Monday, October 17, 2016

Bard Fest '16: Is Shakespeare Still Relevant?

October is a special time of year in Indianapolis, offering something for everyone: apple and pumpkin picking, corn mazes, the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County, the Feast of the Hunters Moon in West Lafayette, the Headless Horseman festival at Connor Prairie, the Irvington Halloween festival, tours of the Indianapolis catacombs, various haunted houses, scary old movies on the big screen, and lots of theme-inspired live theater, such as Cabaret Poe and The Rocky Horror Show. Since 2015, Indy residents can also add Shakespeare Festival to that list of October offerings.

Bard Fest Indy was founded by local theater companies First Folio Productions, Catalyst Repertory Theater, and The Garfield Shakespeare Company to bring the community a professional quality, yet intimate, Shakespeare festival experience.

Bard Fest '16 is offering a fantastically diverse festival this year. First Folio Productions presents the heartbreaking family tragedy King Lear, directed by Carey Shea; Catalyst Repertory Theater presents the unflinching political brutality of Coriolanus, directed by Casey Ross; and Garfield Shakespeare Company presents a musical adaptation of Twelfth Night, directed by Chris Burton.

Perfect Strangers recently caught up with several key players of this year's festival as well as a patron of Bard Fest to get their take on performing Shakespeare for modern audiences.

First up is Glenn Dobbs, executive director and founding member of Bard Fest. Dobbs is an area physician who was born and raised in San Diego, CA, but has lived in Indiana for the past twenty years. Dobbs had long lamented that despite its rich theatrical offerings and being the fifteenth largest city in the country, Indy did not host an annual Shakespeare festival. 

A few years back, he shared his vision of a Shakespeare festival with some local directors and patrons and set out to fill that gap with Bard Fest.  Now in its second year. Bard Fest is quickly earning a reputation for bringing solid performances and a party atmosphere to celebrate whom Dobbs calls "The greatest playwright who ever lived." 

Acknowledging that many people see Shakespeare as off-putting and inaccessible, Dobbs hopes that through the intimate yet powerful performances in Bard Fest, locals will have the chance to see Shakespeare with a new sense of appreciation.  

"These are the greatest stories ever told, and not producing them deprives a city of education, history, beauty, and pageantry. Shakespeare can be compared to the worthiness of opera. Why offer opera when it's such a narrow slice? Because to not have it makes the world a smaller place," says Dobbs. "Poetry, love, beauty--these are things we stay alive for, and Shakespeare offers all of it in spades."

Bard Fest has enjoyed its stint with the Carmel Theater Company, but next year will move operations to the IndyFringe theater, which will offer more visibility and flexibility. (Unfortunately the theater that currently houses Bard Fest will be razed to put in additional parking for Woody's Bar. Cue Joanie Mitchell.) Dobbs hopes that within five to ten years, Bard Fest will rival any Shakespeare festival of any bigger city by continuing to expand its offerings. 

When he's not reading, performing, directing, or producing Shakespeare around Indy, Dobbs is a big fan of the local farmer's markets. Until recently, he and his wife owned Three Days in Paris Creperie in the City Market. He also loves local breweries. 



Bard Fest executive director, Glenn Dobbs, left, and artistic director, Casey Ross, right, wear many hats during the festival to ensure its success.  

Next we caught up with Carey Shea, who is directing King Lear, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. "I chose Lear because it was my favorite Shakespeare play in college and because it's so rarely produced." Shea too voiced concerns that the works of William Shakespeare could be lost in modern times. "It's very removed from what we see in today's entertainment, and I'm not in a position to convince people that they need to see Shakespeare to live fulfilled lives. I have come to a point where all I can do is hope that my love of the language and themes can shine through. I simply trust audience members to see the value of the art for themselves."

To help audiences relax into the sometimes daunting language, his first step was to find the right length for the play. King Lear ran over four hours during Shakespeare's time. Shea has adapted the play to reduce it by a third, painstakingly discerning which scenes were crucial. 

Although the two other shows being performed in Bard Fest have each been adapted to a more modern telling, Shea has opted for a strictly traditional telling of King Lear. "This was a play written in medieval times about medieval people, and this adaptation stays true to that version. Its themes are love, hatred, betrayal, and jealousy--universal themes that are as relevant today as they were 400 years ago." 

Shea considers himself a Shakespeare connoisseur rather than a Shakespeare academic. (It turns out, however, that Indy is home to a premier Shakespeare academic--Terri Borrous, Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Drama at IUPUI, is the Director/Editor of the New Oxford Shakespeare Project.)  As a child he felt as though he liked movies and theater more than his peers, but by age thirteen, he knew he wanted to pursue theater for the rest of his life. The turning point came when his parents took him to a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Navy Pier in Chicago, and he found himself interested not just in the characters, but also in the lives of the actors playing those characters. 

Shea thinks it's important for other connoisseurs of Shakespeare to admit some of their struggles in comprehending Shakespeare, which he believes will help those who find it overwhelming to relax. "It takes a while before I get into the language. When I first see a Shakespeare production I admit that I don't understand every word they're saying. When that happens, I take note of the beautiful rhythms and cadence of the words. I listen to the voices, watch the body language, interpret the emotions. It's like a song that you love. You might not know every lyric, but you know exactly what the singer is saying just by how it is being sung." 

He hopes that King Lear will leave audiences somewhat in awe of how little humans seem to change through the ages. "Our basic instincts and how we treat each other never changes, and no one captures that better than Shakespeare. I am proud to present some incredible actors who bring this language to life and who will make audiences laugh and cry. Lear is a terrible tragedy in which people act foolishly and learn in a drastic way the cost of their mistakes."

