suicide, and that was the worst day of my life at the time. My family and I were never the same since. Everything I thought was true about the world, my life, and my parents was shattered. I have clear distinctions in who each of my siblings and my mom was before and after that moment. It was my own end of the world, so to speak. Everyone can relate to a moment in their life when their innocence was destroyed, when the world showed you its ugliest parts and broke your faith, when you no longer felt the illusion of safety. Trauma changes all of us, and it can be heartbreaking to recognize that in yourself. There are motifs in the show that allude to that feeling of loss of innocence.

Then in 2020, I had a second version of this. I was so brokenhearted by friends, family and humanity as a whole that it made me feel cold and bitter, and it took so much to get “me” back. But I’m grateful for experiencing both sides of the spectrum: such hope and faith in humanity, to such disdain for it and resentment toward God. The grace of God and the beauty in humanity have outweighed the bad in the end, and I can finally heal from that heartbreak. It’s an ongoing and ever-evolving process, which is what I hope also lands in the show.

For info and tickets visit https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13431

The FPI Files: New “Winter’s Tale” Speaks to Our Time

Director, Female Artists, Interview, playwriting, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By Sarah Garic

Why do we go back to Shakespeare? Time may pass, whole centuries even, and yet these plays continue to show that we humans are working through the same things… over and over again. So then, what changes? I like to think that you can never listen to a song and hear it exactly the same as you did before. Maybe there’s something new that sparked – a chord, a thought, a color… because the day, time, setting, potentially you were different. And in this particularly interesting moment in history, I wonder… what will resonate with the audience – with you! – in a play in which a king exerts violent power over his family, his subjects, at the harm of those he holds most dear, potentially even himself?

Tracy Young first lifted The Winter’s Tale into modern verse through Play On Shakespeare, a non-profit company promoting and creating contemporary modern translations of Shakespeare’s plays. For Tracy, a director and playwright with a deep portfolio spanning new plays to translations and adaptations, accessibility is a driving force: “Shakespeare wrote for everybody to be able to enjoy the plays; he was not an elitist.”

Now, you may be thinking, “I don’t know if I buy that; Shakespeare isn’t for me.” And you’re probably not alone in that sentiment. My mom once told me she would have to take a class before she could understand Shakespeare’s plays. I feel you mom! I’ve taken many Shakespeare classes, acted in his plays, and feel like I’m barely scratching the surface.

Tracy Young

Tracy hears us, she hears my mom, and all those who may think that Shakespeare stands on a lofty pedestal unreachable for us mere mortals. That is exactly why she is doing this work. Her goal is to render this play as something that can and should engage everyone. So the question is, what might spark with you now in Tracy Young and Lisa Wolpe’s adapted The Winter’s Tale, playing at the Skylight Theatre Company? And what will you hear in 5, 10, 15 years down the road if you chance across this play again? Here’s hoping that the tyrannical king will resonate a bit less.

And on that note, Tracy and I dove right into the juicy stuff.

Sarah Garic: What is resonating now, in the rehearsal room, with all that is happening in the U.S., in the world; metaphysically, spiritually…?

Tracy Young: The original theme is about a man who gives in to false thinking. He suspects his wife and best friend of having an affair… Hmm we’ve definitely seen that storyline before! Horrible consequences role out as a result of conspiratorial, paranoid, and destructive thought processes. This really resonates with the rampant online ecosphere of disinformation, conspiracy-minded thinking and weaponized information that we are living through right now. And this play is asking, what are the consequences of weaponized information? Time will reveal the long-term harms, but certainly the characters’ and people’s ideologies are being shaped by things that may not be true.

Misha Osherovich as Perdita & Israel Erron Ford in “The Winter’s Tale” – photo by Jason Williams courtesy of Skylight Theatre Company

Sarah: Is there a particular character whose story was emphasized in this adaptation?

Tracy: We emphasized the role of Perdita, which means little lost one. She is the daughter of King Leontes and Queen Hermione. Royalty is her curse, and she is sent away and uprooted from who she is, her home, her original place in the world. She grows up in these other places and with other people.

In our adaptation, the actor who plays that role is trans and the character is trans. We focus on the theme of trans-ness and trans-identity, ensuring that there is textual support. In fact, a lot of Shakespeare’s plays integrate trans-ness.

This culture currently has heightened weaponization of language against trans-culture and trans-identity. The character’s marginalization has resonance with her trans-ness as well.

