GET TO KNOW THE 2023 FRINGE FESTIVAL ARTISTS: Edition #1
The 2023 Philadelphia Fringe Festival is upon us, and we know you’re gearing up to see some amazing shows, but do you know the minds behind them? Get to know some of this year’s participating artists below– who knows, maybe you’ll end up adding a couple more shows to your roster!
Pamela Hetherington of Terry Pollard
Pamela Hetherington
FringeArts: Break the ice! Imagine we’re in the awkward first ten minutes of a date. What’s your name, where are you from, where are you now, how’d you end up in Philly, etc., etc.
FA: My name is Pamela Hetherington. I am a 4th generation Philadelphian! By the time I was born, my family had settled in Northeast Philly.
FringeArts: Which show are you presenting? Give us the details!
FA: I made a piece about the life of Terry Pollard, a pianist and vibraphonist who blazed a trail in the 1950s, before her contributions somehow got categorized into the bucket of “overlooked” female jazz musicians.
FringeArts: What was your favorite movie when you were a kid? (This says a lot about a person, if you ask me.)
FA: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
FringeArts: What made you decide to get into the arts, if it was even a conscious decision?
FA: It’s what I’ve always done! I was a tiny kid when my dance teachers would throw me into wild opportunities. One of my most vivid dance memories is being 8 years old and performing a tap solo at the Robin Hood Dell to a VERY large crowd. I just had no fear and loved it all.
FringeArts: If you could be doing anything right now, what would it be?
FA: Home with my family and my two celebrity pit bulls, Moo and Tina Turner. (They are celebrities to me).
FringeArts: Give us a random cool/interesting fact about yourself.
FA: I did not learn how to drive until I was 29! I went to driving school and a retired Philly cop scared me into learning by making me drive the crossovers on the Boulevard in rush hour. 🙃
FringeArts: What would be your go-to karaoke song?
FA: Always “Rich Girl” by Hall and Oates
FringeArts: Which other show are you looking forward to seeing most in the 2023 Fringe Festival?
FA: Flamencodanza at Sound Space Performing Arts!
Jedidjah of Last One Standing
Jedidjah
FringeArts: Break the ice! Imagine we’re in the awkward first ten minutes of a date. What’s your name, where are you from, where are you now, how’d you end up in Philly, etc., etc.
FA: I’m Jedidjah, originally from Amsterdam, the Netherlands but now living on a tiny island just below Vancouver, Canada. I ended up in Philly through Cannonball, who selected my small immersive show-for-one for their Snack Track! So I am now officially a Philly snack, and excited about it!
FringeArts: Which show are you presenting? Give us the details!
FA: My show is called ‘Last One Standing‘ and it’s a show for one audience member at a time (so not a lot of tickets… hinthint). You will be alone in a room to connect via phone with a person who is ‘the last one’ or ‘the only one’ in some capacity. It’s an atmospheric piece, only 20 minutes long, and you have full control over how interactive you want it to be, so it’s also perfect for introverts and people who are looking for some rest and quiet contemplation.
FringeArts: What was your favorite movie when you were a kid? (This says a lot about a person, if you ask me.)
FA: I went to see Dirty Dancing 9 times in the cinema when I was in high school… Not sure *what* that says about me.
(FringeArts note: It means you have taste.)
FringeArts: What made you decide to get into the arts, if it was even a conscious decision?
FA: I’ve always loved telling stories. When I was little, I’d boss my family into acting out certain scenarios with me, and I wrote fiction for high school assignments even though we were only allowed to write non-fiction (can you believe it?!). So there was never any doubt that I would go into storytelling as a professional as well.
FringeArts: If you could be doing anything right now, what would it be?
FA: I’d love to make a huge alternate reality and immersive story experience that would continue over multiple years.
FringeArts: Give us a random cool/interesting fact about yourself.
FA: I am the co-host of the Nirvana Podcast!
FringeArts: What would be your go-to karaoke song?
FA: “Dancing in the Moonlight” by Toploader
FringeArts: Which other show are you looking forward to seeing most in the 2023 Fringe Festival?
FA: Tea Party at the End of the World – I already secured my ticket! I’d also loved to see Circus Phantasmagoria, but I’ll be back home by the time it’s on. And all of the shows of my Snack Track fellows, there are some really exciting titles in there!
Kaytlin of Whore's Eye View
Kaytlin
FringeArts: Break the ice! Imagine we’re in the awkward first ten minutes of a date. What’s your name, where are you from, where are you now, how’d you end up in Philly, etc., etc.
FA: I’m Kaytlin, I was a comic before becoming a sex worker rights advocate. I come from a military family but grew up in North Carolina, I live in NYC. I’m excited to bring my show to Philly!
