WaterTower Theatre announced today the lineup of shows for its 2014 Out of the Loop Fringe Festival, which takes place March 6–16. The Addison theater will host seven world premieres and several returning favorites, Terry Martin, the artistic director, said. As always, the festival will include dance, theatre, cabaret artists and visual arts
Eighteen artists and performing arts organizations will participate in this year’s festival. Among the world premieres will be Mozart’s Muse (presented by Jendi Tarde), Beware of Plastics (Actor’s Conservatory Theater), local actress-singer Diana Sheehan in Searching for Gertrude Lawrence and returning gay playwright David Parr’s Express from 59th. Best of Loop will also return this year.
The gayest of the plays is certainly Falling Man, about a drag queen, a hustler and Jeffrey Dahmer.
Read the full line up after the jump.
Beware of Plastics. This is an original performance piece made up of monologues written and performed by the young women in the show. These young actresses share their personal experiences and opinions of diversity. Stone Cottage 3/7 – 7 p.m.; 3/8 – 8 p.m.; 3/9 – 5 p.m. With Robert’s Eternal Goldfish (Audacity Theatre Lab)
Passport to Womanhood. Kenya, a young and curious girl, embarks on a journey through life and recounts her fondest memories growing up and how they have shaped her into becoming a woman. All of her life lessons serve as metaphorical stamps on her passport that provide her access into womanhood. Stone Cottage 3/8 – 2 p.m.; 3/13 – 7:30 p.m.; 3/15 – 8 p.m.
Robert’s Eternal Goldfish. In this solo show by Brad McEntire, the audience comes face to face with Mr. Charlemagne J. Roberts. Roberts has a huge problem with people. All people. One day he becomes the unlikely custodian of a magical goldfish, and Mr. Roberts’ misanthropic view of the world is seriously challenged. Stone Cottage 3/7 – 7 p.m.; 3/8 – 8 p.m.; 3/9 – 5 p.m. With Beware of Plastics.
Butcher Holler Here We Come, pictured above. It’s 1973 in a West Virginia coal mine. Following a cave collapse, five coal miners struggle to survive the dwindling supply of oxygen, the lack of food and water, the unraveling sense of passing time, and, even more threatening, their own competing natures. Stone Cottage 3/7 – 9 p.m.; 3/8 – 5 p.m.; 3/9 – 2 p.m.
Brandon Simmons in Falling Man. Falling Man examines the lives of a diverse group of gay men from various backgrounds. Join Brandon Simmons in a tour-de-force performance as we meet a former drag queen, a young hustler who is taken over by the spirit of Tennessee Williams, the infamous Jeffrey Dahmer, and a former cha-cha champion who just wants to be remembered. Starring Brandon Simmons and directed by Ted Wold. Stone Cottage 3/11 – 7:30 p.m.; 3/14 – 7:30 p.m.; 3/15 – 2 p.m.
Contemporary Ballet Dallas’ Sidewalk Stories. Sidewalk Stories explores the lives of urban dwellers. Audiences will learn the characters’ individual stories and see the relevance of their lives on the greater whole. Inspired, in part, by works of the legendary jazz singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone. Main Stage 3/8 – 5 p.m.; 3/12 – 7:30 p.m.; 3/15 – 2 p.m.
One Raelette’s Journey. Former Ray Charles “Raelette” Cynthia Scott reveals slices of her life in a humorous and compassionate musical journey. The daughter of a preacher from Arkansas, Scott reflects on her childhood, the trying times of the civil rights movement, the pain of her mother’s illness with Alzheimer disease, and the life and death of the legendary singer Ray Charles. Studio Theatre 3/13 – 7:30 p.m.; 3/15 — 2 p.m.
An Evening with Dallas Neo-Classical Ballet. Dallas Neo-Classical Ballet will present selections from their repertoire in An Evening with DNCB. Included in the evening’s line-up are original works by the DNCB’S co-founders, as well as works by company members, Jaclyn Brewer-Poole and Addison Reed. DNCB also will present an array of classical variations and a new piece set to original compositions by Jordan Kuspa. Main Stage 3/8 – 8 p.m.; 3/9 – 2 p.m.
Diana Sheehan in Searching for Gertrude Lawrence. Once one of the most famous women in the world and one of the biggest stars of Broadway and the West End, Gertrude Lawrence (1900-1952) inspired some of the greatest songwriters in the American Musical Theatre including: George & Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Kurt Weill and Rodgers & Hammerstein. Diana explores the music and elusive qualities that made her a star. Studio Theatre: 3/11 – 7:30 p.m.; 3/15 – 8 p.m.; 3/16 – 2 p.m.
Express From 59th. This comedic drama by gay playwright David Parr, who has been at the festival several time, is a kaleidoscopic look at the variety of ways in which strangers express themselves, tracking the same ten minutes on a late night subway ride in midtown Manhattan from four dramatically different perspectives. Main Stage 3/13 – 7:30 p.m.; 3/15 – 5 p.m.; 3/16 – 5 p.m.
