On the occasion of Hanane Hajj Ali receiving The League of Professional Theatre Women’s (LPTW) Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award 2020, in February 2021, we are bringing back into focus our audio interview with Hajj Ali: Hanane Hajj Ali, writer and performer of Jogging: Theatre in Progress, talks with Fringe Review’s Jo Tomalin about the development […]
Jo Tomalin
Jo is a teacher of performance subjects at San Francisco State University, where she directs and teaches acting, physical theatre, storytelling and voice for actors. She is our editor in San Francisco and Singapore, as well as a regular reviewer and interviewer at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Agpalo “Ting” A.J. Alvarez-Maquinta talks about his background as a multidisciplinary artist, his choreography and storytelling to Jo Tomalin in San Francisco. Listen to our Interview with Ting here (17 minutes):
Gillian Lacey-Solymar is a first-time Fringer at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Gillian is the Bookwriter and Lyricist of IrrePRESSible: The Musical and she talks to Jo Tomalin about how and why she is inspired to create the show. Gillian’s career includes working as a consumer affairs correspondent at the BBC and as a senior […]
Antonio Vega is artistic director of Por Piedad Teatro (Mexico | USA) and he is co-creator of DJANGO IN PAIN with Por Piedad Teatro founder and artistic producer, Ana Graham. Jo Tomalin talks to Antonio Vega about his background in theatre, and how he developed this show during the pandemic. DJANGO IN PAIN is digital […]
Erin B. Mee talks to Jo Tomalin about directing theatre in innovative spaces and her latest digital show, Tree Confessions, written by Jenny Lyn Bader. Tree Confessional is a digital audio play, site-specific and self-scheduled, presented on demand through the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023, January 4-15. “While it is obvious that we need to […]
http://www.cookingstageleft.com BriggsBreese Productions
Angry Black Woman 101 takes a introductory dive into the microaggressions,tropes and stereotypes Black women grapple with daily. Using slides, videos, music and history this storyteller deftly illustrates misogynoir and it’s effects. This show is couched in a truthful and hurtful work situation during her tenure at TechSoup, a nonprofit. Twitter @JuicyDLight Facebook
https://nakedempirebouffon.org/
Potato Topos by Andomifevin comprised of Andrew Rose, Dominique Nigro, Fenner Merlick, and Kat Countiss A poet, a dancer, a clown, and a clarinetist bring you their first collaboration, a multi-sensory poem-play about potatoes. An hour long show with themes of nostalgia, fantasy, and expansion. The modalities include performance, light, sound, textiles, and language. The […]
Instagram @bingewatchimprov
“I’m a San Francisco based solo performer. My shows are about my experiences with bipolar mood disorder, which I’ve managed to keep private the majority of my life. For the most part my mood swings have been mild enough to hide, but I’ve had a few full on manic episodes that have led to some […]
https://www.loreleizarifian.com/author/lorelei-zarifian https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-scar-is-born-tickets-346834349877?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Kazu Kusano (Producer, Writer, Performer) is a comedian, actress, and writer. She has a Japanese accent, crazy physicality, a dark sense of humor, and hot flashes. Kazu immigrated to America all alone in her thirties to do comedy. Kazu can be seen on Comedy Central UK’s Cannel Hopping as a Japanese correspondent. Also, she is the […]
Christina Augello’s Bio from The EXIT Theatre Website: Christina Augello is the founder and artistic director of EXIT Theatre and is an actress, arts activist and arts administrator. She has been involved with American theater for over 50 years, growing up in the 1950s as the daughter of the proprietor of a famous theater saloon and […]
Pamela Banchetti – Instagram @pamelaandpinolinoPoldo and Pinolino Show Reel
“Award-winning contemporary circus company returns with an extraordinary show looking at the hectic pace of today’s world. In a unique set design featuring a giant treadmill, four performers and two musicians mix dance, running, cyr-wheel acrobatics and original live music, while running almost a whole marathon. This UK debut for Runners marks the company’s fourth […]
www.annerabbitt.com
“Dublin’s hottest all-women improv troupe brings you an unscripted comedy show unlike any other. We create extended and continuously improvised stories based entirely on your suggestions, full of whacky worlds and crazy characters.”
“How do you live your best ho life? Have you accidentally become your parents? These are the questions NYC-based comedian Ann Chun (SF Chronicle, Timeout) explores in her solo show about an immigrant coping with the dissolution of her parents’ marriage in Thailand, while learning how to be a fuccboi in America. Ann’s immersive storytelling […]
Emilienne Flagothier creates contemporary dance, directs non-theatrical text theatre and performs in street theatre, a solo show and more. At the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe she directs a new show called We Should Be Dancing, based on observations of children playing, working with her collective from Brussels.
