Tag Archives: Constance Jaquay Strickland

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Godless

June 19, 2025Fringe Festival, playwritingConstance Jaquay Strickland, Cristina Fernandez, Fringe Femmes, Hollywood Fringe Festival, Hudson Theatres, Solo ShowsLAFPI

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

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

June 19, 2025Fringe Festival, playwritingAdedana Ashebir, Constance Jaquay Strickland, Fringe Femmes, Hollywood Fringe Festival, Hudson Theatres, Solo ShowsLAFPI

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

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?

June 19, 2025Fringe Festival, playwritingConstance Jaquay Strickland, Fringe Femmes, Hollywood Fringe Festival, Solo Shows, Tabatha Myers, Thymele ArtsLAFPI

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

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