Fringe: 50% Non-Verbal

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This Orlando International Fringe solo show by trombonist/dancer/actor C. Neil Parsons from Somerville, Massachusetts, was a variety act that was indeed not about long monologues. His trombone performances were on the abstract side treating the instrument as more of a folly device for making sound. The music was more of form of communication rather than a defined tune and the other form of communication was physical movement.

Neil did utilize speech and vocal play as well by describing the inner jumble of his thoughts at night.

I decided to try and sketch Neil doing his dance number. The stage felt so huge for the solo performer.

In one act, Neil played trombone while 3 volunteers walked around the stage looking at their iPhones. There was something very poetic in that musical number where the volunteers never looked up from their digital devices until the moment they came to rest.

This show was very avaunt guard and experimental. The acts were as varied as the thoughts in the performers’ mind. I was entertained and intrigued. I didn’t need to make sense of all that happened, I enjoyed it for what it was. What was it? You might ask. I am not always certain.

The show was well-received by reviewers and drew sold-out crowds.

Fringe: Big Gay Jesus

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Big Gay Jesus The Third Coming with Arthur Davis III at the Orlando International Fringe Festival promised, a sparkle soaked comedy cabaret packed with psychic readings, fashion healing, dance breaks and divine absurdity. It was to be a hilarious heart opening spectacle of self-salvation.

I didn’t feel any salvation. What I did witness was a very handsome man with long hair doing multiple costume changes. Jesus did display his dexterity with some very high kicks but any choreography wasn’t to be found.

Several audience members were brought on stage and Jesus did attempt some psychic readings by asking them leading questions in which the answer would be obvious but presented as a mysterious discovery. Jesus did have a sense of humor.

Jesus looked much like Fabio only without holding a sweaty damsel in distress. The mantra behind his  religion was that sinning is winning, clapping is mandatory and giving to his Venmo account is divine.

The show was a random mash up of ideas that managed to tie together. When Jesus waxed poetic about his trip to burning man, I was carried away with his story telling but the audience interactions felt forced. Who am I to judge how Jesus might interact with everyday humans. The bottom line is that Jesus is a fine specimen of a man to look upon, amen.

Big Gay Jesus won a coveted Patron’s Pick award, which earned the highly acclaimed, sell-out production an additional performance slot at the festival.

Pulse Remembrance Ceremony

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June 12, 2026 marked 10 years since the brutal murder of 49 people who were dancing and celebrating life at the Pulse Nightclub. The week after that massacre, I put out a Facebook invite asking artists to meet at the Falcon Bar and Gallery in Thornton Park to do 49 portraits in one night. Sixteen artists answered the call. 49 portraits were completed that night. I did four portraits so on average that is about how many each artist could have completed. Some artists lovingly completed one portrait while others did more.

The portraits were used for a play about Pulse created by David Lee called O-Town: Voices from Orlando. The play was a collection of monologues taken from firsthand accounts of survivors, first responders and volunteers. The 49 portraits hung as a backdrop for each performance. When the play’s run was complete, I was given all the portraits which I placed in my archives in the studio. They stayed there for 10 years.

With the 10-year anniversary approaching I decided that the portraits should hang around Lake Eola for the day. The shooting at Pulse began about 2am on June 12, 2016, so I decided that the portraits should go up around Lake Eola starting at 2:02am. Hannah Miller volunteered to help me in mounting the portraits to trees. I am so happy she came to help because it made the task so much more pleasurable. I feared the portraits might be torn down or vandalized considering signs of hope and acceptance are often covered over or violently opposed in today’s America. We proceeded anyway.

A lake staffer walking by let us know that it would be his task to take all the portraits down first thing in the morning. News 13 had set up a little outdoor studio on the south side of the lake. He asked if the portraits were related to what the news station was doing and we didn’t say they were not related we just said they were a memorial. As we got ready to hang the last portrait of Cory James Connell a reporter came over to ask us a few questions. The reporter, who was off camera, was choked up, which I certainly didn’t expect.

In the evening of the 10-year anniversary, I went to the United Methodist Church in downtown Orlando for a Pulse Remembrance Ceremony. I had my large clear portfolio case which I planned to use to collect the 49 portraits afterwards. I had a pair of scissors to cut mounting strings, which I hoped would not be seen as a weapon. There were police officers all around the church. Everyone was given a candle, but I refused since I knew I would be sketching. The program featured a reading of the 49 names, the church bell being rung 49 times, a performance by the Orlando Gay Chorus a poem read by poet laureate Camera Gaither and words for several family of the victims. When Miranda Bebe, the sister of Jason Benjamin Josaphat asked for action to remove high powered assault rifles from the streets there was overwhelming acceptance, but Orlando is a bubble in a deep red state that worships the blood letting in the name of gun rights. Prayers might be offered, but never solutions.

