Cincinnati Fringe Festival - Chapter Three

So we gear up for another performance.  Dawn and I went through and Zenned the sound cues so that nothing goes off unhitched.

LOL

It's a blazing 94 degrees today here in Cincy.  Bright and sunny.  Delicious.

I am eager to get home and work harder doing this....I am in love with my career.

:)

Super Fringe Updates: Friday through Today.

Chapter One:  Uh.....Really?

So.  Dawn and I arrived in Cincinnati Friday evening around 7:00pm local time.  We'd driven the convoluted roads to find our small section of safe in a not-so-safe neighborhood.  "Over the Rhine" is the 'hood surrounded by 'hood.  LOL.  Made me home sick for Baltimore and nostalgic for Philadelphia.....and reminded me of that one time I got lost in Atlanta visiting a college pal.

Wooooooo.  

Uh.....really?

Drunken Crack Chic.  Boarded up burned buildings.  Charming.  Prostitutes and smoky swilling inarticulate local baby mammas of all sizes.  LOL  Local cops are present and patrolling.  And know all aforementioned casts of characters, by name....

Not at all deterred by this condition....uh....we live in Chicago now....so tough is street wise and no-eye contact made is good....and we have a a job to do so no time for fear.  

So I shoved my phone and extra credit cards and cash in my brassiere and strapped my purse to my body and walked around with Dawn to check out the lay of the land.  Which was literally "good street" and "bad street" and "I think we'll walk around this street next time" and "Uh....really??".

We met the lovely folk at Know Theatre who are putting on the festival and then made our way to the dorm of the Art Academy where we would be staying.  truly a bunch of stunning people to know.  they make a great festival.

HUGE.  Palatial.  this apartment is LARGE.  Plenty of room for four women.  

No furniture.  

None.  Concrete floor.  Air mattress.  Uh....yeah. So now...I don't feel so terrible for "over packing" home type things.

Lemon.  Yellow.  Walls.  Uh.....GOOD FREAKIN' MORNING.

Sunny.  Blazing.  Lemon. 1970s Macrame-Great Space Coaster-Yellow.

Those of you....who know me....know that I am.....ahem....NOT...a morning person. Yellow walls that attracted the sun like a piece of shiny Grandma Rose washed with love tin-foil.  Waking to that sort of hurt.  And then I was immediately reminded that there was no furniture....which means there is not a coffee pot...and worse, that means.....no......coffee.

And after barely sleeping on the floor.  there is "grouch" potential.

No matter. No time for grouchy.  I am the poster bearing marketing cheerleader "B-E-A-GG-RESS-IVE. BE.  AGGRESSIVE BE BE AGGRESSIVE"  Cliff bars, check.  Sun Screen, check. Luna bars.  Check.  Water, check.  Dried Fruit.  Check.  Bagels.  Check.  Posters.  Double check.

Off to coffee shop, farmers markets, museums and local pubs and restaurants to flyer and poster hang.... in blue blazes. Press releases drafted, pavement....hitting.

This is going to be an amazing experience.  Why?  because at said the evening's social event the "Know Theatre 'Prom'" (that made boys town look like Candyland.  Uh.....really.....).....we were approached by adults and youths alike....all of whom stated they were extremely excited to see Dawn's show The Lydia Etudes.  For those of you who've not seen it.....Dawn's show is a piece about Lydia Avilova, Anton Chechkov's one true (yet unrequited) love.  It's pretty gutsy as she plays both Anton and Lydia.  In a costume that I designed, draped, drafted, and built.  Which makes me feel....SUPER AWESOME.

So...uh....really?  We are in a festival of one-performer pieces.  fringe festival.  and Fringy is Edgy. Gender Themes. Religious themes.  Identity soul searching and cussin' a plenty. Modern dance. Loud noises and freaking out to rap and rock. Her's is a Victorian piece.  With Rachmaninoff.

I told her "Here??  Victorian IS edgy.  We'll fit right in with the avant guarde literatae"

So here we are.  Showing our "high button booted ankles" in a festival where souls and often body parts are displayed.  We are the only piece of its kind.  We are different.

We are...the fringe.  LOL

Winning.

Now......bring on the people to come and see it.  Feel free to Tweet, my friends.  Tweet.  LOL

Technical rehearsal at 2:00pm.  More later......

show Saturday night at 7 EST. 

Chapter Two:  Artists on the fringe.

I imagine this is what it was like in Paris during the 1890s.  Two artist ladies.  With portable food: then baguette and fresh cheese, wine and cured meat from the Charcuterie - now.... cliff bar, wheat crackers, soy mozzarella and water. Waking at 10 am......lol.  Yes.  we slept in this morning.  And now are in glorious coffee shop.  then to farmer's market and to lunch.  LOL.  Artist on the fringe.  Totally. Waking up to doing what we love to do at our own pace. Surrounded by theater in every corner.  Love.  It.

