Happy Hour on the Fringe

While being a good listener and collaborator can open a lot of doors in life, how far can it take you when death is on the table? On this episode, Ari sits down with Kristin Finger from ComedySportz Philly to talk about real world improv and how well those skills transfer to her annually sold-out brainchild Murder Manor. With this year's improvised murder mystery on the horizon, Kristin shares how she's reconciled the classic genre with classic improv heuristics, despite their seeming almost at odds, and elevated the event through its newfound virtual setting. 

During Fringe Fest 2020, OhOk Performance Group showed us how something as intimate as dance can persist in spite of any distance that may need to be put up. So on this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, April sits down with the two people who made it happen, Whitney Casal and Britt Davis, as they discuss the group's beginnings, the success of Do mirrors burn?, and their aspirations moving forward. Listen in on this duo's rapport to get some insight into the nature of collaboration and provoke a cathartic "oh, okay!"

Read the transcript here

On the last episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Producers Circle member Ed Wagner cited Thaddeus Phillips as the prime example of infusing technology and innovation into theatre. This week, Zach sat down with the dynamic artist himself to find out how he's done the same with his upcoming show, Zoo Motel, presented by Theatre Exile this spring. Listen in to get a glimpse into Thaddeus' cinematic style of theatre and enjoy a special guest appearance by Tatiana Mallarino as she unpacks her dramaturgical philosophy.

Read the transcript here

Read this episode's transcript here

Bringing live theatre to a socially distant space may feel like cutting to the bone of the craft. But in the best way possible, one theatre company in particular has replaced those bones entirely. Joshua William Gelb traded the skeletons in his closet for a stage and has been putting on productions in their place for nearly a year under the Theater in Quarantine name. With Katie Rose McLaughlin aboard, the TiQ team continues to push the boundaries of the closet, and with Scott Sheppard's new (but eerily familiar) narrative, those boundaries have finally expanded to accompany a second performer in Blood Meal. On this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Zach sits down with Josh, Katie Rose, and Scott to learn more about how this team came together and how they've managed to virtually deliver the live theatre experience without trying to emulate it.

Support TiQ here

Read this episode's transcript here

Read the transcript here

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Henry McDevitt, Podcast Production Intern speaks with Pete Dennis, a multi-instrumentalist, a composer, and the person behind “Search for the Infinite Light”. Listen to Henry and Pete discuss Pete’s background, improvisation, the upright bass, live performance, and the concerts that Pete has been organizing in an empty lot in North Philly. You can check out Pete’s music by visiting https://sftil.bandcamp.com/music.

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Artistic Producer Zach Blackwood speaks with Sally Ollove, a Philadelphia and Seattle based director and dramaturg who is the associate artistic director of Philadelphia’s Bearded Ladies Cabaret. This year The Bearded Ladies Cabaret is bringing you: Get Pegged Cabaret Feat. Tareke Ortiz, Veronica Chapman-Smith, and Emyne, as well as Sophie Sucre which will be presented Via Zoom on Friday, November 13th, and it is pay what you can. Listen to Zach and Sally discuss Sally’s background, the origins of The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, poison cookies, The Bearded Ladies’ transition to a digital medium, what audience members can expect at Get Pegged, and much more. Later in the episode, listen to Sally discuss the artists involved in Get Pegged, their origins, and their diverse performance styles. You can find out more about Get Pegged by visiting https://fringearts.com/

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Henry McDevitt, Podcast Production Intern speaks with Symphony Spell and Zachary Fairbrother of the Philadelphia-based band Ghösh. Listen to this conversation about satire in music, what is good or bad taste, the ritualistic nature of Ghösh’s live performances, the effect that Covid-19 has had on live music performance, Ghösh’s response to current unrest in Philadelphia, and more. You can find out more about Ghösh and listen to their music by visiting: https://ghosh.bandcamp.com/music. This episode will be the first installment in a three-part extension of our Global Pandemics series, in which we will talk with Philadelphia-based musicians and discuss the challenges that they are facing in the current moment.

