Phyllis, I just remembered that I met you in person for the first time in the ladies’ room of Theatre on the Square during Indy Fringe 2007! You raved to me about the Cool Table show. I’m glad to still be in touch with you!

As FringeNEXT Coordinator, I want to remind your readers that the Fringe Building on St. Clair Street, just east of Mass Ave and College and the Outdoor Fringe Tent, is the site of some wonderful and challenging shows. FringeNEXT is peformed, and largely written & directed by college and high school students.
I’m writing this as overheard comments and audience numbers for various NEXT shows proves to me that there is a grave misconception among Fringe audiences of just what FringeNEXT offers.

Among the excellent productions are Love/Out, written and directed by Kelly Lusk, a former two-time winner of IRT’s Young Playwright In Progress (YIP) competition. This show is bitingly funny, fierce, and left me with a fond and yes, painful recognition of how relationships can begin and end. Two struggling couples and the wonderful single girl Ticket Seller keep trying, trying to get IT right, get their lives right, and we get to go along in a very intimate setting. I urge everyone to try hard to see this great show, as there is only one festival performance left, on Saturday 8/29 at 7:30 PM.

The 2009 winner of YIP, Brock Hall, has his show – Why There Are Stars in the Night Sky, based on Greek myths- in FringeNEXT. Yes, the gods are silly (go figure!), petty, even snarky, as we see just how the heavens came to be. This talented troup from Carmel has two remaining performances, Thursday 8/27 @ 7:30, and Saturday 8/29 @6PM.

I want to tell you about ALL the NEXT shows, but I won’t just now. I’ll post on Facebook, and maybe back here again if you’ll have me, Hope. And may I just say, if folks don’t hustle over to see the visually stunning tragedy of Medea, they are SO blowing it. White, red, black and grey are the colors, and some of those images will stay with me a long, long time. I’ll never look at feathers, especially red ones, as mere fluff again. Only two more chances, tomorrow, Tuesday 6 PM, and Sunday 8/30, again at 6PM.

FringeNEXT has a lot to offer. And while the performers may be young, do not underestimate their shows. This is our next generation of artists (and audiences), and part our mission at IndyFringe is to provide space and opportunity to them to grow, and for the rest of us to grow in our appreciation of what our area youth can already do.

OK. Soapbox in storage again. Thanks for your blog, Hope, artist and audiences alike are grateful for your work. See you around the Ave!

Anyway, it was great to see you!

I also saw “7 (x1) Samurai,” which nearly cracked my ribs with laughter. David Gaines is beyond belief.

Keep your energy up and keep reviewing, Hope!

‘See you at the Fringe!

Interviewing people at IndyFringe is such a great idea! I hope to see a lot more videos!!