So.  The update.

Technical rehearsal yesterday was  at 2:00pm. Full run for press photographer.  Super savvy.  only one tech bubble because it was the first time ever for me running sound.  Other than that a successful run.

We prepared for opening and then realized we had no time.  Hunger pangs.

There is nothing in downtown Cincinnati.  nothing.  Not having planned for the quick turn around between tech and actual show.  We were left ravenous. Meat.  Not soy product.  Was.  Necessary.

Wandering around in the 95 degree 100% humidity.  Me in my tech garb and Dawn in most of her costume (as it was arduous once the hair was coiffed to remove the high necked blouse.  luckily it is a breathable fabric....eeep).  

Had super duper smart phone.  Resource!!!

But.  Yelp was utterly useless only because all of the restaurants we could find, which normally I might frequent as a tourist...but here as an artist....am on super tight budget could not frequent.  Two dollar signs in Cincy is expensive.  $35+ for a meal each.  Couldn't do it.  We needed one dollar sign.  One.  So. More wandering.  

Now get this nonsense. mostly everything was closed. At 5:00pm.  On a Saturday. What the what?

Closed on a Saturday.  Why does Cincinnati hate us???

Wandering.  Melting.  Lucky to have put on super extra 50 block coppertone sport sunscreen on my pale person...as I am getting a tan just from walking that is how hot it is.  So I am as pale of a Victorian as Dawn is dressed as one.

Flushed.  Sweating. Wilting.  carrying far too many things.  Cincinnati is akin to camping.  It's inconvenient and you have to carry everything everywhere at all times like a nomad.  But the spirit of the town is like Pittsburgh.  Artist friendly and welcoming.  The area is rough around the edges, but reminds me that I am in a city.  I love the city.

hungry.hot.woozy.floating weakly.sweating.

Roxy's.  Like an Oasis in the Desert.  Roxy's.  Was open.  Not only were they open...but affordable.  And a plus totally artist friendly.  Much like Hamburger Mary's in Andersonville.  Kitchy theme. Faaaaaaaabulous waiters. Leopard print and baroque wall paper and pictures of Cher and Marilyn. Chiffon as far as the eye could see. GREAT food.

We delicately sat on tufted chairs. The waiter complimented Dawn's blouse and lovely gibson girl 'do.  (to which, she smiled sweetly as always). We ordered calmly and politely and we got a percentage off of our meal for using Yelp's to check in to Roxy's.  Roxy's was not yet on Yelp.  New.  Roxy's was new.  We like Roxy's.  Now Yelp, which now was no longer a bane, did too.  Huzzah.

Then - I think we inhaled two medium rare cheeseburgers with allllllll the fixin's, crisped seasoned fries, two colas and three lemon waters each.  I can't be sure.  The moment was so fleeting.  But at once, I was quite sated.  And hydrated.

The show opened at 7 EST to an audience of 35 in a house of 60.  It was not only well received....but Dawn got a standing ovation!  We went to see a performance art piece that one of our artist roommates was in.  We were home at about 12:30 am.

Mattresses newly puffed with the mattress motor.  Crashed haaaard.  And woke this morning feeling much more human.

Today we have off to regroup, recharge and poster and flyer into oblivion.

Mornings are Fringy

Ok.  So.  Cincinnati is a big town with a tough side.  Reminds me a lot of Baltimore.

Am going on no sleep. Six hour drive, midnight event social schmoozing and air mattresses that deflates regularly on concrete floor.

Dude. I'm feeling the burn.  It's been a while since I've literally been fueled by coffee and Cliff Bars.

Aside from dorm domicile, am enjoying the sites.  Not that I don't enjoy dorms.  I do....or did rather....back in the day when I didn't have to take ibuprophin when I slept on the floor.  LOL.

Artists are as artists do.  And we are here to work and spread the word about the show.

Winning

Cincinnati Fringe Festival

Hello all.  I've been a busy little bee.

I finished assisting with a costume build at the Court Theatre in Hyde Park (Porgy and Bess.  If you're local to Chicago....run....do not walk....to go and see it.  It's remarkable.  Not just from a costuming standpoint, but from a performance one as well).

Now?  Sing with me......lol......


Baby, if you've ever wondered,
Wondered whatever became of me,
I'm living on the air in Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, WKRP.

Got kind of tired packing and unpacking,
Town to town and up and down the dial
Maybe you and me were never meant to be,
But baby think of me once in awhile.
I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati.. 