I find that no matter who we are or how we identify, we can recognize ourselves and what it means to be alive and navigate ourselves and the world with these plays as a support. This is why I find Shakespeare’s plays incredibly adaptable to the exploration of modern themes and language.

Sarah: I want to hop back to the idea of being displaced from community. How do you address the question of whether we have agency in choosing who is our community and where is our home? Is Perdita – and the broader “we” – forever stuck with who our father is, etc.?

Tracy: That is really interesting because in the original text, the characters all reunite after a 16-year flash forward. Time has been a factor, and the king is sort of welcomed back into the community. There is a controversial ending in which they are all reunited and there is forgiveness and even happiness maybe.

In the adaptation, we’ve changed some of the way that the last moments play out. We, and particularly the character of Hermione, wrestle with the question, Can you embrace your husband after experiencing such trauma? Should you? In the original, Hermione embraces Leontes.

Misha Osherovich, Spencer Jamison as Hermoine & Daniel DeYoung as Leontes – photo by Jason Williams courtesy of Skylight Theatre Company

Sarah: She embraces the monster. I am really curious by how we deal with monsters. If Hermione embraces Leontes in the original, is it possible that Leontes becomes less scary to her?

Tracy: A lot of times when Leontes is portrayed, he is the villain until he’s not. Somehow the monster is able to find humanity at the end of the play; it lets people off the hook for complicity with the own monsters that we may carry.

In this adaptation, I try to humanize Leontes from the beginning. Leontes has a lot of internalized trauma. The play wants to relate to all the characters in some way; no one is excluded. Shakespeare creates worlds where there are complexity and nuance because humans are so complicated and contradictory.

In the journey that Leontes takes, you see how hideous and destructive he is, and yet, you see and track what were the things that contributed to that … what kind of things set the stage? And we explore that without forcing forgiveness or diminishing the culpability of what the person has done.

In this adaptation, we are actively reckoning with the complexity of doing harm in all the different ways.

Shaan Dasani, Victoria Hoffman, Daniel DeYoung, Israel Erron Ford, Quest Sapp, Iman Nazemzadeh, KT Vogt, Misha Osherovich & Spencer Jamison – Jason Williams courtesy of Skylight Theatre Company

Sarah: Going to need to soak that one in… Switching gears here, what does a modern translation and then adaptation entail?

Tracy: For a modern translation, the first directive is do no harm. When you think it needs to change, the goal is to really interrogate why it needs to change before you change it

Then, the overarching goal is to make the writing more accessible, which of course is going to be subjective. I used my own sensibility and experience being a theatre-maker for many, many years.

For example, with the syntax: often we don’t speak that way anymore; we use a different vocabulary, a different way of forming phrases. I’m looking to unravel the syntax knot while keeping the iambic pentameter structure. With a modern translation, we can stay in time with the play rather than struggling with the language being too antiquated.

There are also events of the past that the audience would have recognized back then, but that are not recognizable now. In some cases, there is a modern equivalent that speaks in a similar way. My mission is to try and find a modern-day analog while keeping the verse intact.

Sarah: Whew, that’s not for the faint of heart!

Tracy: Oh! And the comedy! One of the main challenges is the comedy; comedy needs to be situated in the present-day for us to understand it. Jokes have their own timing and construction of syntax; they also require content accessibility. Ever been in a theatre when some people laugh, but most don’t get it?

Iman Nazemzadeh, Quest Sapp, Israel Erron Ford, Daniel DeYoung & KT Vogt – photo by Jason Williams courtesy of Skylight Theatre Company

Sarah: Yup, that’s been me… once, twice, thrice?

Tracy: In this play, there are a bunch of moments that are comedic bits. I try to deal with the jokes by asking, what kind of a joke is it? And then you try to re-write it in a way that people will recognize!

“The Winter’s Tale” by William Shakespeare, in modern verse translation by Tracy Young, adapted by Lisa Volpe and Tracy Young and directed by Tracy Young, produced by Gary Grossman and Armando Huipe for Skylight Theatre Company in Los Feliz, runs through June 14th. For tickets call  (213) 761-7061 or www.skylighttheatre.org

The FPI Files: Laura Shamas Recounts Her Passion For “Four Women in Red”

Female Artists, Interview, playwriting, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By Leilani Squire

I recently had the honor of speaking with playwright and LAFPI Co-Founder Laura Annawyn Shamas (Chickasaw Nation). She wrote Four Women In Red now playing at The Victory Theatre in Burbank.