Shea says he hopes audiences approach watching Shakespeare with the same patience and diligence they would when reading a book. "When you read, you necessarily slow down, take in every word, allowing yourself to get lost in a new world. Maybe the book is not exciting 100% of the time, but when you are finished, you typically feel as if you've made a worthwhile investment; and if the book moved you, it will stay with you forever."   



Carey Shea, director of King Lear, programs the light and sound board.

Next up, we talked with Doug Powers, who portrays Earl of Kent in King Lear.

Doug grew up in Marion, IN, attended Wabash College, and has called Indianapolis home for all his adult life. A popular local actor in all types of theater, King Lear marks his fifth Shakespeare play. 

When asked why many people feel disjointed from the works of Shakespeare, Powers offered, "They were taught Shakespeare poorly. They were taught in a classroom, sitting in desks, reading from a book. Shakespeare is meant to be seen and heard by actors who can bring it to life. Most of the people who saw Shakespeare plays in Shakespeare's days were illiterate!" He noted some of Shakespeare's conventions that would help audiences discern the plot and motivations. Typically characters depicting royalty spoke in heightened, florid language, while those depicting the lower class often had not only the funniest lines, but also the deepest insight into human nature. 

Powers is a recent graduate of the Meisner Technique acting class, a two-year intensive study program, which he says he was sometimes tempted to quit. "The Meisner technique is about finding the truth of the emotional situation of each moment on stage. It's learning how to react truthfully in imaginary circumstances," Powers explained.

When asked why an amateur actor would want to put the time and effort into such a demanding class, Powers responded, "Theater is not my career, and I don't want to try to make it my career. I love theater, and I love acting. It's a passion. As with any passion, I want to learn to do it as well as I can. The training was difficult, and during those two years I went through incredible highs and lows in regards to my confidence as an actor. At times I felt inept. At times I did not think I had the strength to allow myself to be as emotionally raw as possible. At times I thought I was not up for that risk."

Powers continued: "But then there were those moments of passion--those times when I would be doing a scene with a partner, and I could feel the reality of the scene. When you're on stage, and suddenly you're no longer aware of being watched by a roomful people, but you feel a warm energy coming from the audience--a wave of electricity that helps fuel what is happening on stage. Only theater provides this level of immediacy to both the actors and the audiences." 

Powers posits that actors who portray Shakespeare characters have an immense responsibility to the audience to bring the language to life, not just to recite the words. Audiences are sometimes partially comprised of people who still remember the torture of being forced to read the plays in high school. "Shakespeare captures the human condition and human psychology. Actors must first convince themselves that they are in a situation before an audience can be convinced of it, which requires a powerful imagination and a vulnerability to let oneself pretend. The key between good Shakespeare and bad Shakespeare is the actor's ability to find truth. A director must take actors to task when they are not being true, even when that task is not pleasant." 

As far as preparing for a Shakespeare role, Powers doesn't find the language--Elizabethan language--to be much of a barrier, partially because he absorbs, feels, and most importantly enjoys the language. "I would much rather insult someone by calling him a cullionly barbermonger than by telling him he is preoccupied with looks," Powers illustrates. 

That being said, Powers also concedes that not every Shakespeare play ever written is entertaining or even good: "Hey, no one can be a genius all the time," Powers jokes. 

Powers cites As You Like It as his favorite Shakespeare play as an actor and a production of Romeo & Juliet at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario as his favorite Shakespeare play as a spectator.

Other than theater, Powers says his favorite Indy event by far is GenCon. His current favorite restaurant is Tinker Street. His favorite activity is to walk Mass Ave. with his daughter, Kat, where they inevitably wind up in IndyReads bookstore for hours on end.

When asked what is one thing he wished Indy had, he responded as thus:

"For its size, there are an awful lot of arts organizations and theater companies. I would like to see arts patrons expand their horizons a bit--past the musicals and tried-and-true comedies. I'd ask them to take in an obscure show, to take a chance on different types of shows, to see what else is out there." 


Actor Doug Powers portrays Kent, who remains loyal and selfless in the face of jealousy and danger, in King Lear. 

Following the Saturday 10/15 matinee, we caught up with audience member Ivey Long to get her take on King Lear, Shakespeare, and life in Indy. A longtime resident of Indy, Long currently lives in the Butler Tarkington area. Long says her favorite Shakespeare plays are Hamlet and As You Like It.

"I absolutely love Shakespeare--the language, the history, the storylines," Long offered. This is her first time attending Bard Fest.  "I've seen a lot of Shakepeare, but this is the first time King Lear has been offered around here as far as I know. I found it powerful and tragic. I was both frustrated with and heartbroken for the king for not being able to discern who really loved him and who was just using him. It was such a tearjerker at the end and will stay with me for a long time," Long concluded.

Ivey is what many would call a theater buff. She has been a volunteer at IndyFringe for all eleven years of its existence, and sees plays all over the city throughout the year. She also goes to Broadway twice a year, usually packing five shows into three days. In December, she's headed to Chicago to see Hamilton.

Besides theater, Long loves the live music venues around Indy, especially The Jazz Kitchen. Although she loves everything Indy has to offer, she thinks it is still lacking in walking and biking green spaces throughout the city. She'd love to see something like the High Line park in Manhattan in the many historical neighborhoods around Indy. "I'd like to see more connectivity between neighborhoods, such as Butler Tarkington and Crown Hill."  


Ivey Long is a long-time fan of Shakespeare, and called this production of King Lear "Fantastic, heartbreaking, and horrifying."


Barf Fest '16 continues weekends in October:

King Lear: Sat 10/22 8 pm; Sun 10/23 3 pm; Fri 10/28 8 pm; Sat 10/29 6 pm.

Twelfth Night: Thur 10/20 8 pm; Sat 10/22 3 pm; Sat 10/29 2 pm, Sun 10/30 8 pm.

