Tag Archives: Hollywood Fringe Festival

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Shakespeare in Vegas

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Eloise Coopersmith

Quick peeks at #HFF24’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO:  Suzanne Bradbeer

WHAT: Shakespeare in Vegas produced by Noholand Productions

WHERE: Castex Daylight Loft, 6442 Santa Monica Bl Suite 203

WHY: A farcical romp/adventure, with all the elements of a Shakespearean play and the glitz of Vegas (baby).  Playwright Suzanne Bradbeer crafts an evening of laughter and surprises, merging Shakespearean themes with Vegas extravagance for an unusual theater experience.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6826

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#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: The Fat Girl’s Guide to Life, Sex, and Everything in Between

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Eloise Coopersmith

Quick peeks at #HFF24’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO:  Ariella Salinas Fiore

WHAT: The Fat Girl’s Guide to Life, Sex, and Everything in Between

WHERE: The Hobgoblin Playhouse, 6440 Santa Monica Bl

WHY: Ariella Salinas Fiore shines in her show with a mix of fun, frisky, and fabulous energy. Her storytelling is incredibly sincere and real, drawing audiences in to care deeply about both her and the topics she discusses. She unabashedly tackles personal challenges – particularly society’s judgments on physical appearance – offering not just entertainment but also a poignant educational experience. Her narrative sheds light on the universal struggle to stay authentic in a world that often dictates how one should be rather than accepting individuals as they are.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10927

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#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Sunita: Back To Me

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Constance Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF24’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Sunita Param

WHAT: Sunita: Back To Me

WHERE:  Asylum @ Stephanie Fuery Studio Theatre (Mainstage), 5636 Melrose Av

WHY: As soon as Sunita walked onstage, I was taken in by her beauty and elegance, yet it was hearing her voice even before seeing her that immediately connected me to the woman and the story she would so generously share with us. I felt as though I was at Café Carlyle in New York City as I was seated on the stage. Sunita and her pianist, Derek Purdy, treat us to an evening of classic cabaret, serenading us with a collection of songs from musicals, including one of my favorites, “Popular” from Wicked. Yet Sunita is not just singing musical soundtracks; she has delicately chosen songs that connect us to her own story of losses, gains and hard lessons learned. She gives us a rare theatrical opportunity where we, as an audience, can witness a retrospective of this fearless artist’s life.

Luckily, we have the privilege of meeting a woman who has rediscovered herself. A woman who, despite facing disappointment and heartbreak, persevered. Sunita’s tale of resilience serves as a powerful reminder of why music is an integral part of the human spirit. Her magnificent voice and the way she narrates her story will keep you enthralled throughout her performance.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10819

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: My Mother Doesn’t Know I’m Kinky

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Eloise Coopersmith

Quick peeks at #HFF24’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO:  Jean Franzblau

WHAT: My Mother Doesn’t Know I’m Kinky

WHERE: The Broadwater Second Stage,  6320 Santa Monica Bl

WHY: Well-structured storytelling with a powerful narrative exploring what some might consider a taboo topic. Educational and deeply personal, Franzblau takes her audience on her journey of self-discovery into her authentic sexual identity. Despite ratings and descriptors suggesting an adult audience, the storytelling remains respectful and accessible to all. Those attending with a sense of wonder rather than judgment will certainly enjoy this work.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10366

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Who in the World is Valerie Lacy?

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Constance Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF24’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Valerie Lacy

WHAT: Who in the World is Valerie Lacy?

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

WHY: Valerie takes us on an emotional journey that will have you gasping in shock and shake you to your core. We root for and follow this curious, beautiful young girl as she develops a crush, falls in love, gets pregnant and marries her childhood sweetheart. One minute, we’re laughing out loud with her and listening to her beautiful voice, which makes you feel she is catching a distant memory or reconstructing her future. It feels good to celebrate this young couple in love who are raising a child together. It’s not until Valerie’s voice becomes distorted and her body morphs that we realize the relationship has morphed into an abusive and dire situation. Yet Valerie’s will, unbreakable spirit and determination are contagious throughout her performance. We want her to get everything she imagines and deserves. Go see this show. Go support Black women telling stories. Go support a woman who is reclaiming her voice and refuses to let anyone control her story. Go support theatre that is creating a space where we can come together as a community and heal pieces of ourselves.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10707