As the 2020 Fringe Festival winds down we bring you this three part special. Artistic Producer Zach Blackwood and Fringe Festival coordinator April Rose are joined by three Philadelphia-based artists from both the independent and curated slates in the 2020 Fringe Festival: Tai Verley, an actor, artist, and Artistic Director of Revolution Shakespeare which presented 154 Revisited During Fringe; Nichole Canuso, choreographer and founder of Nichole Canuso Dance Company, which presented Being/With: Home during Fringe; and Brenna Geffers, a theater maker, director and cofounder of Die-Cast which presented Temporary Occupancy during Fringe. Listen to Zach and April speak to these artists about the transition from live presentation to digital media in the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic, the nuts and bolts of the development process, what feels different in this new performance environment, and what they plan on taking with them into the future of their practices. To learn more about these artists you can visit their organizations’ websites here: https://www.revolutionshakespeare.org/ (Tai Verley), http://nicholecanusodance.org/ (Nichole Canuso), https://www.die-castphilly.org/ (Brenna Geffers).

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Marketing Manager Raina Searles speaks with Liz Zimmerman, a local Philadelphia theater and event producer, a performer, and a certified project management professional. Liz will be presenting, “Project Management for Producers” as part of the 2020 Fringe Festival. Listen to Raina and Liz discuss theater production and what that work entails, how shared knowledge can supplement the areas where arts education is lacking, Liz's workshop video, bellydancing, and much more! You can find out more about Liz, and view "Project Management for Producers" by visiting the event page: https://fringearts.com/event/project-management-for-producers/ 

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Marketing Manager Raina Searles speaks with JJ Tiziou about "Walk Around Philadelphia: A Perimeter Pilgrimage", which is being presented as part of the 2020 Fringe Festival. This interactive experience gives participants the opportunity to transform their perspective on the city of Philadelphia by circumnavigating the perimeter. JJ describes this journey as an "opportunity to observe, to take in, to discover, and to embark on this in a spirit of curiosity, good will, and open-mindedness... The process of experiencing." Listen to JJ discuss his own experiences walking the perimeter, the sights and sounds which he has encountered, and the relationships he has developed along the way. JJ discusses how people can get involved with this project, and accessibility. To learn more about "Walk Around Philadelphia: A Perimeter Pilgrimage" and to find out how you can get involved, visit the Fringe Arts event page: https://fringearts.com/event/walk-around-philadelphia-a-perimeter-pilgrimage/. To find out more about JJ and his other interactive public art experiences visit his website here: https://www.jjtiziou.net/.

Learn how you can download the TrailOff app, and find out more about the collaborators involved in this project by visiting the TrailOff event page on the FringeArts website: https://fringearts.com/event/trailoff/

To Learn more about Packing and Cracking and how to get involved you can visit the event page on Fringearts.com: https://fringearts.com/event/packing-and-cracking/ 

Visit the Packing and Cracking website here: https://www.packingandcracking.com/

Learn more about the creators and their other projects by visiting their websites:

https://www.jamodei.com/

https://www.rachelkarp.com/

To learn more about The Way Out visit the event page here.

To find out more about the Tangle Arts Movement visit their website here.

Meet the guest artists who will be performing in The Way Out!

Evalina “Wally” Carbonell and Weiwei Ma are dance artists and prominent choreographic voices locally and along the East Coast. 

Madeline Rile Smith is a sculptor specializing in glass, with a special interest in interactive art that invokes a sense of ritual and transformation. 

Ama Ma’at Gora is a nationally performing dancer and choreographer whose work pushes controversial dialogue surrounding identity, trauma, and restoration from a black, queer perspective. 

Eppchez! is a Quaker, Cuban & Jewish artist whose production company Alma’s Engine is a creative ministry for new work in music and theater. 

Christina Eltvedt is a multidisciplinary artist, performer, and choreographer, whose work uses objects and site-specific locations to generate a visual and visceral experience.

For more information on Aquifer of the Ducts and to find free tickets visit our website: https://fringearts.com/event/aquifer-of-the-ducts/, performances will run from September 29th to October 1st. To learn more about James Allister Sprang you can visit his website here: https://jamesallistersprang.com/About-1

In this episode we talk to Suso Phizer, who will be presenting and facilitating Zoom Reality TV in this fall's Fringe Festival. The event explores frustration and loneliness in the COVID era, as participants are invited to explore these emotions through Live Action Role Play.  Join Raina and Suso as they discuss Nordic LARP, how group dynamics have shaped Suso's work, and Love Island! To learn more about Zoom Reality TV and how to Participate, visit this link: https://fringearts.com/event/zoom-reality-tv/ To learn more about Suso and how to support, visit her website: https://www.susopomorphizer.org/ 

On this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Jacob Colker, the podcast production intern, takes over the epsiode to interview Dan Kamin, a magician and performer from the Pittsburgh area. Dan and Jacob discuss how Dan got his start performing magic, the influence that silent film has had on his work, as well as how he as been able to get back to performing magic during the Pandemic. You can find out more about Dan and reach out to him at http://dankamin.com/