The Orlando Gay Chorus sang, “We all Have a Pulse” which absolutely floored me. I stopped sketching to let the music wash over me. It was a stellar performance and the highlight of my day. After the ceremony, which was heartwarming and overwhelming, I walked back to Lake Eola. When I got to the lake,  a huge rainbow arched from shore to shore. A fine rain was soaking the portraits and I decided they had to be collected.

Collecting the portraits was easier than putting them up. Some had been dismounted by the wind and people had re-tied them back on the trees. One portrait was missing and I chose to think someone collected it to give the family. Honestly if they had all been collected and given to family, I would be happy.

I let all the artists know via a Facebook invite that their work was hanging at Lake Eola for the one day.  I considered waiting until midnight, but I doubt I could have stayed awake that late since I had been awake all of the previous night hanging the portraits. As I was taking them down, a police man approached and asked my name. He must have thought I was stealing the portraits. Police had been informed that they must make sure the portraits remained hanging. I thought the portraits would immediately be taken down and considered vandalism, but Orlando embraced them.

Like the Queen of the Night blooms, these portraits appeared for a brief moment and then were gone.

Fringin & Flagons Presents: The Last Stand Tavern

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Michael Marinaccio and Tracy McCoy acted as the MCs setting each scene in The Last Stand Tavern which was staged at in Ten10 Brewing which was the perfect venue at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Different guest performers are introduced at each show, adding to the chaos.

The show was built around a Roll Playing game, or TTRPG (Tabletop Role-Playing Game). I am not very familiar with roll playing games, so I had to take the show at it’s face value. I think that some of the audience reactions came from a familiarity with certain RPGs. Every scene was completely improvised often to hilarious effect.

Improv actors seated on the stage had to stand in for characters in an apocalyptic vision of the word where zombies are about to overrun a tavern. Players would roll a large die to determine the energy they might have to overcome each obstacle.

Though starting playful and light, the zombie hoards and dark lord are too much for any character to overcome. Each roll of the die resulted in an almost certain bloodbath. Perhaps that is just the way of the world. None of us will get out of this game alive. Heroes are the first to go.

The bottom line is that was a fun Fringe show with many unexpected turns and plenty of laughs.

Fringe: A Strange and Distant Manor

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This Gothic comedy Fringe show, titled A Strange and Distant Manor was a long-form improved story created along with prompts from the audience. At the show I attended, the prompts were, a cave, a Vespa and a fear of spiders.  It was a tale of family, secrets, and the supernatural. Once it was revealed that one family member, the strange uncle, was kept in a cage, that became a running gag.

A scene would play out and the other cast members, largely Sak Comedy Lab alumni, would stand in the wings watching and waiting for their moment to step into the scene. There were moments of complete comedic chaos and under it all the family dynamic played out. A prodigal son had returned and he wanted to introduce his family to his male partner. They seemed very accepting.

The caged uncle seemed to create the most drama and mayhem, but the family was clearly dysfunctional. Meeting the family of a partner is stressful enough but if they are completely insane then the task is all the more fraught with drama, laughs and spooky chills.

The story could take a dramatic turn at any moment when a cast member stepped in and introduced some unexpected twist. Watching improve is like watching tight rope walkers. I am always waiting for a slip and fall. But this cast was tightly knot and they kept each other afloat. No two shows were ever the same.

A Strange and Distant Manor by Travis Ray won the Critics’ Choice Award for Outstanding Improv Show at the 2026 Orlando International Fringe Festival. I am glad I had a chance to witness the chaos firsthand.

Fringe: Far To Heavy

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Far To Heavy was a one woman show by Melanie Bailey at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. Melanie began the show with plenty of laugh out loud moments. Gradually she weaved in resurfacing memories that she has learned to live with. Those memories might surface at the most unexpected times.

This was Melanie’s first one woman. The show was genuine and offered the harsh realities of trauma mixed with lighthearted laughter. Everyday memories can become overwhelming if you can’t learn to laugh at them.

On stage were moving boxes with one labeled “Grief” in sharpie. I was getting prepared to move all my studio possessions out of storage into an apartment in downtown Orlando, so I was very familiar with a life boxed up on hold. My traumas may very well be in the remaining 3 boxes that I have yet to unpack. So many of the boxes I had to move were far to heavy. I tried to push one box and instead of it moving, my feet kept slipped on the floor boards. It wasn’t until I wedged my foot against a wall that the box reluctantly was forced forward.

