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Dennis Elkins to Present One-Man Trilogy at This Year's Edinburgh Fringe
Will any of India's ancient gods grant an epiphany to middle-aged American white guy Dennis Elkins?
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Aug. 21, 2023
Will any of India's ancient gods grant an epiphany to middle-aged American white guy Dennis Elkins?
In search of “a personal GPS reset” and carrying his son's ashes in his backpack, Dennis finds himself emotionally overwhelmed when he is plunged into the colours, crowds and seeming chaos of a culture so very different to his own.
bag-- is a witty, self-deprecating autobiographical one-man show that cleverly, and with an abundance of personal and political insight, reveals as much about contemporary US society as it does about personal experience.
Dennis is determined not to be another member of the “middle-aged white guy club” – the loud, obnoxious types that boom and bluster at Mar-a-Lago, and whose aggression and bullying conceals the reality that they are actually small, weak and terrified.
Indeed, here is a man who was astonished to find that Trump was ever elected President, that so many of his compatriots were so riddled with fear and loathing.
And yet … here he is, with very mixed reactions when confronted with a world where he's not at the top of the tree and doesn't even know the rules.
bag-- sees him standing with frozen feet in the Ganges, attempting scooter rides through an Indian city, travelling with a savvy holy man and witnessing everything from the extreme poverty to the economic cutting edge of a truly vast country.
The gods are not ones to deliver epiphanies on demand, but this is a journey might still turn out to be life-changing.
One man, three productions and a quest for self
While bag-- stands alone, it is also part of a trilogy presented by Dennis Elkins at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. The other elements are:
A Trilogy: blood (line) (musical theatre, LGBTQ+): Mr Dennis is convinced hard work and god-fearing obedience to the rules will be rewarded with a happy home, good job, white picket fence, and 2.3 children. It's a riotous voyage tracking down the culprits responsible for rocking his dreamboat. A solo musical replete with original songs to make you laugh, cry and celebrate casting free from “normal”.
A Trilogy: box. (comedy): Mr Dennis wants to know why our identity is so bound up in possessions. Do we throw away our loved ones with their things when they die? Childlike wonder, adult cynicism and Shakespearean gravitas combine as he tackles these questions and more.
Dennis made his Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2019 with box.
The 2020 online@theSpaceUK season featured a shortened video version of bag-- entitled anything to declare, mr. dennis. British Theatre Guide praised Dennis' performance as “perceptive but gentle”.
In 2021 online@theSpaceUK featured the shortened version of box. called are you boxed in mr. dennis?, described by British Theatre Guide as “compelling” and “an intensely personal monologue” defined by its “raw, honest presentation”.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS:
A Trilogy: box.
- Venue: theSpace@Surgeons Hall, Haldane Theatre (Venue 53)
- Time: 16:20
- Dates: 7, 10, 15, 18, 23, 26 August
- Duration: 55 minutes
- Ticket prices: Full price £12, concessions £10, student and OAP £8
- Advisory: Age 14+
- Warnings: Use of gunfire sound effects
- Tickets from https://tickets.edfringe.com
A Trilogy: bag--
- Venue: theSpace@Surgeons Hall, Haldane Theatre (Venue 53)
- Time: 16:20
- Dates: 4, 8, 11, 16, 19, 21, 24 August
- Duration: 55 minutes
- Ticket prices: Full price £12, concessions £10, student and OAP £8
- Advisory: Age 14+
- Tickets from https://tickets.edfringe.com
A Trilogy: blood (line)
- Venue: theSpace@Surgeons Hall, Haldane Theatre (Venue 53)
- Time: 16:20
- Dates: 5, 9, 12, 14, 17, 22, 25 August
- Duration: 55 minutes
- Ticket prices: Full price £12, concessions £10, student and OAP £8
- Advisory: Age 14+
- Tickets from https://tickets.edfringe.com
Cast and creatives
- Company: Flying Solo! Presents
- Director of all three shows: Karla Knudsen
- Writer: Dennis Elkins
- Performer: Dennis Elkins
- Composer/accompanist for box. Brandon Grayson
- Videographer for bag-- William Kyle Odon
- Videographer for bag-- Sam Lowery
- Sound designer, box. and bag-- Robert Hornbostel
About Flying Solo! Presents:
The company's goal is to introduce new American work by emerging American artists to the international stage.
About Dennis Elkins: Elkins' resume includes performances at the Colorado and Utah Shakespeare Festival, Thingamajig Theatre Company, and Single Carrot Theatre, among others. No stranger to solo shows, Elkins delights audiences with five-star performances in original works such as Tipping A Glass with O Henry and An Evening with Poe.
Twitter @presentssolo Instagram flyingsolopresents Website http://www.flyingsolopresents.com
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