Tag Archives: Thea Pueschel

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Roast Your Chestnuts

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: Tanya Dickson

WHAT: Roast Your Chestnuts

WHERE: The Hobgoblin Playhouse on Gardner, 1516 N. Gardner St.

WHY: Because Mrs. Claus is long overdue for a glow-up and a little recognition. After centuries of domestic servitude, she is done with making cookies and playing second fiddle to the jolly man. She is ready to hit the streets of Hollywood and the beaches of LA and take her piece of the “ticky-tocky” pie as an influencer. Tanya Dickson’s Mrs. Claus is a high-energy, witty, sharp and sexy woman ready to reclaim her time. This world premiere solo show was directed by Ashley Karp and uses props, videos and audience interaction to punctuate the comedy. This is the perfect show if you are feeling a little bit naughty and want to laugh your Christmas socks off. The coal will be worth it!

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13490

Screenshot

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Doom Girls

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: Jenni Chiaramonte

WHAT: Doom Girls

WHERE: The Broadwater (Black Box), 6322 Santa Monica Bl

WHY: Because the earth needs to be saved by intergalactic beings from podcast bros. A girl rock trio (Delia/Jenni Chiaramonte, Cassi/Alex Sarno, Lyra/Nina Rancel) of extraterrestrial ex-secret agents are called back to duty to save the universe from the most villainous podcast bro, “Guy Douche” (played by Tim Will). They must travel to Earth to find the crystal he stole that holds the universe together. Earth isn’t great. Humans are stupid and they don’t want to go. But their boss, Pandora/Tamika Katon-Donegal, promises that if they complete the mission, they’ll never have to go on assignment again. With the help of Anais/Cynthia Dane, a hippy living off the grid, they are able to eat marshmallows, find Guy, and save the universe. Jenni Chiaramonte has created a silly, light-hearted sci-fi alien comedy that reminds us that humans aren’t all bad. Jump into your spaceship for a fun night of ensemble theater.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/14087

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Perimenoparty

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: Irene Serrano

WHAT: Perimenoparty: The Welcome Party to a Stage of Life You Can’t Escape

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

WHY: Because there’s too much noise around perimenopause and not enough laughs. Irene Serrano has crafted a hilarious, tender Spanglish world premiere solo clown show. It is rooted in the traditional European circus archetypes of Augusto (Irene’s period) and Carablanca (Irene’s wait for menopause). She physically embodies the mischievous nature of menstruation, from the first to the last, so well. Dressed in a red unitard and red nose, Irene moves around a hospital bed pad with the agility of a wayward period. Splatting off to the side upon occasion. She punctuates the humor of her clown work with projections, puppetry and karaoke while dressed in a tea-length party dress. The jokes and physical comedy are emotionally complex and hilarious. You will laugh so hard  that you can skip core work for a week.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/14266

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Confessions of a Groupie

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:  Tuesday Thomas

WHAT: Confessions of a Groupie or How I F’ed Jim Morrison the Night He Died but I Didn’t Kill Him

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

WHY: Because who wouldn’t want to hear from the groupie who slept with Jim Morrison the night he died? Writer/performer Tuesday Thomas has crafted a rapid firing energetic elder with a questionable past and memory. April May June cornflower Blue Johnson, AKA Debi, is ready to spill the tea through misused Gen Z slang, off-tune singing and faulty memories. She’s spent the past 60 years sneaking backstage and into hotel rooms of legendary bands and is ready to be interviewed by her geriatric soft sculpture alter ego. It’s weird, musically unhinged, and a fun solo show.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13186

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Between Two Worlds

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:  TL Forsberg

WHAT: Between Two Worlds

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

WHY: What happens when you are marginalized within a marginalized community? TL Forsberg, the Deaf Lady Gaga, knows. From the ear cleaning that triggered her deaf gain to finding fame as an actress and singer, TL’s rise to fame earns her haters in the d/Deaf community. Some try to cancel her for not being deaf enough. When a school of oralism tells her not to use ASL, TL breaks free from the Deaf and hearing world boxes she has been placed into and finds her purpose. This funny, moving, and deeply relatable solo show is for anyone who has ever been told they do not belong. Who gets to decide who’s d/Deaf enough? TL has her answer.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13808

#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 “It” Girl

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: Indra Manuela

WHAT: The “It” Girl

WHERE: Art of Acting Studio, 1017 North Orange Drive

WHY: Because why should you be a good girl and let boys have all the fun? Clara Bow is tired of studio demands. She has “It” and knows it. But what happens when “It” isn’t enough? Writer/actor Indra Manuela’s solo show takes us behind the scenes of the “It” girl’s first talkie. A flubbed first line triggers memories of an abusive, loveless childhood and her rise to fame. Clara is frustrated with sound and know-it-all studio men. She is a complex woman who at her heart is a wounded little girl facing her biggest role: surviving the transition to sound while trying to hide her Brooklyn accent. Find out if Clara survives Hollywood or if Hollywood survives Clara.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/14051

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Matt & Lilly Get Together

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: Lily Kerrigan

WHAT: Matt & Lilly Get Together

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

WHY: Because being trapped by a threesome is a great way to start a meet-cute and a Fringe show. Comedians Lily Kerrigan and “her straight boyfriend” Matthew Marcus deliver in tandem the hysterical history of their 10-year relationship, starting with a production of A Klingon Christmas Carol, his pining, the besmirching of Gaston’s (from Beauty and the Beast) name and Matt’s evolution beyond vanilla. Together they share stories from the deeply personal anecdote of Matt getting his testicles slapped accidentally by the third in a threesome to his mother’s “closeted” subtle homophobic remarks toward Lily’s bisexuality, a pant-less Pan ruining their scene at a Disney-themed dungeon party and so much more. The raunchy humor is sharp, fearless and honest.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13964

#FringeFemmes Check-Ins: Bean vs. The Robots

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:  Michelle “Midge” Lema

WHAT: Bean vs. The Robots

WHERE: Hudson Theatres (Hudson Backstage) 6539 Santa Monica Boulevard

WHY: Grief, like space travel, thrusts you into the unfamiliar, where time and gravity cease to exist. You are invited (trapped) onto “Bean’s” spaceship and taken against your will into space and back through time. Worry not, intrepid space/time travelers! “Bean” will sing you sad little songs, chat with her keyboard (named Keyboard), flirt with her Evil Robot Boss, and of course, sing and make goo-goo eyes at “Elijah Woooooood.” Don’t make eye contact with her; you might fall in love. Midge Lema has crafted an immersive and sweet, tender, wistful sci-fi musical that catapults you through space, time and grief. “Bean” shares stories of redacted and redacted, her fascination with doors and feet, and songs about time vampires. This solo show taps into childlike nostalgia. It is a hilarious, sweet and an enjoyable evening of solo theater!

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13683