On top of three boxes on stage was a bingo spinning barrel. Melanie played Trauma Lottery with the audience, and the goal was to show that the hidden pain we all have, may be what connects us all the most. For a show covering such serious topics, it didn’t ever feel overwhelming. Melanie had a great knack of mixing the trauma we all share with humor and reminding us that sharing such moments helps connect us all.

Melanie is a five-time Orlando Fringe award winner, so she has experience knowing what will resonate with an audience. We are never meant to carry all our pain in life alone. Being able to share and be honest about our experiences helps us heal. By sharing her trauma, Melanie may have helped the audience someday face their own traumas which were swept away into the recesses of their mind. The show cannot resolve the issues we all face, since we are all so unique, but by sharing her experiences, she helped us realize that we are not alone in our pain. By leaving us laughing, she offered the best medicine that there is.

Fringe: The Cage

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The Cage was presented by Natasha Junkermeier from Tallahassee Florida at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. The Cage was a site specific show being held on the lawn between the Orlando Family Stage and OMA. It was an immersive experience exploring the harsh realities of immigrants and people of color being harassed by ICE agents in America today. The show is based on the accounts of 5 detainees as well as interviews with Anna Eskamani and Carlos Guerillmo Smith.

Melanie Bailey was working the ticket booth and she helped me get set up to sketch the show. Attendees are first given a briefing at the ticket booth and are given white masks before they are allowed to approach the ICE cage.

An ICE agent brought the audience closer to the cage. They were tentative and her shouted at them to think and find an open shot to stand. Inside the cage was a lone woman seated in a folding chair with her hands tied behind her back. She wore a COVID mask. She looked uncomfortable. She was a volunteer who had answered the following call to duty… “Do you want to make a difference in the community? Are you ready to stand up to the horrors of current U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement and removal operations in America?”

I would not consider this a play. At the Orlando Teaser Show The Cage was presented for 3 violent and harrowing minutes and when it was over the audience was absolutely silent. They did not know how to respond. Usually there is laughter and clapping but this was the first time I have ever seen complete silence from an audience at a teaser show.

The green lawn where The Cage was staged was bright and sunny. An energetic dog was retrieving a stick for its owner. In this idyllic setting the cage stood in stark contrast. Billowing deep grey storm clouds on the horizon were threatening an afternoon downpour.

The ICE Agents had clubs, but they never struck the detainee. They were playing good cop and bad cop with the detainee. They bullied this U.S. Citizen to get her to sign a document that would force her to self deport.

The good cop would talk calmly and reason with the woman in the cage. His demeanor made it clear that he felt he was speaking to a subhuman idiot. He would leave the cage and then his partner would take over and threaten and shout at her.

The cage wasn’t very well built. The jagged metal mesh was exposed around the entry gate and one of the ICE agents literally cut his hand. This wasn’t planned or acted out, he went to get a band aid while the other Agent worked to break the will of the detainee.

The audience stood silently in their white masks. Melanie later explained to me that the masks helped separate the audience from the brutal scene playing out before them. As a sketch artist it kept me from seeing the audience reactions which made the scene creepier.

In a later showing of The Cage, Anna Eskamani, the Florida State Representative for House District 42, bravely sat in as the detainee. Since she had been down to Alligator Alcatraz, she knew how real the scene being portrayed was. Since access inside the detention center is denied to members of Congress, the dark reports coming out are often denied by the average U.S. citizen. The truth is often hard to swallow.

The Cage was honored with a Critics’ Choice Award for Agitprop Production. This special distinction recognized the show’s use of political performance techniques—based on interviews with real-life ICE detainees—designed to spur viewers into action.

Fringe: Wilde & Gay Animal Kingdom

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Wilde & Gay Animal Kingdom, at the Orlando International Fringe Festival, created by Alexander Hehr, was an adult puppetry show where Hayward J. Sloth explored the wild and kinky world of homosexuality in the animal kingdom. I always knew that dolphins are rather kinky, but I learned quite a bit from this adult puppetry show about all the other animal that explore other options other than monogamy.

A Fringe volunteer by the name of Michelle Lynn was called on stage to participate in a game show about animal sexuality. Amazingly she was well versed and got the questions right. She won a “Wilde and Gay Animal Winner Award” which was a tiny golden penis trophy. The 2 inch long  keepsake is like winning an Oscar in the animal kingdom.