The play is about four Indigenous women who are the survivors of their missing relatives and friends, who are devastated by the loss, and yet who continue to search for the missing against all odds of finding their loved ones.  Laura said that it was hard writing the play because of the subject matter. But she is passionate about it and wants change and so she wrote a play. She realizes that it is hard on the actors and the director because they have to relive the trauma during the rehearsal process and performances. However, the director and the actors are willing to go to those places over and over in spite of the emotional toll doing the play has on them.

“The ending is something people have not seen before,” Laura said when we talked about the power and beauty of the production. The four women onstage create a memorable final stage picture of unity and determination … and defiance.

Zoey Reyes, Harriette Feliz, Jehnean Washington and Carolyn Dunn in “Four Women In Red” – Photo by Tim Sullens

In the play, one of the female characters says, “It always falls to us.” It is the women who keep taking action. It is the women who support each other. It is the women who keep the hope alive. The four characters embody the strength and resilience of Native American Women, and the search for justice. Laura said that “these women” have been resisting systemic oppression for hundreds of years. They have been fighting against the oppression. What she means by “these women” are not only the four women in the play—but all Indigenous women.

She said, “Story is medicine. This is what is taught in the tribal way. This is what the tribes teach.”

Playwright Laura Shamas – Photo by Stephanie Girard

Laura believes in the magic of theater and theater as an art form. She went on to say, “The playwright helps the audience to experience a temporary collective. There is an electrical, an alchemical response when sitting in the audience with others and watching actors perform on stage. A lived interaction. An aliveness. Something about the live interaction of experiencing the actors in real time – this is an active response. Not passive like watching a streaming video or a movie that takes place in the past, even if the story is in the present. Watching a play on stage is active – living and experiencing in the moment. We need this kind of collective experience now as a society. We need to cry and laugh together. This is what theater is about. This is the magic of theater. And we need the magic and the collective more than ever.”

With all the divisiveness and prejudices and everything else happening in the world, we do need the magic and the collective experience of live theater more than ever. As I sat in the audience and watched Four Women In Red, I felt as if I was experiencing the story and the journey of the characters in community. I felt the immediacy and aliveness of each moment. and I sensed the audience experiencing the same.

Harriette Feliz, Jehnean Washington, Carolyn Dunn and Zoey Reyes – Photo by Tim Sullens

I asked Laura, what did she learn as a person as she wrote the play. Her answer encompassed more than the writing of the play, but the process and journey that began five years ago: “I will always need to keep learning. I will always try to keep learning. As an artist.”

Laura said she was at every rehearsal, wondering how to make it better, and that she changed words during the last of the rehearsals. She added, “I feel very humbled by the show. I still have a lot to learn about the topic.”

Laura hopes to bring attention to the important topic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives. She hopes to shine a light on the issue so that people will be aware of what is happening and to take action. And she says she is proud to have been a small part of the larger picture. “If some change happens, no matter how small, if someone takes action because they saw the play, then this five-year journey will be worth it.”

“My hope is that once they see the play, they can’t stop thinking about the issue – the issue of missing native women,” Laura continued.

The systemic oppression Native women experience is another issue that people need to bring attention and take action to in order for change to happen. “A chorus of voices to bring real action is what is needed now, “ she said.

Carolyn Dunn, Jehnean Washington, Harriette Feliz and Zoey Reyes – Photo by Tim Sullens

I said that, to me, the ending of the play is a call to action. She thanked me for seeing that. She emphasized that, “There are a few calls to actions in the play.”

Laura suggested a few ways that we can help bring awareness and to take action:

  1. Call your Representative and ask what they are doing about the issue.
  2. Go to National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) website and donate.  The website is https://www.niwrc.org
  3. Be part of a search for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.  

During opening weekend, Tayana Viscarra (Piro-Tewa Pueblo, Apache, Kumiai, European) and Norm Sands (Apache, Yaqui, European), co-founders and leaders of Way of the Sacred Mountain, an indigenous-led, grassroots partnership providing healing and support for families and communities affected by Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), talked to the audience after the performance. They talked about conducting searches, and they may be a place to find how to be part of a search. Their website is https://www.wayofthesacredmountain.org

At the end of our dialogue, Laura offered this advice to playwrights: “Write something you care about. Write what you’re passionate about. What is it you care most about and what do you want to tell the audience about?”

