REPLACEMENT Programming:
“NOW-VISIBLE DISABILITIES: Compulsions To Suffer (At The FreakShow)!”
 

We regretfully inform you that remaining performances of "Vulva Va-Voom's Medical Masochism FreakShow" have been cancelled due to cast health issues. Fortunately, the production team is proud to offer highly entertaining and insightful replacement programming in these time slots, striking similar narrative notes.

The new event is offered in partnership with Beth Marshall Presents. All ticket sales/donations go to The Inclusivity Project to defray costs for artists with significant disabilities. (Please see box office policies.)
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What happened when a groundbreakingly experimental art-meets-life piece about physical and psychological torture– designed to push a performer to the brink of his coping skills– actually achieved that goal, live from its onstage “laboratory?”

“NOW-VISIBLE DISABILITIES: Compulsions To Suffer (At The FreakShow)!” is no theoretical post-mortem at some dry conference. The controversial project has been creatively reshaped to a less strenuous format as artists share behind-the-scenes secrets of an ambitious piece that is certain to become Fringe legend.

When a host is asked by three separate audience members, “How real *is* this? Is your friend being pushed too far?!,” you know the piece earned the labels “Intense” and “Disturbing!” What decisions were the performers making as they balanced knife’s-edge decisions on how far to push “method-acting” realism? Whips, chains, and all…?
 

The FreakShow came to town, and left “gray area” questions about ableism, onstage danger, the blurring of that line between “reality versus fiction,” as well as treasured Show Must Go On traditions. Its purpose was to push boundaries…but which new ideas should be devised with data of this kind?

Every artist involved is– like a hot talk-show guest– charming, hilarious, and still going out on a limb to illustrate their learnings from uncharted theatrical territory.

Remember the opening of “Phantom” where people tell stories about intriguingly creepy props? The deeply twisted carnie sideshow team’s mentality was “Go Big Or Go To The Hospital,” and one or two props nearly succeeded.

The lively structured discussion may also include brief performance demonstrations, Fringe celebrity panelists, and larger-than-life, organically theatrical “spill the tea” ah-ha moments.
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The company is sincerely sorry, but unavoidable circumstances led to a unanimous decision to prioritize cast member well-being by reformatting the material. Vulva Va-Voom adds– on a personal note– that this is the first time in a 25+ year professional theater career that he has elected to close a run; the decision was not made lightly.