Dresden Collective – Marfa, TX

Runtime: 60 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE –This variety show of short plays is directed and performed by a rural borderlands theatre collective. Pieces tackle self-driving cars, natural disasters, opiate addition, IVF and sexuality, and whether we can function at all in society without spending every spare moment meditating. Upbeat and designed for audiences with short attention spans, a White Stripes-esque duo provides musical transitions, and—like any good rock show—there’s always an encore.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER –Former psychotherapist and Marfa-based playwright Hope Lafferty studied writing at Sarah Lawrence College, the Writers Voice at the West Side Y in New York, and the Theatre Lab School of Dramatic Arts in DC, and participated in the Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive in 2018. She also studied acting and comedy improv in Austin, Nashville, and Washington DC. Hope teaches playwriting at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, and runs the Marfa Theatre Incubator.
At a 2018 seminar on stage directing, Hope heard a plea for “more rural voices.” Her first thought: “You have no idea what you’re asking for.” Within two months, Dresden Collective was born.
Recognizing that folks in rural communities share the same DIY way of life as indie rock bands, Dresden Collective embodies this rough-and-ready spirit. All members are multihyphenates (eg, actor-directors) and Dresden Collective has as its mission to produce new works of theatre written by rural and borderland playwrights performed in the tradition of a rock band on tour.

East Texas Heritage Theatre – Henderson, TX

Runtime: 45 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE –You are the second born of a royal family, everyone only has interest in the first born; what are you to do? We look at 3 of the enchanted sisters of the realm and how they search for love at the Sherwood Forrest Speed Dating and Fish Fry hosted by Optimistica, the head of the Fairy Godmothers. Not everything goes according to plan!

ABOUT THE PRESENTER  –East Texas Heritage Theatre is one of the newest theatres in Texas. We have been formed to bring new and original works to audiences and to give an experienced acting troupe the legs to expand their acting skills.

Dragstrip Courage – Fort Worth, TX

Runtime: 45 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE –A treatise on loneliness and the importance of human interaction from one of America’s greatest playwrights

ABOUT THE PRESENTER –DSC “performs the art that others won’t” and has been since 2003.

Maverick Theatre Company – Univeristy of Texas at Arlington

Runtime: 60 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE – MASK MAGIC whisks an audience away on a journey through various vignettes using European-Style Character Mask. A magician must deal with two assistants; a wedding goes awry; two beauty queens vie for the coveted crown; and TSA pre-check may catch incompetent villains but can’t quite keep up with incompetent captains! Sit back, relax and enjoy a form of theatre rarely performed in the USA.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER – The Maverick Theatre Company (MTC) is proud to be presenting its second production with the Fort Worth Fringe Festival, having presented MASK MADNESS at the 2018 Festival. MTC is the University of Texas at Arlington Theatre Company. Any UT Arlington graduate, current student, and faculty/staff member is considered to be a member of the MTC. The MTC produces plays as a part of the regular UT Arlington Theatre Department season as well as new play commissions and devised productions outside of the regular season, like MASK MAGIC. This production was created and workshopped by 18 members of the MTC, with the support of The University of Texas at Arlington, under the guidance of Faculty Member and BFA Performance Head, Felicia Bertch. Her areas of specialization are Movement, Devised Theatre, Physical Theatre, Character Mask, Red Nose Mask, and Shakespeare. She received her MFA in Acting from USC and studied physical theatre arts in NYC, Chicago and at L’École Internationale de Theatre Jacques LeCoq in Paris. Felicia has lived and worked professionally as an actor, clown and model all over the country and abroad. While currently on faculty at UT Arlington, she has taught, directed, devised and choreographed at various institutions over the past 15 years, including Wheaton College, USC, The University of Chicago, and Columbia College as well as in Tanzania, East Africa. She is also a Company Member, Producer and Undergraduate Program Director for Wheaton Shakespeare in the Park in the Chicago area. She continues to work as a professional theatre artist and model in the DFW area and around the country. Special Thanks to Texas Nonprofit Theatres, Inc., The Fort Worth Community Arts Center, and The University of Texas at Arlington Department of Theatre Arts and Dance!

Tarrant Actors Regional Theatre and Proper Hijinx Productions – Fort Worth, TX

Runtime: 50 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE –One day, you wake up and realize…
The magic is gone.

We can’t quite recall when it happened. But at some point, Christmas stopped being exciting, birthdays became just another day of the year, our hopes and secret dreams of following our passions, achieving success, falling in love…all of
that disappeared.

It’s a feeling many people know – but few continue to experience. Some say goodbye to that sense of magic without issue, barely recognizing that it’s gone. But some – some realize that a hole has been left behind…and desperately try to grasp onto some of the magic they remembered existing once before. Enter Cass – Cass has just recently turned 30 and after a meaningless Christmas and meaningless birthday – she needs to find some meaning again. So she employs her best friend, Meagan, to aid her in her quest to rediscover the magic and hope that used to drive her by looking in the last place she remembers having it – her childhood.