I thought of the plays that I’m writing and how I’m passionate about them and how I love the characters and how they are alive within my life and how I’m alive with their lives. And Laura’s advice makes me even more determined to finish the plays – even though one may always be working on the play, according to Laura – and get it out into the world.

“Four Women In Red” by Laura Annawyn Shamas (Chickasaw Nation), Directed by Jeanette Harrison (Descendent of the Onondaga Nation), Produced by Maria Gobetti runs through March 23, Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 4:00pm, at The Victory Theatre Center in Burbank. For tickets call (818) 841-5421 or visit thevictorytheatrecenter.org.

#FringeFemmes 2024: Meet Carmen Kartini Rohde

Female Artists, Fringe Festival, Interview, playwriting

By Constance Strickland

June is here and “Women on the Fringe” are again onstage!

There is nothing quite like the buzz that’s created during the Hollywood Fringe. It is a time filled with risk-taking, courage, hope and independent artists creating new work by any means necessary. Each year, I ask women writers a new series of questions influenced by the Proust Questionnaire and Bernard Pivot’s French series, “Bouillon de Culture.” The goal is to understand the artist’s work and their full nature while allowing them a space to reveal their authentic self. It is a great gift and a true honor to introduce women who will be presenting work in myriad genres, exploring a wide range of topics that allow us to examine who we are as individuals and as a society.

Introducing Carmen Kartini Rohde and her show, “Low on Milk.”

Carmen Kartini Rohde

Constance: What do you hope audience members take away after experiencing your show?

Carmen: Low on Milk is a musical comedy about a mother who struggles with breastfeeding and must battle the zombie apocalypse to find formula for her newborn. With this play, I want mothers to feel seen. The invisible load of motherhood can be so overwhelming and is not celebrated enough. Mothers are societally expected to feed the kids and keep a happy home, but we don’t always see the journey it takes to complete a simple task like putting food on the table. During a formula shortage and when you feel like your body has failed you in breastfeeding, it can be ridiculously hard, so we might as well sing about it. I hope broader audiences enjoy the show as well and walk away having laughed, quoting lines and singing show tunes.

Constance: What’s been your biggest challenge regarding your development/creation process?

Carmen: It all starts with believing in yourself and in your ideas. A lot of internal work happens before you crack open Final Draft and type up your script. You hope that your idea is worthy enough to invite a group of artists to come together to memorize lines, play piano and trust that an audience will find you. Then it’s all the logistics of producing: getting all your ducks in a row and managing all the moving pieces that come with a theatre production. It’s a challenge, but it’s super fun.

Constance: What are you enjoying most as you create your show?

Carmen: I come from an improv and sketch comedy background, so I love allowing space for collaboration and seeing how actors interpret the characters I wrote. I love hearing a musician add magic to the melodies with different instrumentation.

Constance: What has been the most surprising discovery?

Carmen: That male audience members who aren’t parents found the show entertaining!

Constance: The work will be given away soon. How does that feel?

Carmen: It’s bittersweet, like sending your child off to college. We did our homework together, and bought all the dorm room supplies necessary for a comfortable landing. Now it’s about trusting the process and letting your art live on outside your womb.

Constance: How long have you been sitting with this work?

Carmen: I’ve wanted to produce a musical since I was 13. And I came up with Low on Milk before even contemplating motherhood, when I kept reading about the formula shortage and thought how terrible that must be. Then I had a baby and lived how terrible that is. I added songs and scenes after experiencing birth, lactation consultants, doulas and all the bells & whistles that come with new motherhood, so this project has been gestating for a few years.

Constance: Why Fringe? Why this year?

Carmen: It was probably the worst time in my life to take on a project as big as putting on a musical. I have a baby at home, so I’m not exactly sitting in a field of heather at a typewriter with the winds blowing songs into my ear. With this in mind, I felt like my wit’s end was probably also the perfect time to do Fringe and embrace the joyful and frantic energy that only Hollywood Fringe provides. A theatre production is a lack of sleep and no control over the elements, it needs my constant attention and love. Kind of like a baby. Happy Fringe, everyone!