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Marketing Manager Raina Searles talks with LaNeshe Miller-White, the Executive Director and one of the founders of Theatre in the X.  Raina and LaNeshe discuss what things were like for the theatre in the early days of the pandemic, the the changes made to the West Philadelphia Play, as well as some of the online theatre that LaNeshe now is focusing on.  To learn more about the Theatre in the X you can visit their website here: http://www.theatreinthex.com/

As promised, a bonus episode with BlackStar Film Festival's Artistic Director & CEO, Maori Karmael Holmes. Due to technical difficulties, some of Maori's audio cut out during the conversation we had in the previous episode with Danny Orendorff and Anne Ishii, and so we set out to have a deeper and more intimate conversation about white supremacy, the arts, and Black Lives Matter. You can read more about BlackStar Film Festival here, and can find out more information about Philly Artists for Black Lives here.

To learn more about this work, visit: http://phlartsforblacklives.com/

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Marketing Manager Raina Searles chats with Philadelphia City Councilman Derek Green. The two of them discuss Green's efforts to provide more funding for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund despite budget gaps, his optimism for the future of the Black Lives Matter movement, interacting with his constituents on Facebook live, and what he thinks the green phase should look like in Philadelphia. To learn more  Councilman Green and the Philadelphia City Council visit https://www.phila.gov/

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Marketing Manager Raina Searles and Community Engagement Manager Tenara Calem chat with Rebecca Dhondt, the Director of Visitor Programs and Fun at Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse, an inclusive space for unstructured free play for children. The three of them discuss how Smith has had to pivot their focus during coronavirus, why children (and adults) need to play now more than ever, and what the future of Smith will look like amidst a global pandemic. To learn more about Smith you can visit their website at http://smithplayground.org/

During the global pandemic, FringeArts is pivoting the focus of our podcast to checking in with our artists, our audiences, and our community partners during these unprecedented times. Since we can’t gather, we’ll chat remotely about how we respond to this crisis, and how the role of art during the pandemic shifts. In this episode, FringeArts Marketing Manager Raina Searles and Artistic Producer Katy Dammers chat with Kitsie O'Neill, Executive Director of the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts.  The three discuss how PSCA is continuing to teach classes amid the pandemic, why being connected during this time is so important, and tightrope walking with chalk! To learn more about PSCA and how to take classes, visit their website at http://phillycircus.com/

In this episode, Marketing Manager Raina Searles chats with three incredible advocates and activists from the Institute on Disabilities: Jamie Ray-Leonetti, Kim Singleton, and Lisa Sonneborn. The Institute on Disabilities was last working with FringeArts in early 2019 for the presentation of their show A Fierce Kind of Love in the inaugural High Pressure Fire Service festival. Listen in on this smart and incisive conversation about the way the Institute has had to pivot their work in the time of the coronavirus, and how the pandemic has intersected with the experience of those living with disabilities. If you're interested in learning more about policy initiatives at the Institute, visit their website here: https://disabilities.temple.edu/policy/. To learn more about their Personal Directed Services: Stories project, visit the page here: https://disabilities.temple.edu/programs/pds/pdss-my-story.shtml.

During the global coronavirus pandemic, FringeArts is pivoting the focus of our podcast to checking in with our artists, our audiences, and our community partners during these unprecedented times. Since we can't gather, we'll chat remotely about how we respond to this crisis, and how the role of art during a pandemic shifts. In this episode, FringeArts Marketing Manager Raina Searles and Artistic Producer Katy Dammers chat with Anne White, dancer and Education/Community Relations Specialist at BalletX, Philadelphia's premiere contemporary ballet company founded in 2005. The three discuss what it takes to keep dancing during lockdown, the essential nature of the arts, and how hope for a brighter future is instilled through togetherness and creativity. Visit https://www.balletx.org/ to learn more.

In this episode, FringeArts Marketing Manager Raina Searles and Artistic Producer Zach Blackwood chat with Greg Maughan, founder and Executive Director of Philly Improv Theater. Hear about how PHIT made the switch to a weekly roster of Zoom comedy shows, adjusting to a virtual comedy festival, and using the shift to digital to allow for creativity in show design. Learn more at https://phillyimprovtheater.com/.

In this episode, FringeArts Marketing Manager Raina Searles and Artistic Producer Zach Blackwood chat with Hugh Wilikofsky and Kevin McKinney about their quarantine creation, Real Deep Radio. The group talks about how Real Deep Radio came to be, how it has organically grown throughout quarantine, why radio is experiencing a renaissance, how memes can exist in the audio sphere, and the ways in which passion keeps us together in times of isolation. Subscribe to Real Deep Radio's newsletter for updates on their programming.  