“Triple Fringe First and Olivier winning Fishamble, in association with Fringe First winning Sunday’s Child, return to Summerhall with the 2019 hit show Mustard by Eva O’Connor. A darkly comic play about heartbreak, madness and how condiments are the ultimate coping mechanism. When the man of her dreams, a professional cyclist, leaves E, she plummets […]
‘If I invited you to come with me on a journey, a story, will you come with me?’ Northern Uganda. When Okumu’s village is attacked by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), he and his brother’s lives are changed forever. Far Gone is a profoundly moving story of a young boy’s journey from childhood innocence to […]
“Pluto and Vector have been dating for almost a year now, but as they hike up the mountain where the Greek god Prometheus was bound as punishment, their relationship hits its breaking point. The myth of Prometheus looms large over the mountain’s cold peak as Pluto and Vector confront their differences, their fears about their […]
Alyssa Mitchel, Dancer/Choreographer/Artistic Director/Teacher based in San Francisco talks with Jo Tomalin about how she chose to be a choreographer and her influences, after training in tap, jazz, ballet and rhythmic gymnastics. She presents a new show Here. Now. outdoors at the Exploratorium, San Francisco in November, 2021. Listen to our interview with Alyssa Mitchel […]
Emma Jordan is Artistic Director of Prime Cut Productions in Belfast and an independent Theatre Director in Ireland. She talks to Jo Tomalin about the company – and directing. Recently she directed East Belfast Boy, which is being presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2021 and she describes how this play was adapted for physical […]
Scottish Pakistani actor, writer and stand-up comedian talks about how she started writing and performing with Jo Tomalin. Lubna presents Tickbox – her latest theatre/comedy/storytelling show at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2021. “Tickbox is a semi-autobiographical, one-woman play, in Scots-English and Urdu. Describing a Pakistani woman’s journey from a middle-class life in Pakistan to Govan in […]
Martin Mor talks about circus, comedy storytelling and stand-up, developing his two shows and how he has fared during the pandemic with Jo Tomalin. He will present both shows at Laughing Horse (The Counting House) in Edinburgh at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2021. Martin Mor: At the Edge “Martin Mor is doing a stand-up comedy […]
Writer, performer mandla rae talks to Jo Tomalin about their work, how they started writing and performing and their show: mandla rae -as british as a watermelon. “‘My name is mandla. It means power. I gave it to myself’ – mandla rae has a selective memory and they are scrambling to piece together their life. […]
The Coily Dart Theatre Company produces parodies of Gilbert and Sullivan themes and comedy musicals. Director, Sue Ellerby, who is also author of the company’s scripts speaks to Jo Tomalin about the Gilbert and Sullivan genre, Coily Dart’s focus in the latest production on the lesser known Helen Carte, the parody comedy style of Coily […]
Bunker Teatro from Spain presents their show Land If You Can! at the Brighton Fringe 2021. This is an interactive role-playing play where the audience not only experiences the mystery story first hand, but also the improvisational style. Jo Tomalin speaks to the cast Auba Ramos and Juan Sanchez, and Gracia Rios (book, director and producer […]
Actor and writer Christopher Tajah from Resistance Theatre Company talks to Jo Tomalin about his career so far, and writing and performing his latest solo play at the Brighton Fringe 2021, 14 – 27 June 21 & The Space Theatre, East London 17 & 18 August 21. “‘Under Heaven’s Eyes’ is a new 60-minute solo performance exploring the […]
Unique Derique (aka Lance McGee) is a performer from the San Francisco Bay Area. As a professional clown Derique has performed his unique physical comedy show to audiences of all ages in the US and internationally. He is also a Trauma-Informed Wellness Consultant, Drama Therapist, and Mindfulness Coach providing support to Oakland, CA middle-school educators, administrators, […]
Anne Rabbitt planned to perform her one person show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last summer. But when the pandemic made this impossible she quickly adapted and reinvented her work to a new short film format. Jo Tomalin talks with Anne about her creative process and new work: I Know the Truth. Listen to […]
Manual Cinema performs Frankenstein as part of Cal Performances at Home, streaming premiere Thursday, October 29 at 7pm PDT; Performance will be available on demand until January 27th, 2021. Pictured left: Sarah Fornace (credit: Drew Dir). Pictured right: Creature and Victor. Sarah Fornace is one of the five Co Artistic-Directors of Chicago’s Manual Cinema and […]
