THE 2018 SHOWS

13 DEAD DREAMS OF “EUGENE”

Written and directed by Paul Strickland and Erika Kate MacDonald

Discovered at: Orlando Fringe

13 Dead Dreams of 'Eugene’ is a dandy little ghost story. It's X-Files meets the Twilight Zone... in the dark! This award-winning shadow and flashlight reenactment of nightmares won "Best Show" at the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival 2018.A body was found and placed on display in hopes of identification. That's when the Dead Dreams began. Experience the shared recurring nightmares that haunted one sleepy Ohio town, and the stranger-than-fiction story of "Eugene."

A SOLO FROM THE PIT

Written by Keren Klimovsky and Elias Faingersh | Directed by Elias Faingersh

Discovered at: Orlando Fringe

Connecting stories from his life to the operas he was playing at time, Faingersh plays us through a comedic crash course in finding operatic (and personal) meaning, as he recounts his decision to leave a coveted position at the Metropolitan Opera. Faingersh's musical style is unique. He taps, blows and sings into the brass, adroitly flipping it to use a microphone mounted on the back for operatic vocals and hitting foot pedals to loop sound effects. Called "Delightfully entertaining" and "Best of the Fest" by the Orlando Sentinel it garnered the Critic's Choice Award Best Solo Show Musical/Orlando Fringe

BEOWULF

Created by Autojeu Theatre

Discovered at: Prague Fringe

Autojeu Theatre bring to life one of history's most famous tales. Beowulf, the hero of the Geats comes to the aid of the King of the Danes. See him stride, swim, fight and flounder in this physical, musical performance. Beowulf as you have never seen him. Riotously funny. Autojeu go Scandinavian."...despite some dazzling other shows at Prague Fringe this year, this is easily one of the best." -Prague Post; "...a great piece of theatre...A wealth of theatrical and musical talent coupled with a sense of playfulness on the stage makes this performance immensely entertaining. "Fringe; "Beowulf is an imaginative comic romp through the tulips that edge alongside and around the footsteps left by vaudeville. It defies categorisation, and not in a bad way. At its heart is an unlikely, but genuinely remarkable, comic duo."

BUTT KAPINSKI: A Film Noir

Written by Deanna Fleysher

Think it's a solo show? Think again. Private eye Butt Kapinski invites you to co-star in a film noir murder mystery. Join Butt in a seedy world of sex, sin, shadows and subterfuge as you take the ride of a full-on interactive comedic experience. Kick reality to the curb! Play in a world of dark dreams and bad similes. ADULTS ONLY." "* * * * * ... a tour de force of character comedy and clowning." -The UK Independent;

DIETRICH: Natural Duty

Written by Peter Groom and Oliver Gully | Directed by Oliver Gully

Discovered at: Edinburgh Fringe

An intoxicating one-(wo)man show revealing the life of a legend. It is 1942. On the battlefields of North Africa in a gold sequin gown, Marlene Dietrich takes to the stage to fight the war her way; with an irresistible mix of songs, sequins, sex and sympathy. Starring Peter Groom as Marlene Dietrich, this breathtaking mixture of theatre, cabaret and drag comes straight from a London run at Wilton's Music Hall, via Amsterdam, Liverpool, a critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival and a complete sell out at the VAULT Festival.Fall in love again with this Hollywood icon and her extraordinary commitment to duty.

DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE

Written by Burt Grinstead and Anna Stromberg

Discovered at: Hollywood Fringe

This Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is bare-bones, but fully engaging. The sets are made entirely of black, stackable stairs with hidden compartments that open for embellishments. The costumes are also all black, with minimal accessories to help the audience with the character changes. The staging/direction (also by Stromberg) is smart and sharp to fully maximize the humor of the production. Blanket Fort's version of the classic story is an amazing time at the theater, and a must-see for Fringe! Absolutely fantastic! This genre-bending thriller made its world premiere at the Hollywood Fringe Festival

HAMLET: An Experience

Created by the Brite Theater | Directed by Kolbrun Bjort Sigfusdottir

After breaking new ground with their award-winning Richard III (A One Woman Show), Brite Theater are once again reinventing Shakespearean performance with this new production of Hamlet directed by Kolbrun Bjort Sigfusdottir. Emily Carding plays Hamlet and you, the audience, are the players arriving at Elsinore. Hamlet needs your help to take on the roles of his friends and family and resolve the great questions of life. Journey through the play together and become immersed in the story like never before. Hamlet has the questions. Do you have the answers? "Carding is fearless, her grasp of the material flawless and her energy boundless, a compelling telling of one of Shakespeare's best-known plays." FringeReview; "Brite Theatre are once again reinventing Shakespearian performance."

