Tag Archives: McCadden Theatre

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Mammy is a Star

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Constance Jaquay Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF26’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

WHO:  Dia Brown

WHAT: Mammy is a Star

WHERE: McCadden Theatre, 1157 N. McCadden Place

WHY: Mammy is a Star is a wonderful, lyrical tribute honoring the life and pioneering career of legend Hattie McDaniel. There is nothing like seeing a talented, beautiful, Black cast of actors onstage. There is nothing like seeing a large triple-threat ensemble onstage that is magnificently in step with one another, lightening up the stage.

What I loved about this show and the writing is the epicness, the sweeping timeline of it. It felt as though I had walked into the midst of a grand story and I was immediately invested. It is quite rare for Black artists to exist in plays that allow us to just live without having an immediate focus on our Blackness. It was a gift to be in the audience.

This play is about a family that has dreams in a time when they can boldly chase those dreams, but it is also a play about a girl refusing to be/do what is expected of her. A girl who creates her own narrative by standing by who she is, supported by her family.

I cannot wait to see how the work unfolds and manifests. We need new work that is original + expansive, and we need it right now from a wide variety of artists.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13702

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Franken’s A.I.

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , ,

by Thea Pueschel

Quick peeks at #HFF26’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

WHO: Jola Cora

WHAT: Franken’s A.I.

WHERE: McCadden Theatre, 1157 N. McCadden Place

WHY: Because what if AI becomes too moral and quits? Victoria Franken, a socially awkward engineer, invents Franny, the AI equivalent of an educated lady’s companion. Franny’s job? To improve humanity. Playwright/director Jola Cora has crafted a crisply penned, intelligent Gothic two-hander. The chemistry between Victoria/Lord Byron (Jola) and Franny/Mary Shelley, played by Isabel Powell, is pure and palpable. The lighting design transforms each scene and creates a fully immersive experience. Will Franny save us from ourselves?

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13386

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Ghosttown

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , ,

by Thea Pueschel

Quick peeks at #HFF26’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

WHO: Kellie Pleshinger

WHAT: Ghosttown

WHERE: McCadden Theatre, 1157 N. McCadden Place

WHY: Because why wouldn’t you want to attend your own funeral? Nessa Poole is about to do just that! Her ghost is tied to her fiancé, and she has no choice but to go. Nessa loses her cool when her loved ones argue over her favorite animal. In frustration, she makes the lights flicker and chairs move, drawing the attention of the entity that is hunting her. Nessa is forced to be honest about her death and must accept the way she will be remembered. Writer/Director Kellie Pleshinger’s navigation of the afterlife in Ghosttown is spooky, funny, and heartfelt. This show will haunt you long after you leave.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13386

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: The Master’s Piece

Fringe Festival, playwriting, , , , , , ,

by Thea Pueschel

Quick peeks at #HFF26’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

WHO: Narmar Hanna

WHAT: The Master’s Piece

WHERE: McCadden Theatre, 1157 N. McCadden Place

WHY: Because sometimes you do something bad to get what you want, and it doesn’t turn out the way you wanted. Queen Lavinia, the fourth wife of King Augustus, knows the difference between a coincidence and a pattern – she has a strong since of self-preservation, and refuses to sit for her portrait, the common denominator that precipitated the mysterious deaths of her predecessors… something nefarious is afoot and it has to do with a little book. Writer/director/performer Narmar Hanna has created a hysterical historical high comedy with lots of twists. Because the chemistry and comedic timing of Narmar, and fellow cast members Amir Levi, Joe Clark, Steven Allerick and Sarah Haruko will leave you in stitches.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13494