No Show: A One Woman Show. Woody Allen said “80 percent of success is showing up.” Apparently, comedic actress, Jenn Dodd, missed the memo. It’s the opening night of her one-woman show and friends, family and fellow industry colleagues are all ready and waiting to see what this comedy gal has to offer. With the pressure rising and a misguided director who’s cut all the funny lines from her show, our leading lady is nowhere to be found and the stage crew has to scramble. Studio Theatre 3/7 – 7 p.m.; 3/8 – 2 p.m.; 3/9 – 5 p.m.
Tonight a Clown Will Travel Time. Haunted by the bloodthirsty execution of a law-breaking elephant and inspired by a mysterious woman from a century earlier, one clown escapes to the past in order to change the course of history and finally do something useful with his life. Stone Cottage 3/12 – 7:30 p.m.; 3/15 – 5 p.m.; 3/16 – 5 p.m.
Mozart’s Muse. Jendi Tarde stars in an operatic play about Aloysia Weber Lange, the most sought – after and difficult diva of her time. Enter her dressing room as she strips to a shift, petticoats are layered, the corset stays are painfully strapped on, a wide pannier is hooked over her, a dresser attaches the stomacher with long, sharp pins. It’s a strangely sensual experience watching her dress. All the while, we are taken through a story drowned in the beauty of Mozart’s music, sung by the woman he wrote it all for … his greatest love, his every inspiration and his wife’s sister. Main Stage 3/11 – 7:30 p.m.; 3/15 – 8 p.m.; 3/16 – 2 p.m.
(K) New Order: A Dance-o-rama Movement Scene. Choreographers Lesley Snelson, Kristin Daniels, Lindsey Knight and Jackie Beth Shilcutt collaborate in giving a nod to the beloved British rock band that transformed the global dance scene and culture throughout the 1980s and 1990s. M2DT celebrates New Order’s legacy by moving and grooving to some of the band’s most popular hits. Main Stage: 3/7 – 9 p.m.; 3/9 – 5 p.m.
Antarctica. Risk Theater Initiative returns to producing after a six-year hiatus with this absurdist fairy tale on growing up. Shy Magda (Jessica Cavanaugh) meets frenetic fellow 15-year-old Winnie (Marianne Galloway) … and they immediately become best friends forever. In the certainty that “it will change everything,” the two impulsively embark on a journey to the unknown tundra of Antarctica, their path fraught with boys, penguins and an enchanted polar bear (Chad Gowen Spear) with a dire message. A darkly comic fantasia of kaleidoscopic proportions. Studio Theatre 3/7 – 9 p.m.; 3/14 – 7:30 p.m.; 3/16 – 5 p.m.
Playing with Myself: An Exercise in Narcissism. Described as “a deeply philosophical investigation of dreams and human performance,” this action-packed tour de force explores one man’s dark subconscious — via pickles, homicidal puppetry, dick jokes and a brawl against himself. Studio Theatre 3/8 – 8 p.m.; 3/9 – 8 p.m.
Trick Boxing: A dance, a bout, a romance. Immigrant apple-seller Dancing Danny David is bamboozled by hustlers, bookies and a dance hall girl into becoming a championship boxer in this 1930’s romantic comedy told through rapid-fire dialogue, high-energy dances, ridiculous puppetry, true love and, of course, boxing. Main Stage 3/7 – 7 p.m.; 3/8 – 2 p.m.
Sweet Chariot. How did I get here? John sits in his bathtub getting drunk, seeking philosophical answers and emotional comfort from Boyd Worley’s midnight radio show. Time and reality blur as Sweet Chariot explores the emotional psyche of a man in crisis. Written by Cody Lucas and directed by Tashina Richardson and Cody Lucas. Stone Cottage 3/9 – 8 p.m.; 3/14 – 9 p.m.; 3/16 – 2 p.m.
Honky. WTT’s entry is about a black teenager shot for his “Sky Max” shoes. Sales triple among white teens. Are ghetto-glorifying commercials to blame for the CEO who only sees dollar signs? Either way, a new cure for racism promises to solve everything and advertises, “If you don’t think you need it, you’re probably a racist!” Written by Greg Kalleres and directed by WTT’s lesbian associate producer Kelsey Leigh Ervi, Honky is a darkly comedic look at five people, white and black, as they navigate the murky waters of advertising, race, romance and basketball shoes. Studio Theatre 3/6 – 8 p.m.; 3/8 – 5 p.m.; 3/9 – 2 p.m.; 3/12 – 7:30 p.m.; 3/14 – 9 p.m.; 3/15 – 5 p.m.
Single tickets to all events go on sale Feb. 18. Festival Passes, now on sale, include one admission to each Festival event and are $65. WaterTower Theatre subscribers receive $10 off each Festival pass. Individual ticket prices for each event are $10 or $15. Loop passholders may make reservations starting Feb. 11.