Coriolanus: Fri 10/21 8 pm; Sun 10/23 3 pm; Thur 10/27 8 pm; Sat 10/29 9 pm; Sun 10/30 3 pm.


Bard Fest Indy would not be possible without the generous support of John & June Clair, Glenn Dobbs, and Andrew & Melody Burnett.


Abby Gilster, L, portrays Viola in Twelfth Night; David Mosedale, C, portrays Lear in King Lear, and Taylor Cox, R, portrays Coriolanus in Coriolanus in Bard Fest '16.





Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Butler U. Visiting Writer's Series: Yusef Komunyakaa: "I'd Rather Die a Poet Than a Warrior"

"The blank space says, 'Wake up, you Knucklehead. It's right in front of you,' but I wonder if I had different skin, would you read me differently? Would you press your nude body against the pages and breathe new life into the speaker?" --from a reading by poet Yusef Komunyakaa at last night's Vivian S. Dellbrook Visiting Writer's Series at Butler University.
To hear even a handful of Yusef Komunyakaa's poems, you can picture him as a young boy, dreaming his destitute Louisiana street block into mythical battlegrounds where evil is vanquished. You can hear the pulse of his youth, syncopating with street corner Jazz rhythms. You can feel the sweat drenching his shirt as young man, as he crept through the jungles of Vietnam.
"It's good to be back in Indiana," were his only opening words before reading selections from his myriad volumes of poetry. Despite his somewhat podium-shy stage presence, the Bronze Star recipient and professor at New York University (prior to that Princeton and Indiana University) kept the audience riveted, and at the denouement of each poem, you could hear a pin drop. With accolades, such as the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, and the Louisiana Writer Award, it is no wonder he maintains such a loyal following, even in his 75th year. (There is some confusion as to the exact year of his birth, with his Army discharge papers citing 1941 and his passport citing 1947.)

Yusef Komunyakaa read from his works and shared insight on keeping a fresh voice with an audience rapt in gravitas.
Komunyakaa was born James William Brown, a carpenter's son and the eldest of five children. He later adopted the name Komunyakaa, which was the name his grandfather had before his stowaway voyage to the U.S. from Trinidad. Raised in Bogalusa, Louisiana, before and during the Civil Rights era, he states that it "was a terrible place to grow up, really, due to poverty and racism, and also due to the vocational limitations for black men." Despite having his literary aspirations discouraged, he spent many of his childhood waking hours in the local Negro library, reading all manner and style of literature.

His works reflect a distinct musical quality, most notably jazz, and as he read from his volumes, he kept one hand in has pocket, methodically pounding out the rhythm on his leg. He explained that "Poetry is the primary medium I have chosen because of the conciseness, the precision, the imagery, and the music in the lines. I think of language as our first music."

His service in Vietnam is another of Komunyakaa's important (if also "terrible") sources for poetic material. He says that it was not until after he had returned from the war and written the poem 'Instructions for Building Straw Huts' that he felt sure of his poetic calling. Like so many of his other pieces, Komunyakaa's Vietnam poems blend compassion and aggravation, and create vivid images with a minimum of detail, 'watching some as though prisoners of war.'" (Source: "Yusef Komunyakaa." Contemporary Southern Writers. Gale, 1999. Biography in Context. Web. 25 May 2016.)


After humbly reading selections from Copacetic, I Apologize for the Eyes in My Head, Thieves of Paradise, Magic City, Neon Vernacular, Warhorses, and others Komunyakaa took questions from the audience. Perhaps the audience picked up a bit of his stage reticence, because at first no one raised a hand. Soon questions began pouring in from freshman English majors hoping to be poets themselves, to faculty members, to longtime fans. With each question, he gave a thoughtful response, and with each response, he grew more relaxed, his smile brightening a shadowy stage.

Questions ranged from "How can I be a poet too?" to "How does jazz inform your words?" to "Can you explain your process for writing a poem?" When a timid woman stood and spoke in a barely audible voice, asking if he had ever thought of returning to Vietnam, you could almost see his heart melt as as if reliving a painful yet treasured memory. He explained that he went back in 1990, and for that singular silent moment when he gathered his thoughts, you could swear he was composing a poem on the spot.

One entusiastic audience member requested a reading of his most famous poem, "Facing It." You have to wonder if poets are like rock stars who resent singing their greatest hits in favor of deep album cuts. No matter--he seemed genuinely touched by the request and read the poem in its entirety. "Facing It," a haunting poem about the reflections he saw on his first visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, (sometimes called "The Wall") might be the poem that put him on the map. "I'd still rather die a poet than a warrior," he mirthfully informed the audience at its conclusion.

(See poem and a link to audio of his reading at the end of this post.)

When asked how he finds inspiration to keep writing, decade after decade, he replied, "My definition of poetry is confrontation plus celebration, and it's better when it's a composite that contains more questions than answers. I like the idea of going between worlds. Sometimes, if we're lucky, those worlds can converge in a single place in the heart. Sometimes. If we're lucky.... I hope that by doing this, we are in a dialog to keep each other human. But as far as inspiration, sometimes you have to start without it. I'll quit writing when I can no longer surprise myself."

As the Q&A session wound down, someone asked for a recommended reading list, and he prescribed the poems of Robert Hayden whose work he claims made him the poet he is, and the one-act play Funnyhouse of a Negro by Adrienne Kennedy.

Now here are some terribly grainy photos of the evening. Please excuse my unwillingness to blind the speaker and annoy the people around me with an obnoxious flash.

The crowd eagerly  awaits he who "masters the the serpent quill."



Komunyakaa thoughtfully fields a question about the artist's process.



People of all walks line up to thank Komunyakaa for the influence his poems have had on their lives.