Unearthing her forgotten childhood toys, clothes, and memories from her parents’ attic, she tries to reignite the feeling of wonder and excitement. But as the boxes empty, she may have to face a more terrible truth – magic has an expiration date.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER –This is the second collaboration between Tarrant Actors Regional Theatre and Proper Hijinx Productions. TART has been in existence since September of 2013, performing in the Sanders Theatre at the FWCAC. TART is kicking off their 7th season with this production of Faith, Trust, and Allergy Dust. Proper Hijinx is an independent theatre in Dallas, and has been in existence since July of 2015.

Abel Flores, Jr. – Euless, TX

Runtime: 20 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE – AFJ wants to be president and everything is riding on this speech. Will he be able to get your vote or crack under the pressure of his bold promises? This one-man show harkens back to the great political speeches of our past world leaders while still reminding us of the haunting qualities of the current political climate. Co-written by Tyler Cochran, Abel Flores Jr. brings his alter ego, AFJ, to the spotlight with a performance that will allow audiences to witness the absurdity of certain candidates that we know all too well.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER – Abel Flores Jr. is an emerging performance artist, investigating video through live installations. His work practices the responsibility of self within community. Originally a theatre actor, he pursued the ritualistic elements of his craft via experimental works and multidisciplinary collaborations with local artists, creators, and students at the University of Texas at Dallas. While studying under Thomas Riccio, he cofounded Riccio’s group Dead White Zombies with fellow alumni as a resident artist. In 2016, he cofounded the arts nonprofit Artstillery, an experimental performance company that empowers marginalized communities and reveals the rawness of truth in human life. Flores has performed with other artistic companies, bands, and festivals including Therefore, SUPERMOOK, Shakespeare in the Bar, The Tribe, Tropic Pictures, WaterTower Theater’s Out of the Loop Fringe Festival, Dallas Video Fest, and the Elevator Project at AT&T Performing Arts Center.
Tyler Cochran’s play A Moment debuted with Sundown Collaborative Theatre in Denton. He has performed with Uptown Players, Shakespeare Dallas, Kitchen Dog, Theatre Arlington, Jubilee Theatre, Stage West, Circle Theatre, Kids Who Care, Hip Pocket and FUNimation. He holds degrees from UTD, UNT, TCU and is currently and adjunct instructor of film at TCC NW. Tyler is a member of AEA and the Dramatists Guild.

Poetic Thespian Productions – Fort Worth, TX

Runtime: 60 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE – A groom, on his wedding day, reminisces on his past and the failed relationships that shaped him into he man that his bride-to-be fell in love with.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER – Charles Jackson Jr. is a Fort Worth native actor, director, playwright and producer. He graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University with two Bachelors in Theatre and Broadcasting and he’s currently pursuing his MBA in Marketing at Southeastern. Charles has participated in theatre since he was a Freshman in high school and has been in many shows since. He started writing and performing in his own plays when we was a Sophomore in college and premiered two of his plays at Amphibian Stage Productions. In 2018 Charles’s one-man show “In Due Time, PANTOMIME” was accepted into the 2018 Fort Worth Fringe Festival and did exceptionally well.

 Leslie Polk – Fort Worth, TX

Runtime: 50 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE –She’s a mother, an aunt, a sister, and a daughter whose voice has been stifled by politics and -isms. She wrestles with religion, however comes from a long line of matriarchs whose spiritual foundations helped to shape her own life. The Epistle of Her is a choreo-poem that takes its audience on a journey; unpacking a long line of family history and the effects of American Christianity on race, gender, and sexuality. With a mix of humor and brute honesty, this show ultimately seeks to encourage folks to use their voice when they have something worth saying!

ABOUT THE PRESENTER –Leslie Polk is a native of Fort Worth, TX currently pursuing a Masters of Theological Studies degree from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. She is a published author, featured poet, and prides herself as an auntie to three wonderful kiddos. Aside from studying and writing, Leslie enjoys running, birdwatching, crafting and collecting western boots.

Collin Williams – Salt Lake City, UT

Runtime: 60 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE – Why would someone want to kill themselves? See the standup show that inspired – “How comedy can save someone’s life” – the highly-praised TEDx Talk on dark humor .

Collin Williams’ critically-acclaimed show, “My Suicide Note”, is a truly one of a kind dark comedy. Williams takes his actual note from his attempted suicide, and uses a decade of experience as a standup comedian and storyteller to weave humor in and out of a candidly astounding life story that has received high praise from audiences and reviewers.

“A Show Worth Talking About… All of us loved it”
– The Daily Chronicle

“One of the best dark comedy shows you’ll ever see”
– Tony Valle, WIP Theater

ABOUT THE PRESENTER – Born into a biracial family, and growing up in a cult Collin quickly realized he had to embrace diversity or go crazy. Choosing the former (the jury’s still out on the crazy part), he learned to make fun of his differences while developing a unique brand of standup. Collin’s humor manages to artfully touch on areas usually considered taboo, letting him cover topics that most are afraid to tackle. His level of skill led to the honor of being selected for TEDxSaltLakeCity 2018 as the expert to speak on comedy.