In this episode, FringeArts Marketing Manager Raina Searles chats with Keila Perez-Vega, Marketing Associate for Kun-Yang Lin Dancers. They discuss KYLD's recently streamed, previously archived show, SANTUARIO, and how the decision to stream it came to be. They also delve into what it means to be in a dance company during the pandemic, and ways to stay connected to your body during this time of isolation. 

In this episode, FringeArts Community Engagement Manager Tenara Calem chats with Elicia Gonzales, Executive Director of the Women's Medical Fund. They discuss the nuanced ways in which abortion needs and access are impacted by the pandemic, and what our community can do to help.  Check out their website, Twitter and Facebook to learn more, and take a look at the Women’s Medical Fund’s upcoming events here.

In this episode, FringeArts Community Engagement Manager Tenara Calem chats with Christina Gesualdi of the Philadelphia Tenants Union.  They explore the priorities of the Philadelphia Tenants Union during this time, the importance of organizing your neighbors on a foundation of trust, and how Christina's experience as a dancer intersects with her work in the union.  As mentioned in the episode, here are some additional resources:

• PTU's Tenant Organizing guide for guidance during the pandemic
• Information on the illegality of evictions (until May 31st) 
• Article on the housing crisis/waves of eviction
• Threat of forced evictions 
• A bill to cancel rent and mortgage payments 
• How landlords are concerned with optics 
• For Tenants Only Office Hours 

In this episode, FringeArts Community Engagement Manager Tenara Calem and Artistic Producer Zach Blackwood chat with Eric Jaffe, full-time drag performer and organizer of queer communities in Philadelphia. They delve into their corona-catalyzed consolidation effort to gather information about digital performances by other queer artists into an accessible weekly list, as well as ways for you to help and get involved. Check out their Facebook page, website and YouTube channel for more information - and be sure to tune in to Digital Drag Brunch every Saturday at 12pm EST.

In this episode, FringeArts Community Engagement Manager Tenara Calem chats with Nancy Hill, museum manager at the Mütter Museum, and Beth Uzwiak, research director at Ethnologica about their collaboration with Blast Theory for the pandemic exhibit Spit Spreads Death last summer. In Spit Spreads Death, the team organized a processional to commemorate the victims of the 1918 Flu Pandemic in Philadelphia. Tune in to hear about the intersection of public health and art, and learn about what we have to be optimistic about during this dark time. 

In this episode, FringeArts Community Engagement Manager Tenara Calem chats with Blast Theory, a performance company based in the United Kingdom that creates interactive art to explore social and political questions. Blast Theory was in Philadelphia last summer in 2019 for the opening of the Mutter Museum's pandemic exhibit Spit Spreads Death, in which they organized a processional to commemorate the victims of the 1918 Flu Pandemic in Philadelphia. Tenara chats with Blast Theory artists Matt Adams and Nick Tandavanitj about the prophetic nature of their project and how art can imagine a different future.

Plus - look out for a special Part 2 episode on April 8th with two of the brains behind the Spit Spreads Death exhibit about the role of community organizing and performance in the medical humanities.

In this episode, artist Nell Bang-Jensen and student Samiha Hadeed-Moore sit down to talk about their upcoming piece, BOY PROJECT. Supported by a professional team of theater artists and designers, youth from a variety of backgrounds perform a playful and revelatory new work, the culmination of months of outreach, story circles, and workshops. Through games, fantasies, original songs, and in-the-moment contemplation of questions of desire and power, BOY PROJECT strips away the structures of traditional theater to examine and redefine our expectations of masculinity. An exploration of a new generation, BOY PROJECT invites us to ponder how young men can express their gender in a way that privileges vulnerability and the full range of human emotions. Listen to this candid conversation between Nell and Samiha to hear a new perspective on gender, sexism, and how these phenomena have presented differently over time.

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, the artist and brain behind our upcoming High Pressure Fire Service show, [SIGN FELT]: Sad Boys in Harpy Land Alexandra Tatarsky sits down with University of Pennsylvania Professor and PhD candidate Mario Sassi. They talk about the running through-line of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedies in Alex's April 2-4th piece, and the contemporary relevance of Dante's world view today.

For tickets and information about [SIGN FELT], visit our website at www.fringearts.com, or call our Box Office at 215-413-1318.