"Facing It" from his 1988 collection Dien Cai Dau (Vietnamese for "crazy in the head.") Hear Komunyakaa himself recite this beloved poem here. My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. I said I wouldn't dammit: No tears. I'm stone. I'm flesh. My clouded reflection eyes me like a bird of prey, the profile of night slanted against morning. I turn this way—the stone lets me go. I turn that way—I'm inside the Vietnam Veterans Memorial again, depending on the light to make a difference. I go down the 58,022 names, half-expecting to find my own in letters like smoke. I touch the name Andrew Johnson; I see the booby trap's white flash. Names shimmer on a woman's blouse but when she walks away the names stay on the wall. Brushstrokes flash, a red bird's wings cutting across my stare. The sky. A plane in the sky. A white vet's image floats closer to me, then his pale eyes look through mine. I'm a window. He's lost his right arm inside the stone. In the black mirror a woman’s trying to erase names: No, she's brushing a boy's hair.

Monday, September 12, 2016

"La Fiebre!" Indiana Fever Superfan Lucy Brown Shares Her Love of Tamika Catchings and Forest Glen Elementary

Friday night we took in the WNBA Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky game at Banker's Life Fieldhouse. The Fever donned a special uniform of pink to honor its VIP guests: scores of local breast cancer survivors receiving a hero's welcome from the nearly eleven thousand rowdy fans. 

In another swift, on-the-edge-of-your-seat game, guard Briann January led The Fever with a season-high 20 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including the Fever’s last seven points in the final minute, not to mention six assists. Free agent guard Erica Wheeler sunk 16 points with a career-high three 3-pointers. The Fever edged out the Sky 95-88. With their win against the Washington Mystics on Sunday, the Fever has clinched its 12th consecutive playoff appearance--a record in the WBNA, and the third-longest active playoff streak of all major American professional sports leagues. Go, Fever!


All the players are a blur in crunch time. 
Fever games are always a party, bringing out a diverse crowd of young and old, kids, teens, families, and general sports fanatics. During playoff games, it is common to see the majority of the Indiana Pacers cheering on our 2012 World Champion Team. The Indiana Fever is a class act, and watching the fans is almost as fun as watching the action on the floor. Fever fans represent Indy's finest citizens—spirited, inclusive, and always up for a good time. But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what Fever head coach Stephanie White had to say about the Fever’s loyal fans:  “Our crowds are amazing. They give us a lift. They did that tonight. You could just feel the energy in the building when we needed a stop, and they got loud.”

Adding to the wizardry on the court and spirit in the audience are the gymnastic and comedic antics of Freddie Fever; the fun-packed audience contests; and the infectious groove of the Fever's Inferno Hip Hop Team. Attending a Fever game is always the winning ticket.
The electrifying Inferno Hip Hop Squad always brings the 'tude.
In the crowd Friday night was super-fan duo Lucy Brown and her father Steve, who have been cheering on the Fever for years. Lucy is a third grader at Forest Glen Elementary in Indianapolis. An aspiring journalist, Lucy is no stranger to media interviews. She recently interviewed her pediatrician for a science and speech project at her school and was excited to be a first-time interviewee. 


Steve Brown of Indianapolis with daughter Lucy enjoying a fun-filled Friday night in downtown Indianapolis at the Fever game. 

Lucy's favorite class at school is art because she loves to draw and paint. "She also loves to tell and write stories," added Steve. Maybe someday you'll grace the stage of a Jabberwocky: Storytelling Arts of Indiana event, Lucy! 

Lucy is an athlete as well as an artist and writer. She loves playing softball, and her favorite position is catcher. Her favorite Fever player is Tamika Catchings. When pressed with the age-old question, "What in the world is Freddie Fever?" Lucy replied, "He is a lot of animals rolled into one, but I think he most resembles a Phoenix." Sounds right to us, Lucy!
Lucy Brown and Freddie Fever discuss game strategy during a time-out.
Dad Steve had this to say about their night's choice of entertainment: "We just love going to Fever games, and I love spending time with Lucy. Tonight her mom took [Lucy's] brother to a football game." When asked what they love most about Indianapolis, Steve and Lucy both emphatically agreed: the schools. 

Lucy and her older brother, Henry, both attend Forest Glen, which is a language magnet school of MSD of Lawrence Township. At just nine years old, Lucy is already fluent in Spanish. At one point, she began speaking a mile a minute with great enthusiasm in Spanish, but I lost her after "¿Cómo está?" 

Steve explained that the school offers different levels of opportunities for both non-native and native speakers of Spanish. He added that Forest Glen is the number one Spanish immersion school in the country, and that college credit--namely a minor degree in Spanish--is awarded to those that graduate from the program. 


Lucy cheers on her favorite team, The Fever, while representing her favorite school, Forest Glen Elementary. 

We found the following information on the website of Forest Glen Elementary. Take a look and be amazed at some of the fantastic learning opportunities offered by our public schools: 

"The Full Immersion Program is available from kindergarten through grade 12, with kindergarten through 6th grades at Forest Glen. In grades K-2, students receive 80% of their instruction in Spanish and 20% of their instruction is in English.  In 3rd grade, students receive 70% of their instruction in Spanish and 30% of their instruction in English.  In grades 4, 5 and 6 half of the instructional day is taught in Spanish; the remainder is taught in English. By the end of elementary school, students in the Immersion Program are able to speak, read and write in both English and Spanish.

In Dual Immersion, half of the students in the class are dominant Spanish speakers and half are dominant English speakers.  Instruction follows the same percentages as the Full Immersion Program. In Dual Immersion, however, students are purposely mixed in the same classroom to assist each other in language development.  By the end of elementary school, students in the Dual Immersion Program are able to speak, read and write in both English and Spanish, as well.