For info and tickets visit https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10555

#FringeFemmes 2024: Meet Victoria Montalbano

Female Artists, Fringe Festival, Interview, playwriting

By Constance Strickland

June is here and “Women on the Fringe” are again onstage!

There is nothing quite like the buzz that’s created during the Hollywood Fringe. It is a time filled with risk-taking, courage, hope and independent artists creating new work by any means necessary. Each year, I ask women writers a new series of questions influenced by the Proust Questionnaire and Bernard Pivot’s French series, “Bouillon de Culture.” The goal is to understand the artist’s work and their full nature while allowing them a space to reveal their authentic self. It is a great gift and a true honor to introduce women who will be presenting work in myriad genres, exploring a wide range of topics that allow us to examine who we are as individuals and as a society.

Introducing Victoria Montalbano and her show, “The Princess Strikes Back: One Woman’s Search for the Space Cowboy of her Dreams.“

Victoria Montalbano

Constance: What do you hope audience members take away after experiencing your show?

Victoria: I hope they’re laughing through tears!

Constance: What’s been your biggest challenge in terms of your development/creation process?

Victoria: I developed the show through Storytelling, so the biggest challenge was putting the 8-10 minute stories together to create a seamless, 60 minute arc. Also the pandemic. I’ve been doing the show for 3 years, so much of the development process was during the pandemic, when I couldn’t do any in-person staged readings. I ended up doing for people over zoom and having them give me feedback individually.

Constance: What are you enjoying most as you create your show?

Victoria: I love how each audience is different. I never get tired of doing the show, because even though it’s fully scripted, it’s very conversational, so the audience really does affect each performance.

Constance: What has been the most surprising discovery?

Victoria: Certain lines in the show, that are not jokes, somehow get laughs more often than not!

Constance: The work will be given away soon. How does that feel?

Victoria: Well, I’ve been giving the work away at Fringe Festivals across the country for the last 3 years. It doesn’t feel like I’m giving it away. The more people that experience the story, the more it grows, it’s like blowing up a giant balloon filled with Star Wars based double entendre.

Constance: How long have you been sitting with this work?

Victoria: About 6 years total!

Constance: Why Fringe? Why this year?

Victoria: If you’re an independent artist who wants to tour, Fringe Festivals are the best way to do it. In general, it is more affordable than producing independently, and most festivals have a built in audience. I’ve been touring the US Fringe circuit for 3 years, and I’m just getting started! It’s purely logistical that I made it to Hollywood this year. I was also accepted to the San Diego Fringe, which is the last 2 weeks of May, so it made sense to do both festivals back to back!

Constance: If there is anything else that must be said, please say it!

Victoria: Just that I have 2 more shows, Thursday, 6/27 at 7pm and Saturday, 6/29 at Midnight! http://www.victorianotvicky.com/

For info and tickets visit https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10624

#FringeFemmes 2024: A Chat With Bonnie He

Female Artists, Fringe Festival, Interview, Producing, , , , ,

By Eloise Coopersmith

Bonnie He is an Asian American actor, improviser,  writer, award-winning physical comedian and clown and Hello Kitty super fan.  At #HHF24 she added producer to that list [co-producing “Recolonizers” – LAFPI nods to the show’s femme writers Megan Sass & Keisha Zollar]. I caught up with her before she headed out in her European tour for her solo show, “A Terrible Show for Terrible People.” 

Bonnie He – photo by Nicol Biesek

Eloise: When did you first start performing and what have been a few of your favorite fringe stops/experiences?

Bonnie: My very first Fringe experience was at Hollywood Fringe in 2022 with my clown show, “A Terrible Show for Terrible People.” I originally debuted it back in 2018, and I began studying clowning in 2014, so it took me 8 years to begin my Fringe journey. Hollywood Fringe holds a special place in my heart; I received the Diversity Scholarship, won Best Comedy, and met lifelong friends which has made HFF incredibly memorable. Another cherished experience was at Orlando Fringe Winter-Mini Fest, which was exceptionally welcoming and well-organized. Say what you will about Florida, but Orlando is truly magic.

Eloise: You have been very successful at the Fringe with audiences and awards. What does success mean to you?  Is it a packed house, income, creative satisfaction…?