Matthew Roberts is a playwright who has written several one-person plays, which he has also produced and performed at several UK Fringe festivals, including Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He recently started a MA programme and he talks to Jo Tomalin about his experiences and discoveries that are meaningful to him these days. Listen to our interview […]
Garlic Theatre Co artistic directors Iklooshar Malara and Mark Pitman travel around the UK performing several different shows that focus on puppetry and movement. They create every show – including a myriad of beautifully crafted puppets, imaginative stories, and original music. Jo Tomalin (in San Francisco) talks to Iklooshar and Mark (in Norfolk) about their […]
How do we stay motivated, creative – and sane – during COVID-19? Jo Tomalin (in San Francisco) talks to playwright Matthew Roberts (in London) about what he has been doing since the end of the run of his successful 2019 Edinburgh Fringe solo play, TEACH, which he wrote and performed, directed by Helen Tennison. […]
Theatrical Clown: Jo Tomalin talks to Áine Donnelly, producer/author/performer from San Francisco about Theatre Infinite and developing her clown character and show Hi. (Jean-Luc Godard). “Inspired by Jean-Luc Godard, clown Rodeo Debbie conducts an aesthetic investigation, where symposium meets jam session, and the audience contributes vital material. Mr. Godard knows a lot, but you are […]
How and why do we set ourselves challenges. Jo Tomalin talks to producer and performer Natacha Ruck about her work telling other people’s stories – and writing and telling her own story in a solo performance You’re good for nothing. I’ll milk the cow myself. “Natacha stepped into her French grandmother’s kitchen to pick up […]
What does it take to write and perform a solo show? Jo Tomalin talks to memoirist, published essayist, actor and and lecture agent Jamie Brickhouse about creating solo shows and his latest show: I Favor My Daddy. “Daddy Poo adored bikinis and martinis as much as his homosexual alcoholic son. Was he a sodomite lush too? […]
Harry Cronin’s play is about Father Mychal Judge, Chaplain of the NY City Fire Department at the time of 9/11 who was the first recorded victim of the tragic terror attacks on September 11, 2001. Jo Tomalin talks to actor John Tranchitella and author Harry Cronin about My Will & My Life. “A chaplain of the […]
Jo Tomalin talks to Comedic Storyteller Colleen Hindsley from NYC about what is special to her about performing at different fringes, developing new material, and developing and performing That’s Not How it Happened. Listen to our interview with Colleen Hindsley Visit our audio interviews page Visit our main San Francisco Fringe page for reviews
There are many Fringe Festivals in North America and they are coordinated by different organizations. How can fringers find out about them? Jo Tomalin talks to Grant Knutson, a fringe consultant and Managing Director of Minion Productions, who helps independent artists find out about fringe festivals, how to fringe in North America and about the […]
Shakespeare’s plays are just as relevant today as they were when they were written hundreds of years ago, and adapting Hamlet from Hamlet’s own point of view is a fascinating project. Jo Tomalin talks to San Francisco based Laurel Scotland-Stewart about her academic background in philosophy and The Readiness Is All: A Solo Hamlet by William Shakespeare; adapted […]
How does a performer develop a one person show? Jo Tomalin talks to James Sundquist about his creative process, performance style and AEON. “AEON by James Sundquist is the last chapter of good-humored resilience and personal pain that has been explored in EXPEDITIOUS INTENT (2017) and MINGALABA (2018). Minimalist, Paired Down Monodrama. I’m excited to […]
San Francisco Fringe 2019 Gallery of Images
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Telling a personal story is often more difficult to tell than a fictional one. Jo Tomalin talks to Jonathan Euseppi, a comedian and storyteller from Chicago about wanting to create a one person show about his dad, how he couldn’t get started and how he developed Grief is Horny. Listen to our interview with Jonathan Euseppi […]
Bars and Craft Cocktails in San Francisco! Jo Tomalin talks to Brian Waksmunski from Oakland, CA about crafting his experience in this industry and his inspiration for creating and performing his first solo show A Decent Negroni. “Abandoned by another waitress, our bartender takes inventory of his stock.” Listen to our interview with Brian Waksmunski Visit our audio […]
A survivor is always healing. Jo Tomalin talks to Nicia De’Lovely from Oakland, California about her healing process, the community workshops she conducts, theatre as a therapeutic tool and Get Uncomfortable. “Get Uncomfortable is a provocative performance addressing taboo subjects that have been normalized by traumatized silence within our marginalized communities. This one woman recital is […]