Forest Glen teachers are fluent in the language they use for instruction, and in nearly all situations are dominant speakers of that language. Along with the language component, the school curriculum uses the Writers’ and Readers’ Workshops, which immerse students in reading and writing. The Five Easy Steps to a Balanced Math Program allows students to apply math skills and reasoning ability to solve real-life problems. The result: Lifelong readers who are able to articulate themselves orally and in writing, and confident mathematicians with a deep conceptual understanding of the subject."

“It’s been exciting watching Henry and Lucy help each other become bilingual,” Steve shared with us. “Our favorite restaurant is La Hacienda because all the employees always come greet us at our table. 'Enrique and Lucilla' are their favorite customers." 

Be sure to cheer on The Fever next Sunday, September 18, as they take on the Dallas Wings for their final game before playoffs. Incidentally, this game will mark Indy's beloved #24 MVP Tamika Catchings' final (regular series) game. Get tickets here.

Crowds will say a teary goodbye to #24 Tamika Catchings, ten-time WNBA All-Star, next Sunday. 
To learn more about Catchings' twenty-year career and her thoughts on her final Olympics and her final season with The Fever, check out her blog.

Tamika Catchings is a big fan of Indy's own Act A Foo Improv Crew! Here she was as the guest of honor at their Christmas show last year! Check out our recent story on Act A Foo here!

From left: Joshua Owens, Ennis Adams, Daniel Martin, Tamika Catchings, Joshua Short, and NEWLYWED Jocque Carey. (Congratulations Jocque and Le-Asiah!)










Saturday, August 27, 2016

IndyFringe 16: Acting a Foo Is Only Half the Story: Local Comedians Share Some of Their Dreams and Struggles

We remember the first time we saw Act A Foo Improv Crew (AAF) at IndyFringe. The year was 2012, and we had just seen a couple of affecting but heart-wrenching dramas. We figured it was the perfect time to let off some steam and remind ourselves what a good belly laugh feels like. Turns out we saved the best for last.

Since then, we have seen AAF perform in every IndyFringe festival plus a few of their Sunday night shows and their Halloween and Christmas parties. We invite friends along to every AAF outing because the band of lovable misfits of AAF have a way of making everyone--especially women (hey, it's their gift!)--feel like the guest of honor. 


"Les enfants terribles"of AAF are always the life of the party at IndyFringe. (From bottom left: Daniel Martin, Ennis Adams, Joshua "The Girth" Owens, Jocque Carey, and Joshua Short.)

I was curious about this animated group whom I'd heard had all grown up together in Indianapolis, but I'd never met any of them in person. And here's the beauty of Fringe. It literally breaks down the walls of a guarded society.  Even the most timid can approach a stranger and walk away a friend. Thus was the case in 2013, when I was stepping out of IndyFringe theater, feeling a post-stage rush, when I spotted the enfants terribles crossing the street. Not knowing any of their names, I began to call to them, "Hello, Foo! Mr. Foo! Mr. Act A Foo!" A gentleman turned around and smiled as I ran up to greet him. It turned out to be the MC of the group Daniel Martin, and with one spirited greeting from a stranger on St. Clair Street, I now have a friend for life. 

Since then, we have had the joy of seeing these gentlemen perform in various plays and venues around town, and Larry and Daniel even wound up together on the set of an industrial film last year. Truly one of the greatest gifts of being involved in various capacities at IndyFringe for the past twelve years is the sheer number of people from all over the globe with whom I've crossed hands.

It's our last post of the festival, so I will impose on readers to enjoy a post that I hope will be more meaningful than sentimental. It seems a fine way to end our coverage of IndyFringe '16. 

I caught up with Martin this week to discuss their troupe, their sense of place in Indy, and their hopes as performers. My one regret is that I couldn't interview the whole group. (Future post idea: A night on the town with Act a Foo.) Make no mistake: although Martin takes the reigns of the group on-stage, this is a 100% team effort by all members, and each of them contributes equal effort and talent to their great success.

Maybe you're like us and have watched them slay the audience and wondered, "What were they like growing up? What did their poor mothers do?!" Incidentally, I mentioned this to member Joshua Short once, and he responded in all seriousness, "Please pray for them!" (Future post idea: Let's talk to the Foos' mothers!) 

In Carey's case, his mother sent him to Asante Children's Theater. As explained by Martin, Carey was "hyperactive" (his mother's words) as a child, and rather than squelch his enthusiasm and interest in making people laugh, she helped him find a way to channel his energy. It was here that Carey met Martin, Adams, and Short.

Martin and Owens met by way of church, and telling me so made Martin crack up. "Why is that funny?" I asked. "Because the two of us...in church. Talk about not fitting in!" The plot thickens: It turns out that Martin was not just a member of Harding Street Church of Christ--his father, Peter N. Martin, Sr. is the minister. Martin and Owens are still members of this church.  (Future post idea: What is it with Preachers' Kids growing up to be Fringe Artists?! One half of this duo--the handsome, debonair one--also falls into the category of PK-turned-Fringe Artist.)

Sidebar: We would be remiss not to include this tidbit. Martin's grandfather was journalist Fletcher Martin of the Chicago Sun Times, a WWII correspondent who also had the honor of introducing the city of Chicago to the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. during a civil rights conference. Fletcher Martin was also the recipient of The Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University--the most prestigious journalism fellowship in the U.S.  

AAF started performing professionally as a group about seven years ago. Before that, they constantly "performed" for friends and family in various living rooms around Indy. When asked how they came with their name, Martin replied, "We figured we'd give ourselves a name that would give people an idea of what to expect at our shows. And that's just it. We invite people to 'act-a-foo' with us."