INESCAPABLE

Written by Martin Dockery | Directed by Vanessa Quesnelle

Rapid-fire comedy mixes with slow-boiling tension in this riveting, mind-bending, two-handed thriller. As two friends attempt to escape an annual holiday party, a puzzle slowly reveals itself, exposing the betrayals and deceits that go hand-in-hand with a lifetime of friendship. "The Twilight Zone" meets Waiting for Godot meets TJ & Dave.

LOVE LETTER TO LAVENDER MENACE

Written by James Ley | Directed by Rosalind Philips

Discovered at: Edinburgh Fringe

After a sell-out run at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Scotland's 80s gay romantic comedy hit is back! Described by The Guardian as claiming "a piece of recent history with zest, compassion and due reverence to the power of the printed word", Love Song to Lavender Menace explores the relationship between literature and censorship, between LGBT+ communities and political activism and, at the centre of it all, the burgeoning relationship between two sales assistants; passionate and political Lewis and party boy Glen

Tamar Broadbent: BEST LIFE

Written by Tamar Broadbent | Directed by Sara Joyce

Is it too much to ask for everything?!' she shouted drunkenly at a bin. This was the plan: 1) Find dream job. 2) Change the world. 3) Go for brunch. Now she's broke, overwhelmed by options and in a complicated relationship with Netflix. Award-winning musical comedy about ambition, anxiety and avocados that asks, how do you know if you are living your best life? 'A genuine triple threat' ****- Fest; 'Brings the house down' ****- Skinny; Writer for "Sketchtopia" and "The Now Show" (BBC Radio 4). As seen on Comedy Central Online's Ones to Watch.

THE DAY I BECAME BLACK

Written by Bill Posley

Bi-racial comedian Bill Posley grew up happily identifying as both black and white. But at age 10, he learned the world does, in fact, judge a book by its color and, even though he's half white, he's labeled 100% black. Does a young comedian have to get rid of his whiteness in order to be the color he's "supposed" to be? Hear Posley weigh in on the modern-day conversation about race from a unique perspective.

THE LONG RAIL NORTH

The Long Rail North is the story of Private Thomas Morgan, a Black Union soldier who must escape by train with Molly, a 12 year old Southern White girl who he rescued from a plantation fire. Exhausted with limited resources and even fewer allies, Thomas continues traveling north in a near-empty boxcar, hoping to get Molly to safety despite her ignorant and preconceived opinions of him and his race, all while both Union and Confederate forces pursue them. He must do whatever he can to protect her...no matter the cost.

THIS BOY TOM

Written and directed by Natalie Sexton

A new musical This Boy Tom, is a life-affirming story of acceptance, courage and friendship. Tom starts at a new school and is met with bullying, but, with new girl Flora's arrival is it time for something new?

TJ Dawe: A CANADIAN BARTENDER AT BUTLINS

Written by TJ Dawe

An autobiographical tale about pouring pints at Butlin's Holiday Camp - the McDonald's of resorts - a British cultural institution - and an absolute shithole.

WE NEED THIS MUSICAL TO STOP US FROM KILLING OURSELVES

Written by Jeff Rosnick and Glasgow Lyman

WNTMTSUFKO is an irreverent musical comedy about a frustrated therapist who is strong-armed into creating a musical with two of his suicidal patients, Sarah, a struggling singer, and Mitchell, a failing actor. Nothing seems to go quite right for them, however, and their aspirations for success must take a backseat to their newfound friendship. "a wickedly wonderful work" (Tvolution.com); "Silly to the core and totally satisfying... a home run for first time musical theater playwrights... succeeds in every way" (GiaOnTheMove)

WOUNDED

Written by Kerry Kazmierowicztrimm | Directed by Liz Lanier

Discovered at: Hollywood Fringe

A highlight of the Hollywood Fringe, WOUNDED tells the story of a woman in the role of caregiver to her husband after he has been severely mentally and physically injured in the Iraq war. After five years of full-time caregiving, she's for the first time considering having a romantic relationship with someone new while still taking care of her husband.