THE TRAGICAL COMICAL FOOL'S GAME Comes to The Capital Fringe Festival

An original devised play, The Tragical Comical Fool's Game (Or, Nun of Your Business) follows Bella (an almost nun) as she grapples with her destiny and a crazy crew of characters all trying to sway her in various directions. Very (very) loosely based on Measure for Measure, The Fool's Game shows on July 10th at 5pm, 11th at 7pm, 18th at 9:15pm, 21st at 6:15pm, and 26th at 5pm. It runs approximately one hour. All performances will be held at the Christ United Methodist Church at 900 4th Street, SW - Orange Venue. Individual tickets go for $17 and can be purchased on the Capital Fringe website. Please note that you will need a Capital Fringe button ($5 through July 6th) to enter the venue

"How much of our lives are predetermined? What do we truly control? These are the questions that The Tragical Comical Fool's Game forces us to ask ourselves. Oh, and it's quite funny!" says Susannah Morgan Eig, who is one of the original creators and is directing the U.S. Premiere.

Developed in the U.K. by a group of graduate students at The Shakespeare Institute. The Tragical Comical Fool's Game was first performed in May of 2018 at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre's The Other Place. Curious Shakespeare's "victims" (read: survivors), the five original creators (The Masters of SHX) set about to write a contemporary play that focuses on the disenfranchised members of Shakespeare's canon.

Set in an airport bar, the bartender--who just happens to be The Fool--puppeteers Bella, an almost nun, along with the help of Tony, a sailor, and Em, a survivor of spousal abuse. All three are fleeing their unpleasant lives, but their flight just keeps getting delayed.

For all of this info and more, please visit our website at www.thetragicalcomicalfoolsgame.com. Please direct questions to Susannah Eig at susannah.eig@gmail.com.

This production is presented as part of the 2018 Capital Fringe Festival, a program of the Washington, DC non-profit Capital Fringe.

All performances will be at the Christ United Methodist Church located at 900 4th Street, SW - The Orange Venue. There are five performances of The Tragical Comical Fool's Game: Tuesday 7/10 @ 5:00pm; Wednesday 7/11 @ 7:00pm; Wednesday 7/18 @ 9:15pm; Saturday 7/21 @ 6:15pm; Thursday 7/26 @ 5:00pm. The cast includes: Chloe Mikala, Edward Loboda, Madeleine Smith, Rob Leinheiser, and Rosanna Thornwood. Directed by Susannah Morgan Eig. Light design by James Morrison. Sound design by Dylan Sullivan. Production Stage Manager: Joshua Stout. To contribute to the show, please visit https://igg.me/at/TragicalComicalFoolsGame/x/18403384.

Chloe Mikala (Katie) DC/Baltimore: The Welders: To Tell My Story: A Hamlet Fanfic; Switch. NextStop Theatre Company: 45 Plays for 45 Presidents. Keegan Theatre: Here Again (WomXn on Fire Festival); Pointless Theatre Company: A Very Pointless Holiday Spectacular. Source Theatre Festival: Threat Level: Cream; The Emperor's Big, Fat, Naked Revolution. Round House Theatre: Period Sisters (workshop production). Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage: Will o' the Wisp. Baltimore Center Stage: Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Everyman Theatre: A Streetcar Named Desire. Single Carrot Theatre: Lear. Chesapeake Shakespeare Company: Unscene (workshop production). Iron Crow Theatre: The Well of Horniness. TRAINING: Towson University.

EDWARD LOBODA (Duke/The Fool) is a professional Actor from the United Kingdom. He is a graduate of both the University of Birmingham and The Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he co-created The Tragical Comical Fool's Game and can't quite believe he gets to cross the pond to reprise his role as 'Fool' in DC! Back home, he is co-director of the theatre company Rag City and in his spare time enjoys procrastination and more video-gaming than is healthy.

MADELEINE SMITH (Em) is an actor, theatre director, DC native, and she loves Shakespeare. Like- Really, really loves Shakespeare. Imagine a labrador as a human who loves Shakespeare, and you are pretty close to understanding the level of enthusiasm we are dealing with here. Madeleine went to theatre school at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA and completed the Director's Studio at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. This winter she will direct Bill Cain's Equivocation (yup you guessed it--a play about Shakespeare) at Silver Spring Stage. Thanks to Susannah for including her on this project, and to all the amazing cheerleaders in her life.

ROB LEINHEISER (Tony) is an actor, director, and dramaturg currently based in New Haven Connecticut. Rob has been doing Shakespeare (or some version of it) since he was a kid and now focuses on exploring the political capability of early modern drama for amplifying modern voices. One of the Masters of Shx, Rob served as dramaturg for the original production of The Tragical Comical Fools Game (Or, Nun of Your Business) at the RSC's The Other Place. Rob is delighted to be returning to DC to collaborate with his friends at this year's Fringe.

ROSANNA THORNWOOD (Bella) trained in Acting at the Arts University Bournemouth. She then continued her studies at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon where she completed an MA in Shakespeare and Creativity. Alongside her various acting projects, Rosanna also works with theatre company SpOt Drama, delivering drama performances and workshops to individuals of all ages and abilities. She is currently working with SpOt Drama to devise a range of interactive sensory stories. When she is not in a theatre Rosanna enjoys cross-stitch, travelling and having cuddles with her cat, Pudding.

DYLAN SULLIVAN (Sound Designer) is a sound designer and sound engineer, from Fremont, Indiana. He is currently pursuing a BA in Theater with a minor in Audio Production from the George Mason University College of Visual and Performing Arts. Previous credits as a sound designer include: Nobody Dies on Friday with the Conscience Drama Directive, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail with the Mason Players, and Dead Man's Cellphone with the Mason Players.

James Morrison (Lighting Designer) is a D.C based theatrical and events lighting designer and production manager. James has designed for the Nextstop theater, Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, Illinois Shakespeare Festival and Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre. To view more of his work you can visit his online portfolio at jamesmorrisondesigns.com.

Joshua Stout (Production Stage Manager) is currently a Theater Major at George Mason University with a concentration in theater education. He's been a stage manager for the past 3 years for Mason Cabaret (George Mason). Other works include The Pillowman, Iolanthe, and The 3 Penny Opera. He was the light designer for Mason Originals and will be the costume designer for the production of Machinal in the fall semester. He recently finished working on a production of Swimming with Whales at 1st Stage and is excited to be working on his first Fringe show with this amazing team.

SUSANNAH MORGAN EIG (Director/Producer) is a DC-based actor and director. This past year, she served as the Artistic Apprentice at Round House Theatre. Next season, she will appear in their production of Oslo. As director: The Altruists (Rice Theatre Program), The Mystery Plays (The Rice Players), Baltimore Waltz (The Rice Players). As assistant director: The Legend of Georgia McBride (dir. Tom Story), The Winter's Tale (dir. Aaron Posner), Book of Will (dir. Ryan Rilette), I'll Get You Back Again (dir. Rachel Chavkin), and Much Ado About Nothing (dir. James Corrigan). Selected on stage credits: Katie in The Tragical Comical Fool's Game (UK Premiere), Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Texas Repertory Company), and Morgan in All Girls (Fourth Wall Theatre Company).

ABOUT CAPITAL FRINGE

Founded in 2006, the annual Fringe Festival held each July, starting in 2006 serves as celebration of cultural democracy and art for everyone. By embracing diversity and a spirit of independence, we create or rent a series of theatre spaces made available to participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Our aim is to challenge perceptions and shake up the hierarchy, to be brave and unafraid and to serve as a launching pad for unseasoned to existing theatre artists. (https://www.capitalfringe.org/about)

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