IndyFringe16: Tortillo 2. Catalyst Repertory Wants to Take Away Your Crap

The multiplicity of shows offered every year at IndyFringe is simply astounding. From storytelling to drama to musicals to dance to acoustic concerts...and then there's this: the junk food offering. 

IndyFringe poster woman, Casey Ross, has unleashed the long awaited sequel of her 2009 offering Tortillo, to IndyFringe16 in Tortillo 2. If you saw the first installment, you recall that someone had coked the chips at a snack food company. In Tortillo 2, you won't believe it, but someone has done it...again!

Tortillo! is getting a sequel! Hailed by critics as "a series of disjointed dialogues held together by profanity," the sequel to the celebrated fringe comedy, promises to ask the important questions - like, "How is there cocaine in these f@*king chips - again?" Join the returning cast for the sequel of a play that proudly "relies on a lot of crass slapstick and dick jokes." Recommended 16+; it's a bit crass. --(IndyFringe Program guide)

On the particular night we saw it, one half of this duo had completed a triathlon that morning and was exhausted by 10:30 p.m. (The handsome, debonair one, if you're wondering.) We pressed on through the driving rain and flooded sidewalks of Mass Ave and found our seats. As the lights dimmed (and Pete Townsend sang), I hoped we would stay awake.

Staying awake was not a problem. Nuclear reactors don't have the energy of these actors. Equally impressive was the impeccable timing. This was a well rehearsed show that ran like a finely tuned, well, nuclear reactor. 

Watching these foul-mouthed sleuths meddle again in the chip-coking business was a shot of caffeine every 30 seconds from start to finish. I burned as many calories as Larry did completing a triathlon just by watching it. Now that's what I call exercise!

The cast of Tortillo 2, written by Casey Ross and directed by Fedora Dave Matthews, includes Robert Webster Jr., Davey Pelsue, LisaMarie Smith, Ryan Powell, Tristan Ross (not pictured), and Matt Anderson.

We caught up with Ross before the opening, and she shared some thoughts about her show and what it’s like running a small theater group in Indy. (Catalyst Repertory Production, formerly Casey Ross Productions).

“Indy is large enough to live life like a city but small enough where I can't really be out too long without running into a friend. There's something very lovely and unpretentious about that. 

“We run shows year-round, now. We started as a Fringe troupe, and this season we did lots of heavy shows, and we didn't want to lose sight of where we started, how we as a troupe met, and our roots. I want to audience to have fun. I want them to forget something that's eating away at them, or getting them down so they can just laugh at our stupid little show that we're trying to put the best energy into. Long story short, we want to take away a little bit of the crap and leave you with a smile by making fools of ourselves. We did lots of heavy this year, we want to make you laugh and laugh with you this Fringe.

  

"We're pretty new as an official company. This is our eighth Fringe, but only our second year as a company other than just myself, Casey Ross, writing. It's very important to me that we're listed as a repertory group: We're a rep company because we're a family. We know each other deeply, work together often, take care of each other, push each other and that leads us to be able to give you the most honest entertainment we can muster. We're a Repertory company because we believe in the family and team. Also...no one else would put up with us...” 

So remember that, Indy! Her name is Casey Ross, and she wants to take away your crap! Mighty generous of you, Casey!

Indy playwright Casey Ross. Your crap doesn't stand a chance with her.


Tortillo 2 continues its run at TOTS 2:

Fri. Aug 26th @ 9:00 PM
Sat. Aug 27th @ 4:30 PM

IndyFringe16: Terror on the High Seas with Les Kurkendaal

On Friday night we took in a horror show about cannibalistic pirates. Just kidding. It was a comedy show about a man who went on an Alaskan cruise with his boyfriend's family:

What if you were trapped on a boat with your husband or wife's family and there was no escape? Les is on a cruise to Alaska with his boyfriend and his boyfriend's very wacky family and he is fearing for his sanity. This show puts the fun in family dysfunction! Come and enjoy the ride. (IndyFringe program)

Although he's from West Hollywood, CA, actor, writer, storyteller Les Kurkendaal is a veteran of IndyFringe, bringing his third show to IndyFringe. (Christmas in Bakersfield and Attack of the Big Angry Booty were other Fringe favorites in previous years.)