Bonnie: Not gonna lie, for me a successful show has to start with a packed audience. That’s the risk of doing an interactive clown show – you don’t have a show if you don’t have an audience. At one of my first festivals, before I understood how to market my show, I had like only 2 people in the audience and I had no choice but to use them both twice. It was not really a pleasant experience for everyone involved haha. When the audience is full, there’s a synergy that just sparks, and I love feeling the joy of the audience – a lot of them discovering clowning for the first time.

Eloise: You have served as Fringe mentor and producer – what drew you to be more than “just a performer?”

Bonnie: At the Fringe, you wear many hats – you’re not just a performer but also a producer. I believe in being a self-starter; if you don’t produce your own work, who will? I really enjoyed producing my own show and felt that I could help other people get their show on their feet. There’s a joy in helping bring something to life. I feel very grateful I was asked to produce “Recolonizers” for the Hollywood Fringe this year, to help them bring their exciting ideas to life.

Eloise: What makes the Fringe experience different for you?

Bonnie: The Fringe experience is uniquely inspiring. It’s a gathering of dreamers and creators, all striving to realize their artistic visions. The energy and excitement are palpable, making it a truly special environment to be in.

Eloise: Last, one world of advice for Fringers and/or for those out there thinking of coming to see shows? 

Bonnie: For Fringers and those attending shows alike, my advice is simple: immerse yourself in the diverse offerings the Fringe has to offer. Take chances on new and unconventional performances—you never know what hidden gem you might discover. And of course, don’t miss “Recolonizers,” a wild ride of a show that promises to entertain and provoke thought. Catch us on Thursday, 6/27 at 8pm and Saturday, 6/29 at 2:30pm.

For info and tickets visit https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10841

#FringeFemmes 2024: Meet Bethany Hill

Female Artists, Fringe Festival, Global Feminism, Interview, playwriting

By Constance Strickland

June is here and “Women on the Fringe” are again onstage!

There is nothing quite like the buzz that’s created during the Hollywood Fringe. It is a time filled with risk-taking, courage, hope and independent artists creating new work by any means necessary. Each year, I ask women writers a new series of questions influenced by the Proust Questionnaire and Bernard Pivot’s French series, “Bouillon de Culture.” The goal is to understand the artist’s work and their full nature while allowing them a space to reveal their authentic self. It is a great gift and a true honor to introduce women who will be presenting work in myriad genres, exploring a wide range of topics that allow us to examine who we are as individuals and as a society.

Introducing Bethany Hill and her show, “Femmina Super.”

Bethany Hill

Constance: What do you hope audience members take away after experiencing your show?

Bethany: I think, historically, humans have been quick to judge the decisions made by those that break societal norms, forgetting that a large proportion of those decisions are made as an act of desperation, survival and self-preservation. I wrote this play because I wanted to unpack my own decision-making and to understand why my ancestors would marry difficult men, leave their homes, abandon a child or break rules in order to make art. Through this unpacking, I hoped that I could provide an empathic lens for audiences toward these characters so that they might reflect on the people in their lives and the questionable decisions they have made.

And then there’s the music… Inspired by Barbara Strozzi, a female composer from 17th century Italy, I have used a variety of instruments like the Appalachian dulcimer, shruthi box, glockenspiel, Irish drum, live looping and electronic soundscapes to showcase her music and my own. It’s an introduction to music from 400 years ago combined with modern opera performed in a way that, hopefully, feels accessible and fresh to an audience that may not regularly attend opera or enjoy classical music.

Constance: What’s been your biggest challenge in terms of your development/creation process?

Bethany: While I love writing, this was my first script, and so I had next-to-no experience in crafting a balanced piece of theatre where the story moved forward. I had written moments of poetry and character monologues, but I needed to learn how to write “the glue” that would make it coherent.  I had so much material – I was passionate about the themes I was exploring – but I spent a lot of time cutting it down to a Fringe-friendly 80 minutes while still retaining the essence of the piece I had originally intended to make.

Constance: What are you enjoying most as you create your show?

Bethany: I have written the words and the music, and then I get to jump on stage and sing and play multiple instruments and be multiple characters! It’s the multi-faceted work that I have dreamed of doing. The discovery of my characters has been such a rewarding process. My women (the different roles) have morphed and changed with me throughout the rehearsal period. For me, that’s been the biggest joy – finding their voices.

Constance: What has been the most surprising discovery?

Bethany: To go back to the challenges of this show – the cutting of material, but in a helpful way. I was really stubborn at first about what I was willing to let go of. It was a surprising discovery to realize I didn’t need so much of the material to tell the same stories.