Jo Tomalin talks to pioneer lesbian playwright and actress Terry Baum about her work and Hick: A Love Story, Based on Eleanor Roosevelt’s Letters to Letters to Lorena Hickok, written by Terry Baum who also plays Lorena Hickok – Hick. “When Eleanor Roosevelt became First Lady in 1933, she had a lesbian lover — Lorena […]
The Intrepid Theatre Company in San Diego produces plays for all audiences. Jo Tomalin talks to Sean Yael-Cox, the company’s founding artistic director about the importance of outreach in the community, producing plays that have a message and The Thousandth Night by Carol Wolf, performed by Sean Yael-Cox. “One Actor, 38 roles. It’s Paris, 1943. […]
How do magicians become interested in making this craft their career? Jo Tomalin talks with Ryan Kane about his early interest in magic, how he develops his material and his performance style in his show The Magic of Ryan Kane. “Playing cards levitate, whiskey bottles appear from nowhere, and a paintball gun is fired at […]
Jo Tomalin talks to actor and psychologist Karin Schmid about TABOO. “A fictitious talk show with a live audience, featuring a guest from the afterlife. Impossible? Maybe exactly as impossible as the image of the ideal woman, a topic that the play seeks to address. The highlight of the […]
Here are my top ten recommendations for shows in the dance genre at Edfringe 2019. There were many to choose from… BalletBoyz: Them/Us All male award-winning contemporary dance company in their Edinburgh Fringe debut combining innovative choreography and versatility of movement. Underbelly, Bristo Square. Ensemble Five performers in their 30s […]
After a successful run of his second solo show, Canoe at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Matthew Roberts talks about developing his latest show TEACH, working with director Helen Tennison and returning to the Edinburgh Fringe, August 2019. Canoe is about universal ideas of love and loss through the lens of a gay couple who […]
Photo credit: Tom Giebel “Loo Zihan (Singapore) is an artist working at the intersection of critical theory, performance, and the moving-image. His work emphasises the malleability of memory through various representational strategies. He was awarded the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council of Singapore in 2015. This intimate interactive experience begins in the form of […]
photo credit: Camilla Greenwell Performance poet Jemima Foxtrot talks with Jo Tomalin about developing and performing one person shows and Above The Mealy-Mouthed Sea with Unholy Mess (UK). “Unholy Mess is an award-winning London-based theatre company touring internationally. Using performance poetry and live singing, they create bold new work about important stories of human experience that are […]
Photo credit: Julian Hughes The Cast – Jamie de Courcey and Hayley Doherty – and Michael Pinchback, Writer & Director – of A Fortunate Man talk to Jo Tomalin about devising a show based on the Book : A Fortunate Man. Listen to our Interview:
Photo credit: Andre Chong and Lee Lip Jiang Kris Natarajan, Nisa Syarafana, Astley Xie, and Charmaine Goh of Patch and Punnet talk with Jo Tomalin about creating and devising The Adventures of Abhijeet. “In his desperation to save his dying daughter, Abhijeet is lured to the magical paradise of Singaland! Jeet toils under the scorching […]
Photo by Tuckys Photography, Courtesy of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay Koh Wan Ching (Singapore) Director of precise purpose of being broken talks with Jo Tomalin about her background, developing her show and the importance of Movement in Theatre. “precise purpose of being broken is adapted from a collage of texts by playwright and […]
Photo credit: Mark Benedict Cheong Members of Bhumi Collective (Singapore), Soultari Amin Fared (Creative Director) and KayKay Nizam who both perform in yesterday it rained salt, talk to Jo Tomalin about devising the show with playwright Nabila Said and choreographer Norhaizad Adam. “Goodbyes are rarely good. And memories can be tricky things. Azman returns to his island […]
Photo Credit: Irfan Kasban Sharon Frese, Irfan Kasban & Ng Yi-Sheng talk with Jo Tomalin about Ayer Hitam: A Black History of Singapore (Singapore |UK) A Fringe Commission and World Premiere. “In this lecture performance, actress Sharon Frese explores the history and influence of the African diaspora in Singapore. Dredging the archives, she shares images and documents relating to slavery, colonialism, jazz […]
Photo credit: Marwan Tahtah Hanane Hajj Ali, Artist, Activist, Writer and Performer of Jogging: Theatre in Progress talks with Jo Tomalin about her background, the development of her one woman show, touring internationally and in her home country of Lebanon. “JOGGING transgresses the Lebanese Bermuda triangle of taboos: religion, politics, and sex, and presents a radical challenge […]