This show is a hoot for anyone who's ever suffered through close quarters for extended periods of time among people who question your every move: "What do you mean you're a vegetarian? What do you mean you don't drink? What do you mean you're not gonna vote for Trump?" In true Kurkendaal fashion, his humor is never biting and always makes its final resting place the heart.

In the house opening night was LisaMarie Smith. Smith grew up on the north side and now proudly calls Garfield Park home. An accomplished local actor, Smith admitted that at first glance, she wasn't sure she would like the show. "I'm not a big fan of one-person shows, because if I'm spending my time at a play, I want the full production. I am skeptical that one person is going to be able to dig in and create a sustainable emotional stage presence. But his promo shot and show description really intrigued me, so I had to take a shot, and I am so glad that I did. He came out with guns blazing. I enjoyed every minute!" 

In addition to acting and attending IndyFringe, Smith says she is a big foodie and loves to try independent restaurants. Currently her favorite is Ralston's on Mass Ave because they have an "amazing $7 taco" on the menu, and they welcome her fifteen year-old son, Caleb, before 9 pm. Incidentally, Smith is also performing in IndyFringe this year in Tortillo 2 with Casey Ross Productions. 

LisaMarie and Les have both weathered the storms of in-laws and lived to tell.

It's no surprise that exacting audience members, such as Smith, are taken with Kurkendaal. He has been perfecting his craft for over two decades, appearing in nearly every U.S. Fringe Festival, as well as Adelaide Australia Fringe, and at Fringe festivals all over Canada. 

We caught up with Kurkendaal in the beer tent one evening to talk shop. Kurkendaal belongs to a storytelling company called Story Salon in Studio City, CA. "To create a show, first I come up with an idea then write a scene. I bring the scene to the audience at Story Salon, and if they like it, I continue to work it. If they don't, I chuck it, and look for another idea or tweak my existing idea." 

Kurkendaal applies for national and international Fringe and storytelling festivals throughout the year. It usually takes him about five months from start to finish to get a show from idea to the stage.

The biggest mistake that storytellers make, Kurkendaal believes, is trying to fit too much information in a single show. "I find what works best is to pick one event and write a show around that single event; that way it has a definite beginning, middle, and end."  

Once he has a finished script, he sends it to a writer friend in New York for critique. "It took a long time to find someone I could trust to bring out my best work without discouraging me." After revising, he looks for a director. His rule is that the director is there to direct, not question the writing. 

Having seen his other Fringe shows, I asked Les which one has been his favorite. "Without a doubt this one," he says. "I have matured not only as a writer/performer but as a person and more importantly, as a better partner to Michael. Over the years, I have learned to bite my tongue and not just get along but honestly enjoy his family. I feel a lot more comfortable now just being myself than I did when I first met them all those years ago one Christmas in Bakersfield." 

Seasoned yet no worse for the wear, Kurkendaal added that at this point, he can describe his life in one word: satisfied.

Now, that's the second artist in two days who has described their lives that way! 

Kurkendaal did not hold back his praises of IndyFringe. He claims the people are some of the friendliest he's ever encountered, and IndyFringe, thanks to Pauline [Moffat] is also one of the most organized and best Fringe festivals in the country. 

Way to model success, Indy!

Terror on the High Seas continues its run at ComedySportz:

Tue 08/23/16 7:30pm
Wed 08/24/16 6:00pm
Sat 08/27/16 3:00pm

P.S. Kurkendaal toured with Moth Radio Hour one year, and he will be sharing his story from the series throughout the week in the Short Fringe Theater in the beer tent.