The Fringe Shows We’re Betting On (Part Three)
Frigid’s New York City Fringe Festival is one of the best parts of the year for discovering new theater in New York. It’s where artists take big swings, follow their instincts, and put work on stage that feels fresh, specific, and alive. This is your greatest chance to see the type of theater that we’re all worried about disappearing. We’ve pulled together a few shows we’re especially excited to see and spoke with the creatives behind them. Ahead is Part Three. If you missed part one check it out here. AND, If you missed part two check it out here.
Andrew Trimmer from Crushed Velvet
TAWK: Give us the elevator pitch, but the one you’d actually say at a bar, not in a grant application.
ANDREW: Crushed Velvet was born from my love for the ladies of Food Network in the early 2000’s, blended with my obsession with absurdist, satirical comedy. It tells the fictional story of the crew working on Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, diving deep into their personal lives and relationships with one another across 15 seasons, with “Aunt Sandy” as the glittering centerpiece. Crushed Velvet asks the hard questions: How gay is too gay? Or: What does 2 shots of vodka really look like? And: Why do these red velvet bars smell like Styrofoam?
TAWK: At its core, what is this play really wrestling with?
ANDREW: At the core of Crushed Velvet wrestles with who we present ourselves to be in front of others - or in this case, in front of the camera - versus who we truly want to be seen as and what we want to be known for. The play delves deep into facade, identity, and really terrible baked goods. It is also unapologetic in its melding of fact with fiction, constantly making you wonder if what you’re watching really happened. It tells the story of a conflicted homemaker turned celebrity chef, while also telling the story of heartbreak, loss of innocence, and racial inequity.
TAWK: What’s the line (or moment) you’d tattoo from this play?
ANDREW: “Iiiit’s Cocktail Time!”
TAWK: What’s the real origin story of this play, the one you wouldn’t put in the program notes?
ANDREW: This play actually began as a part of a 48-hour playwriting festival. I was invited by a friend (and fellow cast member), Chris Costa, to attend. His theatre company - the nobodies collective - was hosting it and they had given us prompts to assist in the creation, one of which being the word “velvet.” I began researching poorly reviewed red velvet cake recipes online and - you guessed it! - Sandra Lee had the most. After reading the reviews and what people were saying, the play really began to write itself.
TAWK: What moment in the show do you secretly watch the audience for instead of the stage?
ANDREW: There is one moment at the very end where the character Pat destroys a cake with her mouth while two characters lip sync… and I don’t want to give away much else, but seeing how the audience reacts every night is an absolute joy.
Rose Treloar from Watch Me Sleep
TAWK: Give us the elevator pitch, but the one you’d actually say at a bar, not in a grant application.
ROSE: It’s a one-hour dark comedy/drama about a couple who are deeply in love… and completely toxic. You watch their relationship play out through a series of flashbacks - the highs, the lows, the moments that hook you and the ones that break you. Through direct address, the audience becomes a silent third character, like a mutual friend Ava and Emmett confide in, a soundboard throughout the play.
TAWK: At its core, what is this play really wrestling with?
ROSE: How do you walk away from someone who takes you to your darkest places… but also your most beautiful?
TAWK: What’s the line (or moment) you’d tattoo from this play?
ROSE: “More scar tissue that grew with every fight… and ripped open that much easier each time.”
TAWK: What’s the real origin story of this play, the one you wouldn’t put in the program notes?
ROSE: I’d just come out of a toxic relationship. Then I rewatched The O.C. and that first love story is so nostalgic and pure - I wanted to capture that feeling. But I couldn’t separate that kind of love from the reality I’d experienced. So, the play became this collision of both - intense love tangled up with chaos, frustration, and damage.
TAWK: What moment in the show do you secretly watch the audience for instead of the stage?
ROSE: I’m on stage, so I don’t get to watch - but if I could, it’d be three moments:
1 - The first kiss - to see if they melt.
2 - Ava’s breaking point - to see the shock land.
3 - And Emmett’s confession - to watch their hearts break.
