R. T. 'Bob' Bowersox Brings His Theatre Company To Philadelphia For Fringe Festival

Many know R. T. "Bob" Bowersox as the friendly and popular face of QVC's "In the Kitchen with Bob," a long-running show on the home shopping television network. Bowersox is returning to the Philadelphia region, bringing his Florida Keys theatre company, Theatre XP, to the city's Fringe Festival with FRESH INK SHORTS, a new theatrical event premiering September 8 - 18, 2022 at The Skinner Studio at Plays and Players (1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia). The show is an intriguing evening of new short plays - from one-minute amuse-bouches to more elaborate courses of the comic, the poignant, and the wondrous strange.

"We're really excited to be back and part of the theatrical community in Philadelphia, where I started my career 35 years ago," said Bowersox, who founded TheatreXP during an extended stay in the Florida Keys, where the company thrived. "We had a great run in the Keys, but Philadelphia is one of the top places to be doing theater right now. We really wanted to be a part of it, and this Fringe Arts Festival is a great way to say hello."

The evening features 10 short plays that are all new and previously unproduced, written by award-winning writers. They run from one minute to 25 minutes, and will be performed by an ensemble of professional actors. The plays cover comedy, drama, fantasy, and everything in-between: from AI reaching singularity in a supermarket checkout lane, to a blistering single-word indictment of government, to two guys musing on whether they are actually Gods, FRESH INK SHORTS delivers a tantalizing 75 minutes of thought-provoking theater.

"It's presented in a single flow," Bowersox said, "despite there being 10 plays in the whole. The individual pieces are separated by provocative sound and light cues that provide a rhythm, intensity, and connection that seamlessly move the action from play to play while still seeming to be part of a singular whole. It's a fast- paced, completely engaging evening of very good theatre and acting."

Bowersox developed FRESH INK SHORTS to showcase his own work and the work of other writers who seldom get a chance to see their excellent work produced. The concept was workshopped at the prestigious Red Barn Theatre in Key West, Florida. This run will be the show's professional premiere.

Bowersox is a household face for many Americans who tuned into his wildly popular QVC show "In the Kitchen with Bob." On it, he sold kitchenware, dining, and other food-related products. However, Bowersox is also a well-established professional actor, writer, director and producer. Bowersox's last five stage plays have been produced professionally on Equity stages. Three of his film scripts have been optioned by Hollywood -- with one currently set for release by Lionsgate, starring Morgan Freeman and Cole Hauser -- and several other of his film scripts have been award-winners, including recognition in such prestigious competitions as the Nicholl Fellowships, the Austin Film Festival, the American Screenwriting Awards, both Project Greenlight competitions, the Benderspink Big Break competition, the Carl Sautter Competition, and the Marco Island Film Festival, among others.

Tickets for FRESH INK SHORTS are available at fringearts.com/66315. They will also be available at the door via Venmo, credit card, or cash the nights of performances. General admission is set on a "$5-20 Pay What You Wish" basis. More information on TheatreXP can be found at theatrexp.org, and via Faceook at facebook.com/TheatreXP.

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