Since hitting his first open mic at Seattle’s Comedy Underground when he was barely 17, Collin has come a long way. His unique adoption of dark comedy has allowed him to perform across North America and Europe at clubs, colleges, and even a stadium. His humor proves irresistible to audiences, earning him a position as Niantic’s lead live broadcaster for 2016, as well as a nomination as one of Utah’s top comedians, and various other accolades.

Whether talking at the Capitol as a featured speaker at the “Walk of No Shame” against sexual assault, or on the stage at Kingsbury Hall discussing joking about trauma, Collin uses over a decade of experience as a nationally touring standup comedian to make the audience laugh, uplifting and inspiring even when talking about even some of the darkest and most controversial topics.

His current nationally touring comedy show discusses his personal experiences as a sexual assault and suicide survivor in a way that made The Daily Utah Chronicle Say “All of us loved it.”. And the owner of the WIP theater in Chicago highly recommends it saying “Collin’s show is one of the best dark comedy shows you’ll ever see”

SceneShop – Fort Worth, TX

Runtime: 60 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE – Throughout theatre history, time and time again playwrights look back on their life and write something near and dear to their hearts. The genre of the autobiographical play includes masterworks like The Glass Menagerie, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Yellow Face and Long Day’s Journey into Night. Enter Douglas Jones-Jones, a young, pretentious, half-witted wannabe playwright eager to add his name to the list of greats. After dozens attempts to have his show produced around the US, he finally talked Fort Worth’s SceneShop into giving him a shot. Just a few problems, almost nobody agreed to be in the show other than his ex-girlfriend Maude. Additionally, his life’s story is not particularly interesting and he really fancies himself to be a bit of a genius (he’s not). So, the question is, can two actors who barely get along make this god-awful script work well enough to entertain the good people of Fort Worth for an hour? I heavily doubt it, but we’ll have to wait and see.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER – SceneShop was founded in 1996, by Steven McGaw, Les Cargot and Elizabeth Sexton-Morrison. We have played many venues, including art galleries, bookstores, restaurants and the Lounge in Stage West’s University Drive location. Since 2002, we have regarded Arts Fifth Avenue as home base. For the last twelve years, we have performed each September as part of the Langdon Review Weekend in Granbury, sponsored by Tarleton State University. We have also performed in festivals, 6 times at Out of the Loop, twice at FronteraFest in Austin, and in the inaugural Fort Worth Fringe Festival in Spring 2016. In Fall 1996, we were pleased to be a part of the Big Art Event, and in 1998, SceneShop was an invited participant in the city-wide RetroFest. To date, we have presented over 200 new works.

Oba Williams King – Fort Worth, TX

Runtime: 52 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE – The art of storytelling presented through traditional blackstorytelling techniques. With poetic rhythm, interactive engagement, syncopated rhyme, call & response as well as folk-tale, musical expression and collaborative art. My selection of memories, shared experiences, original writing presented in verse, traditional folk tales will represent our universal connectedness highlighting the theme of The Red Thread. As the story line unfolds, I will be joined on stage, intermittently, by a vocalist, a dancer, a drummer, and a visual artist to create various moods that will meld into a memorable experience demonstrating the comingalization of the various art forms.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER – Oba William King is a Small Town Storyteller – Touring Nationally. A favorite Storyteller for Family Reading Night, Week of the Young Child, National Reading Month, Poetry Month, Juneteenth, KWANZAA & MLK Day! Over the past several years, Oba presented programming in schools and libraries across the country, including; The Kennedy Center, George Bush Presidential Library, Portland Storytellers -Tellabration, New Orleans Mission Day Children’s program and an abundance of workshops and assemblies, for all ages and all cultures. Know as the poetic Storyteller, Oba is a member of the national Association of Black Storytellers, The Tejas Storytellers and a Featured Teller and Teller In Residence at the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tn.

Theatre of North Texas – Southlake, TX

Runtime: 50 Minutes

ABOUT THE PIECE – A Maid of Honor walks into a closet…and locks the door. Written by Proper Hijinx Artistic Director Stefany Cambra, Made of Honor is a one woman comedy about an MOH who is over the chaos of holy matrimony; she’s stolen wine from the reception and locked herself in a closet before the wedding even begins. And yes…she stays in there the whole time. Poking fun at wedding cliches and drinking to calm her nerves, Kaley shares the love story of her sister who is getting married and where the wedding day went wrong. But in doing so, she’s also forced to see what demons she may have lurking in her own closet – and if she has the strength to come out and support her sister on the most important day of her life.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER – Stefany Cambra is an active theatre professional located in Dallas, Texas and working all throughout the DFW metroplex as a theatrician: a theatre artist that likes to do a little of everything. In 2015, Cambra saw an opportunity to produce and create relatable theatre and founded Proper Hijinx Productions. Serving as the artistic director, Cambra commits to producing shows that focus on contemporary issues her audiences will be able to identify with on a personal level. Beyond focusing on the growth of her own company, she actively commits to the growth and well-being of the DFW theater community. She doesn’t just love theatre, she lives it and will do anything she can to help productions, artists, and companies thrive.