Philly Fringe Vital Stats: Wawapalooza 4
In this series, get to know your 2010 Philly Fringe artists.
After the jump, meet Jeff Soles and Mala Wright, two performers from Wawapalooza 4: Damaged Goods.
It's Always Funny in Philadelphia: Wawapalooza is Back for More Laughs
Why is it that the second installment in a series doesn't live up to the first? I may be treading on dangerous territory by saying this, but Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the most boring book in the series, ditto the movie version of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers—don't even get me started on New Moon. Whatever your opinion, the sophomore effort—however great the series—can be disappointing, and Wawapalooza, IdRatherBeHere's hilarious series of videos and sketches that have lovingly examined Philly's particular brand of crazy for the last three years at the Philly Fringe, wasn't immune to this effect.
"At a show the second year a sketch just dived," says Eric Balchunas, creator/writer/director of this year's iteration of the Fringe show Wawapalooza 4: Damaged Goods. "There's nothing like sitting backstage and hearing people not laughing when you expect laughs. It hurts."
Eric has a pretty foolproof plan to prevent that from ever happening again. At his job as a financial analyst he takes raw data and makes something with meaning out of it. It may seem like there's nothing funny about that, but creating a comedic show, as it turns out, isn't so different from crunching numbers.
"People need to have at least one drink, they need to be sitting close together, and there needs to be air conditioning," he says of the three essential factors for successful comedy. "That gives the material a head start."
In terms of tracking audience response, IdRatherBeHere uses techniques a lot more sophisticated than the old laugh-o-meter. Eric sets up a focus group to screen the show a month before the festival, with a cross-demographical audience that watches and ranks the material so that he knows what, if anything, to cut. "We try to figure out what's universally funny," he says. They also sent out a survey this year to audience members of the last three paloozas asking for feedback on not just the shows, but venues, too.
There is, of course, the most essential factor—material—but it seems like Eric's got that covered. Click more to read about it
Drink Beer with Live Arts and Philly Fringe Artists
It's that time of the year again, Philly Beer Week! We talked to past and present Live Arts and Philly Fringe artists about their favorite local brews and bars, plus what they're up to this summer (besides boozing).
Bonnie Quick
Favorite local beer: Philadelphia Brewing Company's Joe Porter
Favorite place to drink: "My friend's roof in South Philly. Gotta climb through a tiny window
onto the roof next door than scale a wall, but has the most unobstructed amazing views of the city."
What's on tap: Wawapalooza 4: Damaged Goods for the Philly Fringe.
Justin Jain of The Berserker Residents
Favorite local beer: Kenzinger
Favorite place to drink: "We love drinking at the parties we throw. The one in the picture is from our annual Halloween party, Halloweensplosion! At that party we had a keg of Kenzinger. We basically love to drink wherever the three of us are present. But mostly at our parties."
What's on tap: This is their first year not doing Fringe after three straight years, including last year's The Annihilation Point. Why? They're working on their first two commissions (!!!), one at Christmas with Theatre Horizon (working title The Don Rutherford Christmas Carol) and the other in 2011 at New York City's Ars Nova (working title The Game Show). Look for workshop performances of these shows during the Fringe.
Want to know what happens when you get drunk and contact improvise in a fully furnished living room? Click more.
Danny Yung unveils the origins of his re-staging of the classic Chinese opera Tears of Barren Hill at the 2010 Live Arts Festival.