A shocking moment in the puppetry show came when a cow performed a strip tease and she completely exposed her udders with no pasties. This is  completely unheard of in the state of Florida. It was a true Fringe moment. I would be shocked if the Florida Republicans have not banned naked puppetry. They considered Big Bird to be too “woke” when he advised kids to get vaccinated against the COVID virus.

There was a puppeteer who claimed he could swallow an entire inflated balloon. He blew into the balloon and kept blowing until it was about 3 feet long. There was no way he could get that down his throat. Regardless he proceeded to try. This was a preview show for the press so some of the kinks were not worked out yet. As he was attempting to swallow the balloon, he mumbled that there was supposed to be dramatic music playing as he did so. With  the balloon in his mouth, he walked back to the tech booth to see if the music could be dialed in. Back at the tech booth a loud pop was heard. The balloon had exploded in the puppeteer’s mouth. It was a hilarious moment and I hope they keep it in the show.

 

Fringe Local Teaser Show

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The Orlando International Fringe Festival is celebrating 35 years of being weird. In April, before the Festival got fired up, there was a local teaser show so people could get a taste of what to see at the upcoming Fringe. Each show only had 3 minutes to pique the interest of the audience. This lightning-round format allowed dozens of performers and artists to give the audience a rapid-fire, bite-sized preview of their full-length shows before the festival began.

If a performer ran over 3 minutes, the lights would flash red and Brandon Roberts, dressed as a Revolutionary soldier would come out and chase the performer off stage. I found myself hoping each performer would run overtime to see how Brandon would chase them off stage. These were some of the funniest moments of the night.

At Fringe, some shows can be absolutely amazing by breaking boundaries and making you think, while others could very well be duds. A seasoned Fringe fanatic will use this teaser show as a way to separate the wheat from the chafe. With only 3 minutes for each teaser, I was hard pressed to decide which show to feature in my sketch. I decided to focus on an announcer and one burlesque dancer.

The Peach venue in Orlando Family Theater had an aquatic themed backdrop which was from the children’s play, Finding Nemo. I rather liked seeing all the acts as if performed underwater. As a creative, I sometimes need to remind myself to just keep swimming.

I went on to see and sketch many of these shows that lured me in with their 3-minute elevator pitches. The National/International Teaser Show typically takes place on the Tuesday evening of the festival’s opening week. If you attend both teaser shows then you will have a solid idea of what shows absolutely need to be seen. The teaser program comes with a score card so you can rank the shows as you see each teaser. I didn’t fill in my score card because I was so busy scribbling.

To see which shows I sketched and adored, just keep checking here.

Fringe: ://Shelf_Life

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://Shelf_Life was written and performed by Zachary Scalzo at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival.

Luc was called in for a meeting with Human Resources. He sat stiffly in the office chair as he was asked to read the charges against him. He was a brilliant Information Technology researcher at a firm that worked on Artificial Intelligence (AI). He had taken his research too far, by bringing his beloved Aunt back from the dead by uploading her diaries into an experimental AI system. His aunt had fully understood him when she took care of him when he was younger. He was different than the other boys which she understood since she had a female roommate who she was inseparable from.

A hologram of his Aunt was represented by a large house plant. She spoke in his Aunts voice and she interacted with Luc just as she had done in the past. Grief melted away as he was able to feel the affection he had for her once again. She seemed to know things about him that went beyond her programing. The AI Aunt expressed emotions and remembered every interaction they had once had together.

Finding affection and understanding from an AI companion is a parable that appeared in several Fringe shows this year. The future is here now. I sketched a court case in which a mom was suing Google and several AI companies after her son fell in love with a chat bot with the voice of Daenerys Targaryen. Though always programed to please, an AI bot cannot know the depths of human grief and pain.

When the son proclaimed his love for Daenarys he said, “What if I told you I could come home right now?”

Daenerys Targaryen: … please do, my sweet king,”

He picked up his fathers .45 caliber handgun and shot himself.

Google and the AI company had 8 lawyers working on the case while the mom had her single lawyer and assistant. This will be a David versus Goliath legal battle to prove that AI lacks checks and balances.

The title of the show, ://Shelf_Life, implies that we all have a shelf life, and we are not meant to live forever. Thinking that we need to bring loved ones back from the grave when we miss them, doesn’t mean that it is a good idea to do so. The reason so many authors create convincing works of fiction comes from the hole left when loved ones pass.  If AI does replicate loved ones, then we will all become less creative and less human. It is a dangerous future.