Miss Didi goes Broadway

Well, here’s a star in the making. Orlando’s own Douglas McGeoch, aka Didi Panache, has won a walk-on in the current Broadway revival of La Cage aux Folles.

GOAT’s Cherry Street home is no more

Greater Orlando Actors’ Theatre has given up on moving back into its onetime home at 669 Cherry St. in Winter Park, board member Paul Castaneda says.

The group did about half a dozen shows at the Cherry Street building in 2009 but had to leave it early this year because of problems with Winter Park city codes. Both the landlord and GOAT itself put in money to bring the building up to code. (Bathrooms and egress were among the problems.) But Castaneda says the cost kept rising and eventually it just became too much.

The Fringe holds its lottery, and the winners are:

Here’s the updated version of the Fringe lottery list (as of 11/16/2010). Additions are in red:

I covered the Fringe lottery from a distance this year — not as far as Brian Feldman, who tweeted about it from California, but from my same-zipcode-as-the-venues comfortable chair at home.

So I can’t entirely vouch for the all-inclusiveness of the results. Here’s what I know:

Fringe show seeks musical director

Here’s news from Jill Bevan of a Fringe show looking for a musical director:

Marshall plans mini-festival

Beth Marshall, the producing artistic director of the Orlando Fringe and also producer of local theater under the name Beth Marshall Presents, has put together a weekend-long festival of shows she plans to tour on next summer’s US and Canadian Fringe circuit.

Called Bethfest 2010 and set for Oct. 22-24, the weekend will feature a bunch of Orlando-based performers — Rob Ward, Chase Padgett, Dewey Chaffee, Douglas McGeoch, Jessica Mariko — along with visiting Fringe artists Paul Strickland (A Brighter Shade of Blue) and Rob Gee (Fruitcakes).

Applications available for 2011 Fringe

Here’s your semiofficial notice that applications are now available online for the 2011 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, otherwise known as Fringe. Applications and guidelines are both online at orlandofringe.org.

GOAT makes opening a Fringe fundraiser

I’m sure I’m not the only one who loves to see theater groups helping each other out, so here’s good news for everybody involved. Greater Orlando Actors Theatre’s opening night of Neil LaBute’s Some Girl(s) — set for this Thursday night — will be a fundraiser for the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival.

Two rise at the Fringe

Congrats to George Wallace and Mike Garvey, who have new positions with the Fringe. George, who was producer Beth Marshall’s right-hand man for the last festival, has been promoted to general manager, leaving Marshall to concentrate on artistic direction. And Mike, a familiar face among Fringe volunteers for many years, is the festival’s new board president.

Playwrights’ Round Table looking for plays

There’s lots going on this summer for the good folks of Playwrights’ Round Table, which is seeking plays for the John Goring Memorial One-Act Festival, honoring the late playwright, and for next year’s Fringe.

GoringFest will be presented in Studio B at Lowndes Shakespeare Center sometime between Nov. 1 and 14. The 2011 Orlando Fringe will be May 19-30 in Loch Haven Park.

A really quick look back to Fringe

For those of you mooning around this summer because Fringe is now long in our past, here’s Mark Baratelli’s quick look back at his Audience Choice Awards. Michael Poley edited it and did a great job.

I don’t agree with all of these (that’s why we have critics, folks), but it’s fun to see all the familiar faces flash by. Here you go.

In memoriam: Terry Newby, 1951-2010

I posted this obituary to my Facebook page the other day but neglected to put it here. My sympathies go to Albert and to Terry’s family and friends:

Terry Newby always had a smile on his face.

It should come as no surprise to those who knew him that the quote on his Facebook page is “To be lucky you must work at making opportunities.” Terry believed in making the best of life, and he worked hard at it.

“He always brought the positive side of life to every situation,” said Albert Ramirez-Newby, his partner of 9½ years. “He was so loving, and he was always in a great mood.”

This and that from the Fringe

Here, minus the pretty graphics, is the latest newsletter from the Fringe, including (at the bottom) its drive to raise $20 from a whole lot of people to support itself in its 20th-anniversary year. If you’ve got $20, think about giving it to the Fringe.

Greetings!

July is officially here! It is a busy month at Fringe. We are getting ready to launch our applications for the 20th Annual Orlando Fringe, which will be available online September 1, 2010.

Today is the official Kick-Off of the $20 for Fringe 20 campaign. Please share this information with your friends and family!

Toxic Audio comes back to downtown O’town

Toxic Audio, the a cappella group that started out eons ago (actually, in 1998) at the Orlando Fringe, will return to downtown Orlando for one concert Friday July 16.

The show is set for the newish Harriet Coleman Center for the Arts at Lake Highland Prep, which I have never seen but is alleged to be the nicest theater in town.

‘6 Guitars’ held over

Chase Padgett must be flying high: His production of 6 Guitars, which sold out at the Fringe, has sold out again for this weekend.

So he’s added three more performances at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center in July — 8 p.m. July 23 and 24 and 4 p.m. July 25.

To make reservations, call Chase at 407-965-2755 and he’ll take care of you.

Another Fringe show makes a comeback

Viet Nguyen’s haunting Fringe piece, Reincarnation Soup, comes back to life for two weekends at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center:

On this weekend, off this weekend, on down the line

A bunch of tidbits about what’s happening (and not happening) this weekend and on into July:

First, the opening of Butterflies Are Free at Breakthrough Theatre has been postponed until next weekend — because the lead actor didn’t show up for his final dress rehearsal. (I’d hate to be that guy looking for his next acting gig.)

Fringe numbers up in a recession year

The Fringe’s Beth Marshall and George Wallace write that audience numbers were up at last month’s Fringe — with around 2,000 more tickets distributed than last year.

‘6 Guitars’ returns to Orlando Shakes

Chase Padgett’s Fringe hit 6 Guitars will be at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center the weekend of June 18. Here’s Chase:

6 Guitars will be at the Shakespeare Center next week Friday and Saturday the 18th and 19th at 8pm and Saturday the 20th at 4pm. Tell all your friends. Tickets cash only at the door.

I’ll post more info if I get it.

The Blattner Diaries

A lot of you Fringegoers know Myron Blattner, who saw as many Fringe shows as I did and wrote about them besides. And some of you have been looking for his accounts of the Fringe. Here they are, unedited and as only Myron could relate them:

Sunday was a very long day.  Saw 7 shows.  Had a lot of fun.  Had time to sit on the LAWN OF FABULOUSNESS.  Met many people that had never been to the Fringe before. Mostly older people.  Saw a little woman wearing a funny flowered dress, and her face had a lot of make-up.  She kept hiccupping.  Spoke with a totally totally vivacious woman wearing a cheerleader’s outfit.  All of a sudden a very tall man with sparkle all over his face walked by.  Strange.  Heard someone call a “penis” a WATER HOSE.  Heard someone call herself a BAD BAD RELATIONS ADDICT.  Saw a little red haired girl slit the throat of four or five people. Had someone ask for a donation for sheltered animals. Saw two men play ping pong without a ball.  Weird things are happening.  Had to wear funny glasses on the way to the moon. Saw dancers at a circus.  Only at the FRINGE FESTIVAL can these things happen.  I’ll let you know what happens on Monday.

For a memory of Fringe …

No question, maybe the biggest surprise hit of Fringe — for those of us lucky enough to have seen it — was Dog Powered Robot, the packing-box-and-Pomeranian duo devised by Evan Miga and starring, some nights, in the grab-bag show Creative Mind Experiment.

Now you can hold onto your memories of Fringe in your own Dog Powered Robot T-shirt — and $1 of the proceeds from each shirt will go to the Humane Society.