AND THE BEAT GOES ON Will Be Performed at Hollywood Fringe

As a nurse with years of experience, artist Charley Karlotta has witnessed many inexplicable occurrences in her career, especially when it comes to patients pulling off the impossible and recovering, surviving and coming out better than before. As someone who has always wanted to do a solo show, it not only got her thinking of her life, struggles and all, but also a new approach to the genre.

As such, And the Beat Goes On will now be a part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival this August at The Broadwater Stage Black Box Theatre.

In And the Beat Goes On, parodies accompanied by a three-piece band tell the journey of a mature nurse and her struggles with her profession and her life. She hears songs in her head and uses music as a coping mechanism. In the 80's she walked on fire with Tony Robbins. Many self-help books later she reached the spiritual equivalent of "rock bottom." See how she had to lose her mind to find her peace.

"As a nurse I have always been fascinated by the mind-body connection," Karlotta said. "The power of one's thoughts, the power of prayer and how they can transform one's life. I tried to figure out how and why my life turned out the way it did. I also was sick a couple years ago and feel I recovered due to my efforts to 'get my mind right.' So that inspired me to write about this experience."

And the Beat Goes On made its premiere as part of SoloFest 2020 to rave reviews, not just for Karlotta's story-telling abilities, but also for her raw honesty in self-examination, the show's blend of comedy with more tender moments and the unique approach of telling her tales with a three-piece band.

The Wisconsin native who moved out here to give her two children the opportunity to act, Karlotta has finally been carving out the time in her own up-and-down life to pursue her passion of performing. With her experience and the guidance of veteran solo director Jessica Lynn Johnson, now was the perfect time to not only turn that passion into a performance, but also explore some of the themes that have continued to pop up in her life and work.

Karlotta is already working on a follow up show that deals more with nursing and patient advocacy, but for now she's thrilled to present And the Beat Goes On to the Hollywood Fringe audience.

"I hope audiences will feel they enjoyed the hour, laughed and had fun and also were moved by my story," she said. "I also hope they get a little insight into the nursing profession and the mind-body connection, the pairing of thoughts and wellness."

Tickets and information: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/7184

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