Hahahahah.

No really.  I'm going to Cincinnati.  But not for radio, my friends.  Tha Theatah.


My client, Dawn, and I are going to run amuck in Cincy. ( Oh yes.  Her piece was chosen as one of the headlining shows at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival and will feature a piece designed and constructed by yours truly.  http://www.cincyfringe.com/the-lydia-etudes-about-loving-anton-chekhov

You can trust that there will be roadside postings.

But for now?  "This is Less Nessman.....signing out".

LOL

Rollin' Merrily Along

So I have been utterly "gobsmacked", as all my British friends exclaim when they are busy.  My schedule has been utterly ludicrous.  I've barely had time to sleep.

And I love it.

This week I've been working on the handbags that I hated and took apart....and then put back together again....and then took apart again.  LOL.

I've also been working on the line for pets.  At first dogs...and dog walking things.  Couture Poop Bags, if you will.

I can use any fabric I want...but I cover it in either iron on vinyl or clear plastic. Designed with my pals in mind who consistently have locked themselves out of the house...lol.  Comes with key ring and carabiner to attach to the leash.

Still knocking around the protoype.  I think they will be smashing.

Now here's for the crap.  I planned to charge $20 for them.  All of my feedback crew are telling me they are worth $10.  CUSS AND SWEAR.  That is super frustrating.

LOL

They don't take that long....but the whole point of doing these little baggies was for that whole pet pomp and circumstance sort of thing.  Meh.  So I have a few out to a panel of judges and I will wait to see what they have to say before I giddyap and go with these.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Learnin'

Uh, so yeah...I set seriously huge ambitious goals for myself.


My Bag-A Day goal was met.
Well, sort of.


Like my brilliant attorney father, I gathered all of the facts:


Fact:  Every time I went to build, I found I was missing a key construction component or tool.
Fact: I cut out over 40 purses, bags, satchels, clutches and coin purses.
Fact: I actually constructed and made about a Baker's dozen.  
Fact:  I am not a Baker, at least not one by trade
Fact: So, I'm thinking that number doesn't help matters much.
Fact:  I photographed about four of them
Fact:  WTF????????
Fact: I gave one as a Christmas present
Fact: I screwed one up so now I have to keep it.
Fact:  I liked one and kept it as a marketing tool
Fact: I am super pleased about my clever green little bag of recycled playing cards, kept that too.


The stats?  Yes, yes.  I got the numbers; formed the equation; scratched head in thought; carried the one;  and came to an answer:  I have about a six purse inventory.


Six.


That number, to be crass and plebeian: sucks it.  Big time.


Epic fail?
Not so much.


I look at this as a successful challenge even if I never even came close to meeting that initial goal.  Why?  Because I didn't slack.  Not  once.  This is something very important I learned about my own personal strengths.


This is it.  This is what I want to do.  So I went for it.  Head first.  Plunge.  And I learned a ton.


Here is what I gleaned from this situation:

• I now have, in my happy possession, all of the supplies that I need to continue to forge forward.
• I do have at least 40 bags cut out that I can build from start to finish.
• I  can photograph these aforementioned bags in the comfort of my own home.

To this, I say "Huzzah".

So.  I reorganized and regrouped this evening.  I categorized the cut out bags and put them into manageable groups.  I am now planning my February attack plan.

First?  Start off with those Shiny Happy Romancers: The Lovers of Valentine's Day.

Goal one:  Make and photograph every flippin' red and pink bag by next weekend.

This is my newest challenge.

Heart challenge.  LOL.

So ok schmoopy romantics.  Fear not.  I will have that groovy blushy bag for you or for your sweetheart.

Gotta go sew!

Snow-Pac 2 Rock

Being self employed during the biggest Chicago snow since 1967 is pretty amazing.

While the world around me freaked out and beat the snot out of each other in local grocery stores over toilet paper and the last loaf of bread, I sat calmly beading handbags in my living room. While my neighbors that I do like fought with the neighbors that I do not like fought audibly in the hallway over who was going to shovel or not - I sketched new earring designs, did some water color renderings of costumes I want to make in the future.

I am in no way saying that being a self employed accessories designer is easy.  I work harder than ever.  I may conduct the ordinary course of business in my pajammas, but I also work about twelve to fourteen hours per day. I am constantly revamping my designs when I am not actually working on inventory and I am photographing or blogging at other times.

The flurry of activity outside often reflects the same in my small shop, I suppose, as things are piled 6 feet high and I can't leave until I dig out a path.

I have about 29 bags  in the "bag-a- day" challenge I just have to get them documented...

Now...since I can't go anywhere.  I'd best be getting on with some photos.  I'll report back in a week with my progress.