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#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Body Count

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Constance Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF24’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Joy Regullano

WHAT: Body Count

WHERE: The Broadwater (Studio) 1078 Lillian Way

WHY: It was 11pm and I was not sure what to expect as I walked into the theatre and saw a condom under my seat. As I sat down I knew this was going to be a wild ride and ooowee that it was. Joy is HILARIOUS! The way she takes up space despite her size and can hold a room in the palm of her hand with a pause in her voice… or the way she grins when even she knows what’s she’s said is over the top but true. Yes. She is hilarious. Yet that freedom, that deep ability to rouse laughter, is not an accident. Joy makes us laugh because she can pinpoint her pain, dissect it, sit with it and then see in between the moments. We’ve all thought we could fuck the pain away and Body Count reminds us we’re only running from ourselves. So let’s talk about it – Joy offers us this gift in a communal space and together we come to understand that loving someone unconditionally is healing and the best of times are  right around the corner.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10932

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#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Gaslighting

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Heather Dowling

Quick peeks at #HFF24’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Fielding Edlow

WHAT: Gaslighting is My Love Language

WHERE: Hudson Theatres 6539 Santa Monica Bl

WHY: Fielding Edlow is a stand-up comedian, writer, and creator/star of award-winning digital series Bitter Homes and Gardens. The native New Yorker has performed stand-up at Edinburgh, Leicester, Boston Comedy Festival and now she brings her deeply personal and darkly comedic one-person show to the Hollywood Fringe. Gaslighting Is My Love Language is her scorchingly honest examination of her 13-yr marriage to a character actor husband that was held together by gaslighting and a longing to actually connect. She also examines the dysfunctional relationship between her parents and her own complicated relationship with her tween daughter. Meant for mature audiences.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10388

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Daddy Issues

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Heather Dowling

Quick peeks at #HFF24’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Victoria Kelleher 

WHAT: Daddy Issues

WHERE: Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Avenue

WHY: In this hilarious and touching autobiographical comedy, Vikki reveals that she and her sister were, in fact, the first latch-key kids of Gen X. This led to a life of parentified, defiant adventure for Vikki as she raised herself in Minnesota. She went on to build an accomplished career as an actor in film and television in Los Angeles, but then in 2019, a 23 and Me test turned her past upside down, and her future right side up. “How many dads does it take to raise an unapologetically self-reliant woman?” It’s a question wonderfully answered in this surprisingly emotional comedy.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10691

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Dear Auntie B

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Heather Dowling

Quick peeks at #HFF24’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO:  Becca Lustgarten

WHAT: Dear Auntie B

WHERE: Actors Company (The Little Theater) 916 N. Formosa Av

WHY: In this solo, sometimes musical dramedy, Becca Lustgarten plays Auntie B., an Upper West Side advice columnist whose outward expression is elegant, highly refined, almost anachronistic. As a self-proclaimed dating guru, her advice is sharp, hilarious and highly relevant. Over the course of the play, Auntie B. paints a picture of her perfect marriage to the perfect man, but it becomes apparent there’s something she is hiding from us, and herself. The fun begins to unravel as reality interrupts her opining on other’s lives. We find that we, the audience, are in the fact in the midst of her loss and unique expression of grief. Content warning: conversations about suicide.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10714

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Where Y’all From?

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Azo Safo

Quick peeks at #HFF24’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

Fringe Femmes

WHO: Yelba Zoe McCourt

WHAT: Where Y’all From?

WHERE: Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Avenue

WHY: This beautifully acted and cleverly written solo play by Yelba Zoe McCourt is a smart and grounded discussion on the topic of identity and the immigrant experience in America. The main story follows the life journey of “Zoe” who starts out as a passionate supporter of Walter Mondale, turned actress turned nurse – constantly facing scrutiny and questions about her race and the all too familiar question “where are you REALLY from”.  

When Zoe realizes she doesn’t know much about her background she unravels a family past that she has tried to bury in the past. There are moments of laughter as the fun and funny characters bring lighthearted energy at the beginning of the play, but a serious turn midpoint of the play and the reveal of her generational trauma pulls at your heart strings and brings not only tears but a deeper understanding toward the humans that suffer under our immigration policies.  This show is powerful and thoroughly engaging. 

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10865

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