BWW Preview: ON THE VERGE'S Summer Theatre Festival

On the Verge, headed by Executive Artistic Director Kate Bergstrom, is a company created to bring exciting theatre to the summer doldrums between Solstice and Fiesta. On the Verge's mission is to galvanize local playwrights, performers, and designers to create shows that are attractive to a diverse audience demographic, especially the younger crowd. As Bergstrom points out, despite having several highly rated acting programs in the area, students often leave town after graduation to seek opportunities in larger cities. This annual exodus leaves a dearth of performers in the mid-20s-mid-30s range, which limits the local talent pool and skews theatre in Santa Barbara toward older audiences. The On the Verge festival of productions is designed to mitigate this issue by presenting the work of young artists in a fresh, interactive capacity.

Here's a brief look at the shows to come!

CAYLEE'S FIRST BIG SHOW!!!/Sweet Child (Double Feature)
By Roxie Perkins

In CAYLEE'S FIRST BIG SHOW!!!, a singer/songwriter tells her story of identity crisis and heartbreak through a theatrical performance disguised as a pop concert. Caylee, who begins the performance lost and angry, finds something like companionship with the audience, and discovers grace and self-understanding. CAYLEE'S FIRST BIG SHOW!!!, about the healing power of art and expression, tells a story of growth, forgiveness, and redemption through kickass music.

July 16-18 @ 7 PM
1 North Calle Cesar Chavez, Suite 240

Sweet Child is a story of survival in an impoverished urban area. Two abandoned teens, Krystal and Benni, know their mother's absence is due to drug addiction, but they hold onto the belief that their father's disappearance can be explained by the vague notion of military involvement. Krystal intends to enlist on her 18th birthday in an attempt to locate him. In this play about the thin line between hope and desperation, Krystal and Benni must learn to accept the reality of their family history, especially when they learn their mother is coming home.

July 16-18 @ 7 PM
1 North Calle Cesar Chavez, Suite 240

Lady-oke!: An Interactive Kareoke Performance Event

Lady-oke configures the popular art of Karaoke into a performance art installation, elevating Karaoke from an inebriated accident to a purposeful exhibition of the work of influential female artists like Madonna, Stevie Nicks, and Patti Smith. This homage combines purposeful karaoke with accompanying artwork in a presentation that encourages audience interaction. Created by Riley Berris, Kate Bergstrom, and Jessica Hambright.

Lady-oke will follow the one-act double feature, and will doubtlessly be a raucous and entertaining production at the intersection of performance and party. Plus, these ladies are guaranteed to take it to church.

July 16-18 @ 9 PM
1 North Calle Cesar Chavez, Suite 240

Footprints at Laetoli
By Darlene Craviotto

While I've settled on theatre as my lifelong passion of choice, it wasn't the first non-lucrative academic art form I considered pursuing. I learned about paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey in the height of my obsession with archaeology, and was fascinated by her work, including the discovery of the Laetoli footprints (fossils preserved in volcanic ash that present evidence of bipedalism in the evolutionary history of the human race). Footprints at Laetoli, however, isn't merely an excursion in archaeological story-telling; it's also about Leakey's personal evolution as she considers unresolved issues related to her late husband.

July 22-24 @ 8PM
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum-136 East De La Guerra Street

This Is Not a Love Song: A Virtual Ethnography on Asian Dating Websites
By Hee-won Kim

This Is Not a Love Song is billed as a "virtual ethnography"--which is to say that it is not a typical exploration of romance and attraction so much as it is an examination of dating, fetish, and self-presentation in the current landscape of internet dating. In this fascinating production, an ethnographer's thesis about Asian exoticism and dating websites comes to life (literally) when the two subjects of the study appropriate the narrative and present their own stories. This Is Not a Love Song is a bold, conceptual representation of the culture of online dating.

Also, I've been promised that cupcakes are involved.

July 24 @ 9PM, July 25th @ 4PM & 7PM
208 West Canon Perdido Street

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On the Verge is dedicated to engaging the local theatre community and mounting pieces that are fresh and ambitious: true to their name, the company aims to push performers, characters, and audience members to the verge of discovery. The festival, which runs from July 16th-July 25th, features four world premiers, two Santa Barbara premiers, interactive art installations, and a workshop designed to offer interested parties the experience of working on various aspects of theatrical production. Performances will be held in alternative theatre spaces, including the Narrative Lofts, the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, and the 208 Gallery. Be sure to check out all that On the Verge has to offer: it's an exciting look into Santa Barbara's community of diverse and gifted theatrical artists.

Featuring Local playwrights, performers, and designers, including: Kate Bergstrom, Allison Lewis Towbes, Jessica Hambright, Zoe Levy, Aura Carlson, Gregory Dodds, David Holmes, Meredith McMinn, Debra Bergstrom, Josh Levin, Terry Li, Andrew McCumber, Philip Levien, Beatrice Tolan, Margaret Lazarovitz, Hee-Won Kim, Josh Jenkins, Justin Stark, Matthew Tavianini, Suzanne Couch, Haddy Kreie, Riley Berris, Mathew Goldsholl, Travis Smillie, Darlene Craviotto, Roxie Perkins, Andy Cowell, Tristan Newcomb, and a variety of others.

For more information, visit http://www.onthevergefest.org

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