Imagine my surprise when I checked in with the fringe headquarters and realized that I’ll be doing six shows instead of five, and my opening night is actually this Friday, instead of this Saturday, as I had originally thought.
It was a pleasant one!
All show dates are accurate on my Fringe page now!
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So! I just finished up the Minnesota Fringe, where my show was really well-received. You can read audience reviews here (you may have to click to enlarge) and here’s how the Twin Cities Daily planet reviewed it (spoiler alerts on all those reviews, of course).
Part of what made my run in Minnesota so successful was that I’d already brought a show there in 2005, and so I had audience and media support before I even opened this year.
Now I’m in Indianapolis for the IndyFringe, and I’m a total unknown! If you like my work, and you have friends in Indiana, would you send them my way? They can read more about the show, find show times, learn how to buy tickets, and see a teaser here. I open this Saturday night!
Now off to do a million bazillion things so my show actually works on Saturday…
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So, here I am in Minneapolis! I’m doing a run of shows as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival, which has been stimulating, fun, and humid. Also, it’s true what they say about Midwestern Nice.
Which brings me right to my point! Which is lucky, because I’m writing this update from a mobile device.
The point is people, and kindness, and how one can find that –- people being kind — pretty much wherever one is in the world.
I don’t usually read reviews because they mess with my head, especially during the run of a show, but confidential to the audience reviewer who was worried that what they witnessed was the testimonial of a irreparably broken woman, a sad story with no happy ending: don’t worry.
Listen, the writing, the choreography, all the logistical negotiations of mounting a touring production, the marketing, the publicity, the fund-raising, the performance itself, night after night: I couldn’t have managed it if I were broken, and I certainly couldn’t have managed it without tons and tons of support from brilliant, generous, and trust-worthy people.
The fact that you were in my audience is a testimony to the fact that life has been quite kind to me.
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I saw this show a year or so ago, and I’m still telling friends about things I learned while watching it. (Did you know that the streets in Berkeley and Oakland are literally paved with Ohlone remains?)
The show doesn’t pull its punches. It’s alarming, honest, unpretentious, and ultimately energizing. I recommend it.
Hm. I don’t think you can buy tickets yet. Hopefully I’ll remember to remind you when they go on sale.
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Update: Position filled!
Hey, if you’d like to see the show for free, I’ve got one volunteer position to fill. Call time is 6:30 the night of the show (July 10th) and may involve things like selling beverages, selling tickets, putting out programs, and helping clean up after the show.
We’d all be out of the theater no later than 11:00 pm, and you’d be guaranteed to see the entire show.
You can send an e-mail to j (at) jessicaferris (dot) com if you’re interested!
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10. I don’t know when I’ll be back again
I know I live here and all, but San Francisco is a fracking hard town to self-produce in. It’s expensive! And audiences get fatigued from having so much art to see, so sometimes they don’t show up! But listen, fatigued friends of mine, you’re going to have to rally this time, because this show is worth it.
9. Insight distilled from over 1,460 days of contemplation
I’ve spent over four years working on this sucker. That’s kind of like getting a graduate degree in This Show, which makes me, like, an expert – which means you can totally trust me when I say you should come.
8. But don’t take my word for it!
“It’s hilarious to the point of tears, touching, and close to the bone. How can she make me laugh till I cry telling such a dark story?”
“I threw my head back with laughter, I inhaled crisply, I raised my eyebrows, I was slack-jawed”
“It’s a really smart show. Not just “clever.” Bears re-watching, the way good things sometimes do, you know?”
“The story is told with impeccable timing and movement.”
“I felt stimulated and energized by such a smart, quick, complex piece.”
“This is deeply humane theater, and damn funny, too.”
“It made me curious about other families and other childhoods. I know a lot of people with vanilla histories. Hearing one as complex as hers is fascinating.”
“It’s funny, touching, angering, and smart.”
“I loved the bit at the end, when she says, [REDACTED]. I had a very visceral sense of heightened anticipation – will it be wonderful? difficult? hilarious? As usual, it was a brilliant mix of them all.”
“It’s physical theater and performance art – surprising use of props and body! This show is amazing.”
“The emotional climax of the show was overwhelming and unexpected, and I cried a lot.”
“Jessica is one of the most riveting solo performers I’ve seen, and I’ll cheerfully pay money to see her stand on a stage and tilt her head, and I think you should, too.”
7. See my bits
Just last week someone navigated to this here website using the search term “jessica ferris nude.” Was it one of you? Listen, while I can’t promise that ‘ll be literally nude onstage, I can tell you that my soul will be naked. My soul, people! My soul.
6. The clothing is there for a reason
Chairs pinch. And here is proof of this true fact of science:
5. O M G, the music
Did I mention I commissioned Mark Orton of Tin Hat to compose the score? Are you aware of how good his music is? No? COME FIND OUT.
(The LA Times calls it “rich with whimsy, imagination, and intelligence.”)
4. For my birthday, I want this show to sell out.
This year I’ll be as old as they say Jesus was when he died, and you know what that means. (It means “buy a ticket.”)
3. Name Dropping
All right, listen. I wasn’t going to do this. I was like, “No, Jessica, it’s crass!” But here I am at number three and my resolve has weakened. So I’m doing it.
Okay, I totally wrote Neil Gaiman a letter. And I was like, “Hi Neil Gaiman, we met when I was dancing back-up at that one event, and usually I do theater shows, and I’m bringing a show to your city this summer, and would you like to come?” And he was like no, I’ll be out of town, but keep me updated because “it looks AMAZING.” Okay, people? He totally used caps.
Now maybe he was just being nice and supportive to a fan! Neil Gaiman seems like the kind of classy guy who might do such a generous thing. He’s certainly not seen the show. BUT MAYBE NEIL GAIMAN HAS SUPER POWERS OF DISCERNMENT.
2. More Name Dropping
This one goes out to all my version-control-loving peeps. You know Karl Fogel? Just this week he was all I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the show. Bam.
1. It’s just for one night. And I’d really like it if you came.
Here’s where you can read more about the content of the show, as well as buy tickets.
Sincerely,
Jessica
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I’ve been waking up at 5:00 am these days. The sun rises so early, and it’s hard to get back to sleep! This morning I occupied myself with following alias trails, and found an especially exciting cluster!
Greg A___, “proprietor” of these fine establishments!
Maybe people really do call the first name they see in the Yellow Pages? Or maybe my Alphabetical Dating Project (from days of yore) wasn’t so much a stroke of brilliance as a twitch of genetics?
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I find it really touching, especially that bit with the first knock on the door.
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Maybe an astoundingly organized and reliable someone in Minneapolis or St. Paul? In August?
Because I’m looking!
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2. I just remembered this album today, because of the Earth Day song, and it makes me so nostalgic. I had it on cassette tape when I was like thirteen and I listened to it over and over.
3. Since I’ve been on my self-imposed Facebook hiatus, I’ve had no audience for inane observations about my breakfast.
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