Tag Archives: Hollywood Fringe Festival

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Getting There!

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: Rebecca O’Brien

WHAT: Getting There!

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

WHY: Do not miss the opportunity to witness Rebecca O’Brien’s incredible performance in “Getting There.” Her show has received such acclaim that it has been extended, giving you the fortunate opportunity to see it for yourself. Don’t miss this chance to be reminded of the incredible strength and resilience of the human spirit, and the profound impact that empathy and understanding can have on our lives.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/7059

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#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Rhythm Delivered

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: Noa Barankin & DrumatiX

WHAT: Rhythm Delivered

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

WHY: “The show’s clown-like, larger-than-life miming and wordless expression is easy to understand and delightful in a childlike way, but the show is enjoyable for audiences of all ages.”

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

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9713

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#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: The Allure of Thug Life

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: Mélia Mills

WHAT: The Allure of Thug Life

WHERE: 905 Cole Theatre, 905 Cole Avenue

WHY: As much as this one woman show was filled with humor, it was filled with heart and old truths. The topics explored elevated the humor in ways the heart did not expect. The issues of colorism, racial stereotypes, broken homes, verbal abuse, and the fighting that occurs within a race… Mélia refused to shy away from them and used Tupac and music as thread that connected the joy and the pain. Her smile reminded me throughout the piece that we can manifest our own realities; that the past does not have to hijack the future and the present is an opportunity to dig deep and make amends. The layers that live within this Hip Hopsical will require you to check what you’re laughing at, demand that you examine yourself, and also remind us that what we often seek is not what is best for us and may very well kill us. Catch this show – you’ll walk away with a smile and catch yourself thinking about the piece days later.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9618

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

The Allure of Thug Life

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Winona

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: Ebony Rattle

WHAT: Winona

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

WHY: “Covering topics from performance to depression to casual sex, the characters explore their inner selves and one another.”

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

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9694

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

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Take Me As I Am: A Joni Mitchell Tribute 

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: Rainee Blake

WHAT: Take Me As I Am: A Joni Mitchell Tribute

WHERE: Three Clubs, 1123 N. Vine St

WHY: What an amazing tribute to one of the most beloved artists of all time.  Every single audience member either grew up on Joni Mitchell’s music or was inspired by her art in some way.  The stage itself is intimate with a microphone, electric guitar, acoustic guitar and Joni’s famous dulcimer. When Rainee Blake walks on stage, barefooted and with the signature blonde hair and bangs, we immediately step back in time to a bygone era.  Rainee fully transforms into Joni Mitchell – with a fantastic Canadian accent to boot! The music, voice and expert handling of the instruments, was awe-inspiring and brought tears to my eyes. If you grew up on Joni’s music or if you like beautiful, heartfelt singing, this is the show for you. 

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9822

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#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: The Queen of Bitcoin…

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:  Margaux Avedisian 

WHAT:   The Queen of Bitcoin: The Rise and Fall

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

WHY: Trust me, you will want to hear about out how Margaux Avedisian managed to crack her way into the “tech bro” world of cryptocurrency, outsmarting and making fun of these arrogant heirs to the patriarchy along the way – only to find herself aptly named, “Queen of Bitcoin.” The journey starts in childhood with the never ordinary Margaux finding her unique voice, and nearly ends with her losing it, stifled in a world of greed. This show is the reclaiming of her voice with the audience playing the (highly entertained) witness. And don’t worry, you don’t need to know anything about crypto. As Margaux says, “It’s not really about the crypto.”

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9924

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#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Ode to La Pachuca

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: Laurie Munoz & Contemporary Arte in Movement

WHAT: Ode to La Pachuca

WHERE: 905 Cole Theatre, 905 Cole Avenue

WHY: This show blew me away and filled my entire soul. I love a show about women. I love a show that features women of multi-colors, cultures, and ages. I love a show that honors and remembers history. This play uplifts and educates with love and will not let you down. It brings to life the memory of the women of color who joined the war effort while men were away from home during the war – we know them as “Rosie the Riveters.” The play also teaches us through riveting movement, powerful poetry, era-evoking music, and essential oral history how these women, the pachucas, refused to return to the old ways after experiencing the advantages of changing social roles, being the financial providers while the men were away, and upon their return, found it was too high a cost to lose that newfound freedom and independence. This play keeps alive women’s stories. In gentle but intentional ways, “Ode to La Pachuca” reveals to us the pain and joy that come with pursuing and living a life that is authentic to one’s spirit. May we never forget those who died nor those who survived unfair and violent treatment. May the resilience of all Zootsuits linger in our bones; may their actions continue to guide the present into the future.

A Note from the Playwright: “In June 1943, Mexican-American youth were racially
targeted and brutally attacked by white U.S. servicemen and police officers during what is
infamously known as the Zoot Suit Riots. 80 years later, in June 2023, the City of Los Angeles officially condemns and apologizes for the crimes committed against our community and declares June 3 – June 9 as Zoot Suit Heritage Week. We are incredibly grateful to witness THIS moment in history and humbled by the opportunity to present an excerpt of our latest work to honor the Mujeres of the 1940s movement: las pachucas”

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9976

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#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

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#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!”