Constance: The work will be given away soon. How does that feel?

Bethany: Terrifying and exhilarating. This has had a gestational period of 15 months! It’s time to birth it and hand it over to audiences.

Constance: How long have you been sitting with this work?

Bethany: For almost two years. It has gone through many formations. It actually began as a story utilising the music of Joni Mitchell and Barbara Strozzi! And then I realised that I wanted to write the music and tell my ancestral stories combined with the story of Barbara Strozzi. That was when I pitched the idea to my (now) director, almost a year and a half ago.

Constance: Why Fringe? Why this year?

Bethany: I’ve lived in the US for three years now, relocating from Australia during the pandemic. I wanted to change career paths from full-time opera singer to theatre-maker. I’m an unknown quantity in a new country! I was busting to make this show. I didn’t want to sit on it any longer. The Fringe seemed like a safe platform to launch this show on. The resources needed were easier to access under the umbrella of the Fringe than if I had tried a stand-alone season.

Constance: If there is anything else that needs to be said, please say it!

Bethany: I would encourage audiences to not be deterred by the title, Femmina Super: a Modern Opera. So far, the feedback has been “I didn’t know what to expect, but that wasn’t it!” in the best way possible. If you are an opera lover, this will still satisfy you. If you are not an opera lover, then this is so much more than what your perceptions of opera may be. This is theatre, opera, poetry, folk music, electronic soundtracks and human stories. But, most importantly, it’s the hidden stories of women – relatable, universal, and beautiful.

For info and tickets visit https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10601

#FringeFemmes 2024: Meet Mayuri Bhandari

Female Artists, Fringe Festival, Interview, playwriting

By Constance Strickland

June is here and “Women on the Fringe” are again onstage!

There is nothing quite like the buzz that’s created during the Hollywood Fringe. It is a time filled with risk-taking, courage, hope and independent artists creating new work by any means necessary. Each year, I ask women writers a new series of questions influenced by the Proust Questionnaire and Bernard Pivot’s French series, “Bouillon de Culture.” The goal is to understand the artist’s work and their full nature while allowing them a space to reveal their authentic self. It is a great gift and a true honor to introduce women who will be presenting work in myriad genres, exploring a wide range of topics that allow us to examine who we are as individuals and as a society.

Introducing Mayuri Bhandari and her show, THE ANTI “YOGI”:

Mayuri Bhandari

Constance: What do you hope audience members take away after experiencing your show?

Mayuri: It’s a sensory immersive experience; it is to be felt, not just intellectually understood. At its core, THE ANTI “YOGI” is a call to action, not only to reflect a mirror but to call out our own ignorance through humor and depth. I hope audiences are amused, moved, touched, and awakened.

Constance: What’s been your biggest challenge in terms of your development/creation process?

Mayuri: The writing. Without a doubt. Showing not telling, and getting past perfectionist syndrome to get the writing on its feet… because it changes a number of times anyway! Also, being the director/producer/marketer/etc. in every aspect; the performer and producer at the same time. I learned a lot, but it was definitely a challenge. I had a wonderful team I brought together – but I still have to execute in all areas!

Constance: What are you enjoying most as you create your show?

Mayuri: The opportunity to combine all my art forms to be a storyteller. I love rhythm; so to be able to express through visual poetry, live percussion, dance, acting and sound in one space with a cinematic feel of the stage has been amazing. I’m a mover, so it’s so wonderful to be able to use my body through all the characters, for my emotions and for the sentiment of the piece.

Constance: What has been the most surprising discovery?

Mayuri: At how much I can accomplish even when I think I’ve hit my limit or doubt myself. I have to give credit to my team: directors D’Lo & Shyamala Moorty, producer Jessica Johnson, my percussionist Neel Agrawal, my team at the Zephyr including Nick Foran, and my friends who have been helping my non-stop. Honestly, it’s been reaffirming to see myself bring all the pieces I envisioned together and trust my voice and my gut more – believe in myself more.

Constance: The work will be given away soon. How does that feel?

Mayuri: This piece and experiences have been with me for so many years – so to see it come out in a full body of work is something. Hopefully, I’m able to take it further and go deeper with the work. I also feel proud to see a big project like this through. It’s been a long time coming and gives way for my next piece to come out that has been brewing just as much.

