The Orlando International Theatre Festival is in full swing, taking over Loch Haven Park with performance, food, and drink through Memorial Day, May 25. Things got started with the National/International Teaser Show on Tuesday, which was preceded by a ribbon-cutting ceremony during which sponsors were recognized, and politicians gave proclamations bound to gather dust on a shelf.
The evening was hosted by the always flamboyant P. Sparkle (Instagram), the slightly gayer alter-ego of multi-hyphenated Rob Ward, who kept the proceedings moving with lots of laughs and a genuine, infectious passion for Fringe. Thirty-six shows had 90 seconds each to give a sampling of their show or make a pitch for it.
As with the Local Teaser we covered in April, audience members were able to rank the snippets using a happy/neutral/sad face system to remind themselves which things to see. For what it’s worth, my rankings work out thusly: smiley 44.44%, neutral 47.22%, and frowny 8.33%. And here are the ones I circled with a smiley face:
- 50% Nonverbal – C. Neil Parsons
- A Hollywood Horror Story – Ingrid Garner
- Big Gay Jesus – The Third Coming – BGJproductions
- ERIKA MACDONALD: Tea TIME – Paul Strickland Presents
- Generic Male: Just What We Need, Another Show About Men – PUSH Physical Theatre
- The Greatest Betrayal – Vague Idea Production
- The Lord of the Sword – Jacob D’Eustachio
- Mark Vigeant: OUT THERE – Mark Vigeant
- Oh! I Miss the War – djp productions
- The Pink List – Fabulett Productions
- The Review by Martin Dockery – Martin Dockery
- Serving C*nt with Sarah Hester Ross – SHR Entertainment LLC
- We Got Got – Kerry Ipema
- World Peace through Humor: A German 101 – Paco Erhard | German Comedy International
- Private Parts: The Secrets We Keep – Momentum Theatre Productions
While the teasers are a good way for the shows to call attention to themselves, keep in mind that it’s nearly impossible to give a full impression of a show in a minute and a half. Orlando Shine will continue to give you insight throughout the festival as we take in shows over the next two weeks, so keep checking back.
For more information on the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, visit OrlandoFringe.org.