FringeArts: Which show are you presenting? Give us the details!
FA: Whore’s Eye View is a mad dash through 10,000 years of history from a sex worker’s perspective, it’s equal parts stand up, history lecture, and very personal story telling.
FringeArts: What was your favorite movie when you were a kid? (This says a lot about a person, if you ask me.)
FA: The Secret of NIMH
FringeArts: What made you decide to get into the arts, if it was even a conscious decision?
FA: My parents took me to see Phantom of the Opera in London when I was 7 or 8 years old. I had never had that kind of experience in the theater before and I knew no matter what I wanted to make people feel the way the people on stage had made me feel. Later I fell in love with stand up comedy.
FringeArts: If you could be doing anything right now, what would it be?
FA: Exactly what I’m doing, taking this show as far as it will go.
FringeArts: Give us a random cool/interesting fact about yourself.
FA: I used to produce the Naked Comedy Show in NYC and I recently went skydiving for the first time.
FringeArts: What would be your go-to karaoke song?
FA: “Hell on Heels” by Miranda Lambert
FringeArts: Which other show are you looking forward to seeing most in the 2023 Fringe Festival?
Norm of Making It Up (One Playwright to Another)
Norm
FringeArts: Break the ice! Imagine we’re in the awkward first ten minutes of a date. What’s your name, where are you from, where are you now, how’d you end up in Philly, etc., etc.
FA: I’m Norm. I hail from Toronto, Canada, and our show ended up in Philly thanks to Eventotron!
FringeArts: Which show are you presenting? Give us the details!
FA: Making It Up (One Playwright to Another). DIGITAL. ONLINE. Some scripts take a lifetime to write…. “If anyone had told me what my future would hold, I would have thought they were making it up.” Join writer and actor Norm Reynolds as he makes his way through appointments with destiny in the realms of academia, finance, and the theatre- including inspirational encounters with playwright Edward Albee.
FringeArts: What was your favorite movie when you were a kid? (This says a lot about a person, if you ask me.)
FA: Cabaret! Saw it when I was 13. Didn’t understand half of it but never forgot it.
FringeArts: What made you decide to get into the arts, if it was even a conscious decision?
FA: Seeing A Chorus Line when I was 16. It turned me on to theatre in a big way.
FringeArts: If you could be doing anything right now, what would it be?
FA: Either exercising at the gym or relaxing with coffee on my balcony.
FringeArts: Give us a random cool/interesting fact about yourself.
FA: Beyond meeting Edward Albee (which is the meat of our show)? I don’t think I could top that.
FringeArts: What would be your go-to karaoke song?
FA: “I Don’t Remember Christmas” (for you Broadway show tune fans)
FringeArts: Which other show are you looking forward to seeing most in the 2023 Fringe Festival?
FA: The other digital shows! See you online!
The Boxcutter Collective
The Boxcutter Collective
FringeArts: Break the ice! Imagine we’re in the awkward first ten minutes of a date. What’s your name, where are you from, where are you now, how’d you end up in Philly, etc., etc.
FA: We are The Boxcutter Collective from Brooklyn New York! We are just a hop, skip and a jump away from Philly and all its awesome puppeteers. We have performed there before hosted by Morgan Andrews and Donna Oblongata and we have all toured with Bread and Puppet Theater for years and performed at the Rotunda for YEARS!
FringeArts: Which show are you presenting? Give us the details!
FA: We are presenting 2 shows! “The History of Laughter” – a show that we made in collaboration with Peter Schumann of Bread and Puppet Theater. “Fruit Punch” is our newest show. Set in a Kingdom where Punch is King, the currency is Fruit, and job openings make room for some unexpected guests!
FringeArts: What was your favorite movie when you were a kid? (This says a lot about a person, if you ask me.)
FA: Well there are 7 members of Boxcutter Collective and our humor and sensibilities are all over the place with some very sweet overlaps! Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Eraserhead, The Warriors, Jodorowsky’s Holy Mountain and of course, the classic, Terminator 1 and 2 (But we were unable to reach consensus on Terminators 3 – 7 before this publication)
FringeArts: What made you decide to get into the arts, if it was even a conscious decision?
FA: Large amounts of money and fame that are easily attainable and also a shared belief that cultural change precedes societal change.
FringeArts: If you could be doing anything right now, what would it be?
FA: Riding the Cyclone at Coney Island
FringeArts: Give us a random cool/interesting fact about yourself.
FA: Collectively we have 18 tattoos and one van. The van is named Gladys.
FringeArts: What would be your go-to karaoke song?
FA: “Tequila” by The Champs
FringeArts: Which other show are you looking forward to seeing most in the 2023 Fringe Festival?
FA: Falling Up