This show is my Part 1 (focused on Spirituality) and my Part 2 is focused on Sensuality.

Constance: How long have you been sitting with this work?

Mayuri: Honestly, since I was in college or probably earlier, maybe even lifelong. I’ve had so many experiences that I didn’t realize were micro-aggressions or issues that needed to be addressed until later in my life. Initially, I thought “To each their own” and learned that what I was feeling was rooted in a much deeper issue. So though I didn’t recognize it then; it’s probably been since I was very little and accumulating over the years.

I’ve been wanting to do a one-person show for nearly 5 years now, and when the strike occurred last year I decided to work on the piece. The script started around the end of last year. I’ve been sitting with it for the past 7-8 months or so.

Constance: Why Fringe? Why this year?

Mayuri: I learned about Fringe last year after watching several shows and decided I wanted to be a part of it eventually. And when the strike happened, I knew this was the time.

Constance: Anything else that must be said – please add!

Mayuri: Thank you for taking a look at my show, for your time, and for the opportunity! This piece is a call to action and is about a practice much bigger than I – yet through my lens at the same time. I hope it resonates with many.

https://linktr.ee/mayuribhandari

For info and tickets visit https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10384

#FringeFemmes 2024: Meet Vee Kumari

Female Artists, Fringe Festival, Interview

By Constance Strickland

June is here and “Women on the Fringe” are again onstage!

There is nothing quite like the buzz that’s created during the Hollywood Fringe. It is a time filled with risk-taking, courage, hope and independent artists creating new work by any means necessary. Each year, I ask women writers a new series of questions influenced by the Proust Questionnaire and Bernard Pivot’s French series, “Bouillon de Culture.” The goal is to understand the artist’s work and their full nature while allowing them a space to reveal their authentic self. It is a great gift and a true honor to introduce women who will be presenting work in myriad genres, exploring a wide range of topics that allow us to examine who we are as individuals and as a society.

Introducing Vee Kumari, who stars in and produces “Late Sunday Afternoon, Early Sunday Evening” written by Jean Lenox Todie.

Sanchita Malik and Vee Kumari, l to r, in “Late Sunday…”

Constance: Vee, can you share your background as an actress and producer?

Vee: Growing up in the south of India, I loved words and books and wanted to become an English professor, but went to medical school instead. At the UC Davis School of Medicine and the USC Keck School of Medicine, teaching neuroanatomy to medical students was my passion. But I continued to read fiction. Since my retirement in 2012, I have pursued writing and acting as careers.

I am also an actor and have appeared in TV shows, including Criminal Minds, Anger Management, and Glow. In 2019, I produced and was the lead in the short film “HALWA,” which earned the first prize for the directors in HBO’s Asia Pacific American Visionaries contest. In 2022, I was the Executive Producer and lead in the short film “YATRA: The Journey,” which finished a successful festival circuit, winning many recognitions. Currently, I’m working on a feature script based on my debut novel, “Dharma, A Rekha Rao Mystery.”

I live in Los Angeles near my two daughters and their families.

Constance: What do you hope audience members take away after experiencing this show?

Vee: Don’t stop dreaming! Your dream could come true if you put your mind to it with courage, determination, and passion!

Constance: What’s been your biggest challenge regarding your creation process?

Vee: Sometimes, working with only one other actor can be challenging. I believe my fellow actor and I did go through this process, but we worked our way through it to a bonding performance!

Constance: What are you enjoying most about your show?

Vee: I want to be able to act my age, respect older women, and never take anything away from their needs, wants, and passions!

Constance: What has been the most surprising discovery?

Vee: Originally, it was just a play, but the more we worked through it, the closer it became to real life. This could be my story of transitioning from decades of being a scientist and a professor to an actor and writer after retirement. I will enjoy this run as long as there’s breath in me because it’s a gift! My mom is gone, or I could tell her, “Look, Ma, I did it anyway!”

Constance: The work will be given away soon – How does that feel?

Vee: Great! We are ready to share our discoveries with an audience!

Constance: How long have you been sitting with this work?

Vee: For over a year!

Constance: Why Fringe? Why this year?

Vee: I did Fringe last year with an ensemble show, but due to COVID, I was unable to perform. I wanted to give it another try on a smaller scale. Fringe is tough to do!

Constance: Anything else that must be said – please add!

Vee: Enjoy this EPK: Go Here

For info and tickets visit https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10684