"I figured it was an admonishment administered by your mothers growing up," I offered. Martin laughed, "Well she was rather fond of saying to me as a boy, 'You act a foo' now, I'm gonna act a foo' later!'" Since launching professionally, members have come and gone from the group, but the current five foos remain thick as thieves.  

Each member of AAF continues to perform in various capacities around Indy. Adams recently appeared in Blues for an Alabama Sky at Spotlight Players; Carey is a frequent director of Asante Children's Theater; and Martin recently turned in a stunning performance as Tom Robinson in the sold out run of To Kill A Mockingbird at the Indiana Repertory Theater. 

Recently, however, Martin and Carey have set their sights on bigger markets. After years of dreaming about taking things to the next level, they took a leap of faith and moved to Atlanta, a burgeoning film and theater city. "One day, Jocque said, 'That's it. We gotta stop talking about it and start doing it. Come June, we're out of here,'" Martin explained. "Jocque is a schoolteacher and wanted to finish out the year before moving. By March, I realized he was serious, and I was like, 'I have got to get on the ball and make this happen!'" 

One might question the timing of such a move. Things have been going well for AAF these past few years. Martin shared the reason for their move. "We want to be professional actors. Not just comedians. We love bringing comedy, but we are also serious actors. We're always surprised that people are surprised that we also do drama.'" (It's this writer's opinion that comedians often make the best dramatic actors.) Although they have climbed the ladder of success in Indy, it does, unfortunately remain a small market for professionals. "In Atlanta, there are greater opportunities," and he adds somewhat ruefully, "More opportunities for actors who happen to be African American." 

Carey and Martin have settled in Atlanta but point out that Indy is just a "quick" (their words, not mine) eight-hour drive away, so they can still stay involved with AAF. For the past couple of months, they have been focused on the bare bone necessity of survival, which has thus far taken precedence over networking and auditioning. After IndyFringe closes, however, they will meet with directors and theaters, including Alliance Theater, which is Atlanta's equivalent of the IRT.

When asked what he misses about Indy, Martin quickly responded, "I miss being comfortable! We could always find work here, and now no one knows us. We are starting all over. It is going to be incredibly difficult and expensive to get established. I miss my family and friends and performing in Indy, but honestly that comfort  kept me here longer than it should have." Martin, although not starry eyed about his future as a performer remains hopeful. "I need to get my feet wet in the film industry. I still prefer the stage. It's more thrilling. You don't get to do several takes on the stage. You have to sustain your range and depth of emotions night after night. You have to reach so much deeper. But working in film will give me more experience and credibility. And right now my main goal in life is to be as uncomfortable as possible." 

Martin still feels inextricably connected to Indy and plans on returning often for the foreseeable future. "We're (AAF) grateful to Indy for supporting us and for all the publicity we've been getting." He takes a deep breath, and gets lost in a thought. "What it is it?" I asked. "I just--. Can I be honest about something, just speaking something from my heart?" 

He continues. "We are so excited to be featured on local TV stations and various local media outlets. We couldn't be more grateful for that coverage--really we are very thankful. But the truth is, we are constantly referred to as an 'African American' Comedy Group.' Every time it happens, we shake our heads and wonder why people continue to see things in terms of race. The problem with that kind of descriptor is that it suggests that our comedy is only for African Americans, and that is just not the case. At various times, we've had white people in our troupe, so it's also not accurate." 

I encouraged Martin to continue. "We want to be known for our art and craft, not our skin color. We just want to make people laugh, and the truth is, we're pretty darn good at it. If people who have never seen one of our shows see us described as 'African American Comedy Group,' they might not feel welcome, thinking that we have a preferred audience. You know, we're just grown men who grew up together around Indy. We represent Indy, not just certain demographic groups. I say this not to complain or create friction. We just want everyone to know that all are welcome to come play with us and make art with us and act a foo with us!" 

Although there a couple of other improv groups in town, AAF takes pride in the fact that they built their group one by one over the years. They didn't have a theater to support them. They had to find their own venues and figure out how to reach the most people without an established audience. IndyFringe has gone a long way in helping them grow their audience. 

Martin concludes, "In a Fringe setting, it's okay for anyone to talk to anyone. When it's just me--just Daniel--outside of Fringe, I'm always open to meeting people on the street. But at Fringe, people feel more open to greet me. It provides a safe place to get out of your comfort zone." (As Larry puts it, "Fringe audiences just don't have the 'ol broomstick up the ass.") 

Now if you really want to get over your comfort zone, head down to IndyFringe for AAF's closing weekend to get a belly ache from laughing for your foo' head off.

Saturday 8/27 3pm
Sunday 8/28 1:30 pm

Don't be a stranger now. If you see one of the foos out and about, say, "Hello, Foo!"


Daniel capturing a selfie--or an "ussie" for plural, we decided, at last year's AAF Halloween party.



Friday, August 26, 2016

IndyFringe16: Loren Niemi: Bad Brother...Good Human

Loren Niemi, a storyteller based out of Minneapolis, is perhaps best known in these parts as one-half of the duo that has brought Indy 55 Minutes of Sex, Drugs, and Audience Participation for several years. Niemi is back this year with his brand new solo autobiographical piece Bad Brother. A performer around North America for decades, IndyFringe marks the debut of this show, which Niemi has been writing--or trying to write--for over twenty years:

I was in a religious order - you know, poverty, celibacy, obedience - I was good at one of them. It was the 60s and revolution was in the air. This is the story of how I entered a Catholic and left a Buddhist anti-war peacenik with a FBI file. (from the IndyFringe program guide)

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Niemi has been receiving a lot of well deserved attention for this particular show, so I thought I would add to that conversation some of Niemi's thoughts on developing and refining the show: 

"My show has been in development for 20 years, which is how long it's taken to burn away any residue of guilt, shame, anger, or grief about who I was when it takes place. What I want the audience to see is that the challenges to peace and justice in the era of 'Nam and Flower Power are still with us though perhaps not as starkly generational. 


