Review: RE: WRITING at Capital Fringe Festival

RE: WRITING is a moving and assured new work at the Capital Fringe Festival. The play delves into trust and memory. It asks who gets to tell your story, it reflects on the ethics of writing, and it looks at how we surface and articulate the major moments of our lives.

We meet fledgling writer Jane (portrayed by the playwright, Caitlin Frazier) and all-but-dissertation psychology student Dylan (Ella Manning) on their first date, as they get to know each other through an ice breaker, a one-word association game. This device of elliptical word associations continues throughout the show and allows the story to progress faster and deeper than if it weren’t clipped and stylized. It allows for some funny meta moments, but more importantly it sets up the quieter, more raw and affecting monologues in stark contrast – we sit up and pay attention.

And Dylan has a lot to share in those quieter moments. As a tween Dylan summoned up the courage to come out to their taciturn father. Dylan’s dad turns the moment into a book – a widely-read tome on the shame of parenting a queer child which, judging by the public comments and web posts, turns dad into the toast of Christian right while isolating and traumatizing Dylan in their middle and high school years. Now, Dylan and Jane think Dylan’s experience might provide strong fodder for Jane to use as the basis of a work of fiction – Jane’s first full-length book. In the process, Dylan grapples with memories – which are their own and which were created by their dad’s book? Jane’s writing process – and the deepening relationship between the two – keeps this hard healing work front and center.

Actors Frazier and Manning are earnest, easy and approachable, working fluidly and believably with the punchy stylized text. In the 49-seat Fringe venue, they are just inches from the audience yet the two are solid and honest. One downside of the temporary space is that at some angles, views are obscured – there is important non-verbal stage business low near the floor that many audience members struggled to see. But that is a quibble – director Olivia Martin and Stage and Production Manager Alex Wang do an excellent job of providing momentum and professionalism to a memorable work. (On the subject of professionalism, kudos to Sabrina Perez’s graphics and publicity – what a difference a playbill makes with its helpful bios, production history and artists’ notes; other fringe shows should take note.)

“Re: Writing” grew out of a Georgetown University class assignment and has been workshopped through Georgetown’s Mask & Bauble Dramatic Society and Barbara Walton’s Playwrights’ Arena. Frazier, a recent Georgetown grad, is a promising new local talent. Capital Fringe Festival is a great vehicle for discovering, nurturing and promoting DMV artists.

The production is part of the 2024 Capital Fringe Festival. The 2024 festival, Capital Fringe’s 17th, features 59 arts performances – original theater, dance and “unclassifiable” productions. This year’s theme, “Fringe Happy,” explores how we experience or remember moments of joy or if we can find happiness in challenging or bittersweet moments.

(I happened to pair “Re: Writing” with another strong Fringe production, “Pondering About My Memories.” The two productions in tandem are a moving exploration of the struggle for love and honesty and the ephemeral nature of memory. There is an opportunity on July 20 to see both shows within a few hours of each other.)

The Capital Fringe Festival is centered in DC’s Golden Triangle neighborhood. In addition to existing stages at the Edlavirch DCJCC and Theater J (1529 16th Street NW), the festival has converted three vacant retail storefronts on Connecticut Avenue into temporary performance spaces: “Laughter” is a 25 seat venue at 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW, a former TMobile site; “Bliss,” a 49 seat venue at 1122 Connecticut Avenue NW, a former Talbots; and the 52-seat “Delirium” at 1120 Connecticut Avenue NW, a former Gap.

Festival productions wrap up on Sunday, July 21, so act quickly! For further festival information and ticket purchases go to https://capitalfringe.org/.

“Re: Writing” by Caitlin Frazier is directed by Olivia Martin. It is presented as part of the Capital Fringe Festival, at the Bliss performance space, 1122 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 102. Please note that venue restrooms are not accessible to patrons with mobility issues that prevent use of stairs. For tickets, performance information, attendance policies, and further information visit https://capitalfringe.org/events/re-writing/. There is one remaining performance of “Re: Writing” on July 20 at 11:35 am.

Running time: 60 minutes with no intermission

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