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Now that we've all seen what the Frontera Fest judges (and audiences) have picked as their favorites, it's time to find out which short plays this week have been lucky enough to make my list. Like the Best of the Week nights, my list, too consists of five plays, but mine can be scattered among all the different nights. Without further ado, here are my picks for the best of the week in Short Fringe.
Love Puzzle
Presented Wednesday, January 20th
Marcella Garcia and Jonathan Blackwell
Part dance routine, part prop comedy, part poetry, and part slice-of-life drama, this bizarre little play had a lot of pieces to put together. Thankfully, all the pieces fit perfectly to show us a realistic look at modern relationships, with all the heartache and headaches intact. Sure, it may have jumped the rail a few times, but with amazing performances and splendid chemistry, this puzzle was a joy to solve.
I'm Not a Writer...But I Got a Story to Tell
Presented Wednesday, January 20th
LaTasha Stevens
LaTasha Stevens is one of the best rising talents in Austin today, so an audience knows coming in they're in for a treat when she steps up to show her stuff. What they may not have expected was the poigancy and hilarity that comes from this performance. Presenting us with images of the everyday life of an African American, Stevens introduces us to a number of funny, and fractured, invidivuals, creating moving portraits of those on the outskirts of society.
Stoners and Self-Appointed Saints
Presented Thursday, January 21st
Annie La Ganga
There's a fine line between stand-up comedy and a one-person show, and La Ganga walks, and constantly crosses, this line with ease. Hilarious, thought-provoking, and brash, her antics may not be for everyone, and are sure to leave many members of the audience feeling very uncomfortable by performance's end, but folks are sure to walk away with aching guts from laughing so hard.
PREP
Presented Friday, January 22nd
Susan Busa and George Ayres
The high musical has been done to death, so to make it truly interesting, a writer has to give it a spin we haven't seen before. With a talented cast, and some genuinely hilarious moments, PREP gives us a look at a young student who is in a desperate search for some way to inject a little school spirit into his life, which culminates in an elaborate song-and-dance number with full triangle accompaniment.
Here, ******
Presented Friday, January 22nd
Roger Reeves
There are always a lot of plays that give an audience something to think about, or make them laugh, but with Reeves' piece was the first to genuinely terrify me. The short piece tells the story of two down-on-their-luck African Americans who find a KKK robe in the woods, and how it transforms them into murderous monsters. It may drag a bit in the middle, but the piece features one of the most powerful endings of a piece I've seen from this fest. Thus far, this is definitely a frontrunner for my favorite of the festival.
My choices for best of the week for Frontera Fest short fringe. Agree? Disagree? Talk about some of your favorites I might have missed in the comments section.
For more information, and a schedule for all of next weeks fun, check out Hyde Park Theatre's website at hydeparktheatre.org.
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