"I've spent most of life balancing art and politics as work and as necessity. I've alternated between being highly nomadic and being rooted in specific communities and arts organizations. It is all good. It is (almost) all a story worth the telling." 

IndyFringe has proven itself an incubator once again, and Niemi has been grateful for the opportunity not only to present a show so close to his heart, but also to get feedback from audiences after the performances. Niemi says he is getting a wide range of responses to the show, including people of his generation eager to share with him some of the experiences of the era that still haunt them. 

The Larry half of this duo offered that the play conjured a painful memory about losing a good friend from high school to the war. "I hadn't even known he had been sent to Vietnam when I read his obituary in the Detroit Free Press while I was away at college. The draft dictated that any kid who couldn't afford college was sent to the war. It was discrimination, plain and simple. The government decided that certain members of our society were valued more than others." Talking with Niemi after the show about his lost friend offered him the chance to relieve some of the guilt and agony, as Niemi understood all too well how deeply that pain is rooted. 

On the flip side, Niemi also notes that he is surprised by a younger generation's response to his show. Evidently, perhaps due to pop culture and bad film, there is a misnomer that this generation produced nothing but peaceful, love-making flower children, and that everything was harmonious. He shared that he is at least happy that younger people are showing an interest in the show--or as he humorously puts it, "politely suffering through my spiel about why they should attend."  

Explaining the show to say, millennials, who seem to have a rather shallow understanding of what was actually happening at the time, has proved to be flummoxing for Niemi. "They're looking at you kind of wide-eyed and speechless when you offer a more realistic picture of how things were, and you get the feeling that maybe they prefer the myth over the truth, " Niemi offered. 

The other half of this duo, who was not yet born during the riots of 67, felt especially connected to his story about being refused service in a barbecue joint on account of being white. As someone who was born and raised in a place where the stronghold of segregation is only now begining to deteriorate, I was eager to hear of first-hand experiences.  As he walked the audience through his emotions of what discrimination feels like on the receiving end, I could feel his reticence to explain to the proprietor that he wasn't "one of those kinds of white people." Incidentally, his avid descriptions of the joint also made me really hungry for barbecue, so a prospective attendee might do well to eat before the show. 

As a professional storyteller Niemi is no stranger to sending his stories out into the world and letting the chips fall as they may. An artist is never at liberty to instruct an audience how to receive a message. Clearly, his stories from Bad Brother have a been an important touchstone for many at IndyFringe. As he says in his book, The New Book of Plots, "Storytelling always has been the primary means of articulating our fundamental core values, of describing who we are as individuals and peoples, and of confirming our peceptions of what it means to be human. It shapes the chaos of the ever-changing world and speaks to what is 'right' and 'true.'"

Niemi's Bad Brother concludes its run this weekend at the Phoenix Underground:

Fri 8/29 9 pm
Sat 8/27 4:30 pm
Sun 8/28 1:30 pm

On the off chance that this your first exposure to Niemi's work, you might be of the misconception that he is a very serious man.

Well, here he is photobombing like a boss with our friends in Act a Foo Improv Crew! I believe his words were, "I'll show you how it's done."



Loren Niemi proving that "Gentlemen of a Certain Age" are not afraid to steal anyone's thunder.


IndyFringe16: Holy Butts in Seats! Meet IndyFringe's Superheroes Lola and Kevin Elkins!

We are pleased to introduce IndyFringe's Superheroes, Lola and Kevin Elkins!

This power duo has an extraordinary super power: they see a whopping 48 shows per festival! BAM! This year they will see 38 because they decided they needed to eat. Even superheroes get hungry! (How about some food trucks on Mass Ave, already?! Pizza by the slice, sliders, tacos, anything!) 

Lola and Kevin have been attending IndyFringe theater festival for about five years, six including this year, so between the two of them, that means that come Sunday night, they will have seen an astounding 556 shows between the two of them! KAPLOWIE! That would be the equivalent of filling the IndyFringe theater five times over and some change! ZLONK! Talk about Standing Room Only!

So who is this power duo? Like all superheroes, they don't give away their secrets, but they managed to squeeze us in before the evening's festivities began, leaving us with a few clues:

They live in Brownsburg. They both grew up in Indy. They love Indy because it's a big city that feels small. They are long-time theater fans and especially love musicals. At various times they have been season ticket holders to Broadway Across America, the Civic Theater, Theater on the Square, and The Phoenix. 

They discovered IndyFringe by accident. One night while hanging out at The Pub on Mass Ave, they suddenly heard a commotion from across the street and spotted alien-like creatures cavorting and carousing! (Some were eating fire like it was a food truck taco! Get some tacos down here already!) 

Those weren't aliens! Those were Fringe Artists in the IndyFringe beer tent! POWIE!

They approached cautiously at first but were warmly greeted by one of the very fine-looking gentlemen bartenders who explained this fascinating scene. Lola and Kevin downed their beers and dispatched immediately to the nearest participating theater, and they've never looked back.

While they love most of the shows they see, a couple have stood out over the years:

$3 Bill's Schoolhouse WRONG! and Ben Asaykwee's My Name Is. (Both of their fathers are veterans. Their son's girlfriend is also a veteran, so they took her to the show too.) "We love anything by Ben!" they said.

This year their favorites thus have far have included I'd Like to See More of You, Hold on to Your Butts, Sleeping Beauty, The Indiana Squirrel Stampede, Haul & Oatz: Time Traveling Detectives, An Alien of Extraordinary Ability, and The Juniper Tree. "We're saving The Circus of Joy for our last show so we're sure to end on a high note," they explained. "We just love Jason Adams!"