Photo Credits: left + centre – Courtesy of the artist; (right) Mark Benedict Cheong Nabilah Said (Singapore) talks with Jo Tomalin about her plays ANGKAT: A Definitive, Alternative, Reclaimed Narrative of a Native and yesterday it rained salt. “Said is a playwright, arts writer and poet. Her plays have been presented in Singapore and London by […]
Artist – Sean Cham (Photo Credits Sean Cham) Sean Cham talks to Jo Tomalin about This is Where – how and why he developed this series of photographs – after we walked around a Singapore neighborhood to view two of the thirteen different images in his exhibition. “Sean Cham (Singapore) is an intermedia visual and performing […]
Jo Tomalin talks to Neil Arthur James (aka Dandy Darkly) about how to Fringe! Many performers want to perform at other fringes around the world, and in this 18 minute conversation Neil shares his recent experiences and helpful tips for others planning to perform at fringe festivals in North America and the Edinburgh Fringe. […]
Jo Tomalin talks to Joan Chaplick about how and why she developed her solo performance Put a Little Shimmer in Your Life. “Retired professional athlete meets single San Franciscan woman age 40+. He’s looking for freedom- she’s wants commitment. Somehow- it results in an amazing adventure of friendship, fame and fur. (Did I mention he’s a […]
Jo Tomalin talks to Justin Matson about developing his Stand-Up Comedy show Fatter Than You Think “Adorably awkward with a twist of gay, Justin Matson is Fatter Than You Think. Fresh from the Adelaide and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, Matson brings a new stand-up special about his journey and struggle with body image. It’s real, raw, […]
Jo Tomalin talks to Kel’ Wil’ (aka Kellita) about her solo show I K(no)W and Showgirl Awakening “The lengths one woman will go to to NOT say no. And what happens when she starts saying it. Tale complete with international pooping in pants scenes, shimmy dance and redemption.” Listen to our interview with Kel’ Wil’ about […]
Birth, Death, Science and Religion: Jo Tomalin talks to Comedian Bill Santiago about The Immaculate Big Bang. “Sparked by the death of his father and birth of his daughter, Comedian Bill Santiago goes in search of answers and laughs at the border of science and religion, exploring the comic nature of the cosmic quest for […]
Union Machinist and Air Transport Mechanic Tells Her Story! Jo Tomalin talks to Kathleen Denny about creating her solo show – Tolerance?! “Sometimes a gal just has to do something! Like when she walks into work and Miss September is NOT demonstrating a specialized machining technique. With humor, Kathleen Denny shares this timely tale from […]
Magical Therapy: Jo Tomalin talks to Sheila Rubin – writer, performer and therapist – about healing through magic, and Saun-Toy Trotter, director of Transformation. Rubin describes her show as Self-Revelatory Performance, a form of drama therapy and theatre. “Once upon a time, two sisters desperately hide their secret Cat Stevens album Tea for the Tillerman […]
It’s Important to Write That Story! Jo Tomalin talks with Evelyn Jean Pine about creating her solo performance and The Mermaid’s Tears – with advice for anyone who has an idea of a story to tell. “A to-do list for eager young female entrepreneurs from a housecleaner-turned-tycoon who builds her empire by creating opportunities […]
“My Preferred Pronoun Is We is the hilarious story of Lyralen Kaye’s decision to move to Canada immediately in November of 2016…and her complete ignorance about what it would take to get all her personalities over the border. Combining storytelling, stand-up comedy and physical theater, this show is a roller coaster of immigration struggles, long […]
Jo Tomalin talks to Neil Arthur James about Southern Gothic Storytelling and creating Dandy Darkly’s All Aboard! “New York City’s critically acclaimed satirist and cult horror raconteur, Dandy Darkly, returns to the Fringe for another horrific, hysteric, late-night frolic. Join Dandy aboard the infamous Gaybird Steamer for the smartest, sleaziest ride of your life. Enjoy a drippin’ […]
Jo Tomalin talks to Johnny Autin, Creative Director and choreographer of Autin Dance Theatre and the cast of Queer Words: Bethany Slinn. Joshua Toft-Wild and Oliver Sale about developing their show. “Queer Words: stand-up comedy meets dance theatre! Performed by an all-LGBTQ cast of three exceptional performers, Queer Words is a bold, provocative, and multidisciplinary […]
Jo Tomalin talks to Éowyn Emerald and the company about inspiration, choreographing and performing in Éowyn Emerald and Dancers. Listen to our interview with Éowyn Emerald and the company about Éowyn Emerald and Dancers
