Month: September 2025

IndyFringe: Horse Girl

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This was part of the 20th Anniversary Indy Fringe Theatre Festival in August 2025. Review originally posted on our Facebook page.

By Wendy Carson

Jason Adams once again brings us a spectacularly delightful offering to the Fringe with, “Horse Girl.” It’s an imaginative look at the history of his birth parents by the man who only knew the barest of details about them.

His father was a blacksmith from Liverpool, and his mother was an equestrian rider.

The show focuses mainly on his mother, Matilda (Tilde) McCullough, the descendant of a storied horse family. Details given include the Birth of Dressage and the History of the Fur Trade in Southern Ontario. We are also introduced to the magical horse, Ulysses, who would be her partner in the competitions that cemented her legacy in the horse world .

A small hint of his father’s backstory shows him turning away from the family business of fishing to become a blacksmith who would one day repair a show for Ulysses, thus introducing him to Tilde.

Their brief affair would end with the conception of Jason but due to family pressures, he would ultimately be given up for adoption and come into the care of his true mother, Janet Adams.

This bittersweet tale is told with all the whimsy and charm we have come to expect from Adams. For those of you not familiar with his style, think Winnie the Pooh meets Monty Python.

This show is appropriate for all ages, in fact, some younger audience members will likely be asked to assist with some of the effects.

Adams has grown so much as a storyteller through the years and this show has him at the pinnacle of his talents.

IndyFringe: Up All the Nights

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This was part of the 20th Anniversary Indy Fringe Theatre Festival in August 2025. Review originally posted on our Facebook page.

By Wendy Carson

Clerical Error Productions takes a small step away from their traditional comic wackiness to present a more serious offering that is still filled with absurd situation and humor.

Lucas Waterfill (Christy) is one of the state’s brightest comics and is absolutely brilliant staring in this play revolving around one memorable night of zany antics.

Beginning with Christy & his friends Jason (Nick Roberts) and Zora (Zhandi Kabunga) at a high-schooler’s party, we discover that Jason was robbed by some very strange individuals. One wearing rollerblades and carrying and umbrella, the other wearing an eyepatch. He is now intent on getting a gun for protection.

Since the party is lame, the group hops on a bus to take Christy home, but the bus breaks down and they all go their separate ways. As he’s rolling home (literally, he has Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair), Christy ducks into a local bar and scams a lot of free drinks off of a strange couple but ends up stuck with the check when they leave in a huff.

Finally heading towards home, Christy is set upon by the same thieves who robbed Jason. Given that he has little of value on him, they settle for stealing his phone.

Things then get even stranger from here on.

I found the show to be an insightful look at a slice of life that the average person rarely gets to see. The characters were unusual, to say the least, but their stories and motivations all rang true. It’s nice to see some new points of view reflected at the Fringe.

IndyFringe: Out With It

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This was part of the 20th Anniversary Indy Fringe Theatre Festival in August 2025. Review originally posted on our Facebook page.

By Wendy Carson

A few months ago, I was complaining to my cohort, John, that we have had a dearth of Clowning shows at the Fringe these past few years and I am delighted to say that this year made up for it greatly. The first one on my list to see was this delightful gem.

Embracing the “Found Objects” technique of puppetry, the show centers on a variety of collapsible fabric boxes and some red ribbon scraps to give us a hilarious trip into the absurd.

The show begins as you enter with our performer sweeping up scraps of red fabric and ribbons and putting them in the box center stage. Once she is done, she throws them into the entryway and puts the box behind the curtains. Then the mayhem begins.

Boxes of varying size keep appearing onstage and she keeps trying to gather them together and move them offstage. Once it looks like she will accomplish this feat, more red ribbon appears from various places to keep her from ever getting anything organized.

While this seems like a simplistic show, the various techniques used as well as some of the props, at one point the ribbon coalesces into a creature with a noticeable face, are wonderful. Plus, the performer is so skilled in her physicality, she makes the most intricate movements seem like nothing at all.

Created and performed by Rough House Puppet Arts Co-Artistic Director, Claire Saxe, with original music by Lia Kohl, and Movement Direction by Chihjou Cheng. Since the group is based in Chicago, it would be worth checking out their schedule and making an easy road trip to see one of their shows.

Being that they were one of the hottest tickets of the first weekend of Fringe, I hope that they may see fit to make an occasional foray back to Indy with some of their other shows.

IndyFringe: Fae – An Original Story of Unusual Belly Dance

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This was part of the 20th Anniversary Indy Fringe Theatre Festival in August 2025. Review originally posted on our Facebook page.

By Wendy Carson

The Painted Knees arrived at Fringe this year with a spectacular dance extravaganza for all ages. Directed by Liz Wray and Lisa Warner, the show presented belly dancing in a narrative art form closer to how it originally began.

The show opens with a dance that highlights all the performers before the story begins. This gives you a nice look at the cast as well as setting us up for the tale we shall witness.

The story unfolds in much the same way as a ballet would, with no speaking and only dancing to drive the narrative. However, the troupe not only gives you background story in the program, it also cleverly breaks the show down into its various scenes with titles to keep you from getting lost.

The show overall was a sheer delight to behold. The dancing was spectacular, and the costumes/makeup effects were amazing.

I must say, as a past student of belly dancing, it is lovely to see the variety of body shapes present in the cast. Belly Dancing was created for a more ample body size and that was reflected well here.

This show was one of the most unique offerings at this year’s Fringe. I hope that The Painted Knees will continue to bring their skills and artistry to the Fringe stage for many years to come. I certainly look forward to seeing them again.