We think it is valiant that most of your favorite shows are by Indy artists, Lola and Kevin!

And with that, the clock struck 5:30--time for the power duo to swoop back down to IndyFringe to let off some steam after a long day at their respective jobs. (It's their cover.)

I did manage to get one snap shot of them. Be sure to say, "KABOOMJIE!" but don't blow their cover!



Superheroes Lola & Kevin Elkins. Mild mannered professionals by day, IndyFringe Superheroes by night!



Thanks to Bat-mania!, a blog about words that flashed on the screen while Bat Man and Robin beat on some bad guys, for helping with proper superhero terminology. 

IndyFringe16: "Short Fringe Theater" Gives Local Artist Courage to Press On

IndyFringe, while it features many professional artists, is still at its heart an incubator for new artists and new performance pieces. IndyFringe is constantly evolving to ensure that these new voices and new stories have a place to grow. 

This year marks the inauguration of "Short Fringe," an intimate performance space inside the beer tent:

"Every night we present a new, unjuried bill of 15-minute performances. Brilliant monologues? Plays in progress? Comedy improv? Cabaret singers? Avant-garde dance? Drag? Bring an open mind because we have it all!

"On weekends, we just double the performances and the fun! Kids shows--including magic, puppets, and storytelling--fall on Saturdays on Sundays.

Every Sunday night is a juried 'Best of the Week' of Short Fringe performances, and the last weekend is the juried 'Best of the Fest,' with a few wildcards thrown in."--IndyFringe program

We were pleased to check out a couple of these performances opening weekend. One was a polished piece by Les Kurkendaal of West Hollywood, who brought his story from his tour with The Moth. With just a microphone in hand and no props or lighting, Kurkendaal gave the delighted audience a chance to feel what it would be like to attend a Moth story event in New York City. 

On the flip side, we saw a local artist who used her time slot to pitch and refine a show she's been dreaming of doing for the past couple of years. In When You Marry, A Look at 1940s Propaganda Aimed at Women," (a working title) Janice Hibbard read from an actual text book that belonged to the Indiana School for Girls, and offered a comical yet thought-provoking commentary on the messages women have been sent through the decades, and how the echoes of those messages can still be heard.



Hibbard shares some very "helpful" advice that was administered to prospective brides of the 1940s at the Short Fringe stage.


I got to sit down with Hibbard and discuss how she came up with the show idea and how the Short Fringe stage has helped her refine her vision.

"For a long time, I had this vision of a show about housewives from the 1950s, riffing on the old instructional videos aimed at women of the time. I wanted to write about how women felt about constantly being reminded how to be a 'respectable woman,'" Hibbard began.

"But something wasn't gelling in my idea. Then I found this book back stage at a local theater, and we all started reading it and laughing hysterically, except it wasn't funny when you actually thought about it. I got to thinking of how I would have felt as a young woman or girl who wanted to please my teachers and parents, and how I would have received these messages. That's when I got the idea to do a one-woman show about this book and similar propaganda and intersperse the narrative of the book with my own ideas of what it's like to be married," she continued. 

The idea of doing a one-person show began to take root in Hibbard about a year ago. "I watched my friends and contemporaries leaving established theater groups to branch out and go solo, and I started to feel ready for such a challenge. When I heard what Fringe was doing this year with the Short Fringe stage, I took a deep breath, and signed up for a slot.

"Before I took the stage, I started grappling with doubts and fears. 'What if this flops? What if people get mad that I'm reading out of a book? What if they hate what I'm doing or think that I'm confirming the messages of these instructional books--or think that I'm making fun of marriage? That's not what I'm doing. I'm just wondering how these women felt; I'm exploring that." 

After her performance, she shared some thoughts on how performing the piece-in-progress helped her.

"I got immediate response on what parts got a reaction from people. I'm getting a better feel for how to structure the show. I feel encouraged to press on."

When asked what her next step will be for this piece, she replied, "Write. Edit. Finish. Perform." As an actor, director, and stage manager, Hibbard is well connected in the local theater scene and has a few theaters she'd like to approach. "I've also been checking out other Fringe festivals that are reasonably close to Indy," she added.

Born and raised in Munster, Indiana, Hibbard moved to Indy to attend college. In 2006 she bought a house on the east side, where she lives with her husband, Eddie. 

Hibbard has been involved in theater all her life, from performing in community theaters around Munster as a child, to teaching piano lessons as an adult here in Indy. After graduating college, however, she began to feel that her options as a performance artist in Indy were limited to just a handful of theaters, which frankly did not always perform works that compelled her. For about five years, she feared she would never get to do the type of meaningful theater she'd dreamed about her whole life.

"But around 2010, things started shifting in Indy. New, independent theater groups started popping up all over town. I got involved with Q-Artistry, and through their New Plays Festival, I was able to write and stage my first play. (Imaginary That, IndyFringe 2012). Since then I've volunteered for every role there is in theater--not just acting, but directing and stage managing. I find the Indy theater scene to be very accepting, and there's a lot of collaboration between groups--we don't seem to have rivalries or bad blood among different groups at our level. I've grown so much the last few years."

When she's not busy with theater, Hibbard can be found at CitYoga, Half Price Books, or Books-a-Million. She loves Indiana and says she can make a vacation out of simply going to Bloomington for the day to take in the charm and visit the bookstores. Her favorite place to hang out is the Sinking Ship in SoBro because of its incredible vegan options. Next to theater, she loves nothing more than relaxing at home with her husband and her dog, going on Netflix binges. 

Congratulations on facing your fears and taking the Short Fringe stage at a moment's notice, Janice!



 
The future looks very bright for emerging local performance artist/writer Janice Hibbard.