Photos Courtesy of Lance Long Photography

As always, first: the pictures! Hover over them for captions.

I did it! I drove a roughly 3,000 mile round trip to perform "Shedding Skin" at the Elgin Fringe Festival. What a wonderful experience! Wonderful because it definitely built my confidence (That is a LONG trip! and I did it by myself! Also smartphones are amazingly helpful things!) and wonderful because I met the most amazing people.

THE SHOWS!
It's no secret that part of the reason why I LOVE Fringe is the chance to see other people's work. I took in:

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS
by Olive Juice Theatre
Fun, well-done participatory children's theatre. I'm still singing the songs. Also, I got to play:

GOLD DUST
by La Groove Fatale
Gorgeous belly dancing. The a capella zills opening piece was captivating! (The whole show was captivating.)

IMPROVISED MYTHOLOGY: an interesting experiment in long-form comedic improv. Long form improv scares the snot out of me, so I'm always impressed with people who have the balls to do it as a performance.

SWEETHEART
by Titterglitz
It was modern dance. It was humorous. It was feminist. It was visceral. I FREAKING LOVED IT. Also, the women of Titterglitz are awesome, and I was so happy I got to hang out with them.

EVERYBODY KNOWS YOU'RE GAY DAVID BOYLE
by David Boyle
Warm, humorous, wonderful storytelling.

A LIFE AMONG SECRETS
by William Pack
It occurred to me that this was the first time I had actually attended live, in-person a magic show. MUCH more compelling than seeing the glitz and glitter I used to see on TV as a kid. (I mean, it's kind of disturbing and gross to see "The Human Blockhead" in person, but...also really cool.) I don't know much about the history of the art of magic, but William's entertaining and knowledgeable storytelling made me want to know more. Also, lots of really well done audience participation.

TAKING FLIGHT
by Imaginez Ensembles
Delightful. Acrobatics and clowning and aerial silks wound into a story about taking risks and following your dreams.

LAUNDRY NIGHT
by Captain Ambivalent
Sparkly boots, an inflatable T-rex, great storytelling...and giggle-worthy songs. On an accordion. My pun and wordplay loving friends would have ADORED this.

A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING
by Cody Clark
Whole-hearted, heartwarming, enthusiastic storytelling and delightful magic!

PAPER DREAMS
by Madeleine Hicks
Charming stop motion combined with storytelling

THREE DAUGHTERS WHO ARE NOT DAUGHTERS
by The Group Project
I'm still processing this one. Complex and layered, passionate and compelling.

MAMALOGS
by Debbie From
This. This is the one that made me cry. Lovely storytelling. Honest and intimate and raw.

KELLY BOLTON
Kelly Bolton is a goof and I love it. So many great characters. So many giggles.

HUCK POE
In his persona as "Diagnostradamus," he told my fortune using a combination of cootie catcher and diagnostic manual. In a teeny tiny (kinda creepy) closet. It was awesome.

So, was it worth the three very long days of road tripping to get there? Well, I am already trying to figure out how I can make it again next summer.