Capital Fringe Special: Jon Gann

With another Capital Fringe Festival almost come and gone, here's another Festival special! Meet Jon Gann, one of the two Chief Creative Minds behind How to Give Birth to a Rabbit.

What is your personal artist mission?
I enjoy creating new experiences and learning new skills. I do what I need to have fun and challenge myself — whether it is through film, crafts, cuisine — or theater.

How many times have you participated in Capital Fringe, and what do you value about being a part of Capital Fringe?
How to Give Birth to a Rabbit would be my third Fringe show. Previously, I wrote a musical, Pepe! The Mail Order Monkey Musical and created a live game show, Match Game DC based on the popular 1970s show. Both were wildly popular and sold out all of their seats.

What inspired you to do this piece?
At Thanksgiving, my friend and collaborator, Tonya Howe, regaled the table with the story of Mary Toft. My friends sat in disbelief that the story could be true — and during the discussion that followed, I declared that the story would make a great theatrical experience. We explored many forms, including puppets, and full musical opera before deciding that a song cycle created by multiple talents would be the most interesting approach


How does this piece fit into your recent body of work?
Since my body of work is so diverse, I really do not concentrate on themes. I enjoy creating in collaboration with friends, bringing many talents together, and trying to raise the bar of what is expected at Fringe.

What excites you about this piece?
The show is completely original, and has been a challenge to bring forth. The songs are written by 6 different composers and songwriters — all friends and past collaborators of mine. Sara Curtin and Maureen Andary of The Sweater Set each wrote songs for Mary, which really bring life to her character. Itai Yassur (who wrote Awake All Night for the 2015 Fringe) wrote our opening and closing songs. The incredible Tom Goss composed two very diverse songs. My old college roommate, Gary Gore, jumped in to write a Johnny Cash-inspired song. A long-time friend, Dan Kaufman, has written his first song for a show bringing together his love of musical theater and Celtic music. Local classical composer, and my collaborator for “Pepe!”, Brian Wilbur Grundstrom, has created some beautiful melodies, and the local punk band, The Mauls, has composed a rocking piece which will be accompanied by a video art projection by Tim Tate, on of DC’s most famous visual artists. We have created a band we’re calling The Bloody Bunnies under the direction of the talented (and patient) Stephen Lilly. Plus, the amazing actors, crew and producers — it really is amazing how shows like this all come together, and a miracle when they gel into something special on stage.

With a 4 1/2 out of 5 star rating at DC Metro Theater Arts, you have two more chances to catch How to Give Birth to a Rabbit, as part of this year's Capital Fringe.

Capital Fringe Special: Rachel Turner

Here's our third Capital Fringe Festival special! I'm pleased to introduce Rachel Turner, one of the choreographers and the chief creative mind behind Connectivity/Complexity.

What is your personal artist mission?
I want to create art that is accessible and welcoming to any viewer and that leaves the audience thinking about something new or thinking in a new way. You don’t have to understand dance or movement to find the message in my work, and the audience experience and takeaway is very important to me. Not just whether they “liked it,” but whether they felt something, could connect to it, were left thinking, etc.

How many times have you participated in Capital Fringe, and what do you value about being a part of Capital Fringe?
I have participated in Fringe twice as a performer. Last year, I was also able to share some of my choreography in one of the shows I was in. This will be my first year putting on my own show. As a dance artist, I love the opportunity Fringe offers to engage with a broader art community than just the dance community. The compact nature of the festival also gets me out of my house and seeing shows that I would not otherwise encounter.

What inspired you to do this piece?I’ll talk about our title piece, Connectivity/Complexity. This piece came together from multiple sources of inspiration, including my own experiences. I was listening to a podcast of some sort about how we, because of how and when our brains developed, cannot actually handle having more than about 150 people in our social network. This happened because our brains formed in a time when we lived in smaller communities did not really need to have more than 150 connections. However, technology has changed our networks and now we have

thousands of “friends,” a number past our brain’s capacity. Other parts of our brain developed in these simpler times of small communities, including our emotional functions. We are empathetic creatures. Being empathetic works when your world consists of your small community. Maybe we could kind of handle hearing about wars happening far away. But through technology and social media, our world is much bigger and we are hit constantly with vivid images and stories of tragic events happening. Do we have the emotional capacity to handle this influx of tragedy without either becoming numb and unfeeling or becoming totally depressed and devastated? This piece seeks to explore the expansion of technology in our worlds and how we can try to adapt and survive without losing our humanity.

How does this piece fit into your recent body of work?
This piece definitely fits into a broad theme of exploring what I live and what I see. It also fits a more specific theme of pieces, starting last year at Fringe with a work called “(Dis)connected,” that explore technology and social media and their influence on our lives.

What excites you about this piece? 
This piece is exciting for me because of both the content and the process. The pros and cons of social media are very interesting to me, and there are so many facets to consider. The anonymity of the internet, for example, allows people who feel isolated and different to find people who are like them, but this anonymity also allows for things like cyberbullying. I am always thinking about the effect technology has on our life, and creating this work is the process by which I explore these things. As I work with my dancers, their input and thoughts influence me, and the trajectory that the piece takes helps me get closer to finding answers to my questions.

You have THREE chances to catch Connectivity/Complexity,  as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival.

Capital Fringe Special: Michael Oberhauser

Here's the second Capital Fringe Festival special, and it's the first profile in the series!

Ladies and gentlemen, meet another local composer, Michael Oberhauser.

Where in the DC area do you live?

I live in North Cleveland Park, a couple blocks up Connecticut from the Van Ness metro.

How long have you lived in the DC area in general?

In August I'll reach 9 years in the DC area. Never thought I'd stay here this long!

So where did you grow up?

I grew up in Ohio, the Toledo area, and never moved very far from there before moving here.

Where have you studied and/or gone to school for your art?

I did my undergrad in music composition at Ohio Northern University, just over an hour south of Toledo. I moved to DC for my master's in music composition (with a stage emphasis) at Catholic University. I took a few years off from school after that, then did my doctorate in music composition at Maryland.

Favorite advice you’ve received from a colleague/mentor/teacher?

I've received a ton of really specific pieces of advice from teachers and colleagues, but I think my favorite overall piece of advice wasn't written for me personally. I often worry, especially being in an academic setting, that my composition isn't "tricky" or "cerebral" or "new" enough. But there are two lines from the musical Sunday in the Park with George that are always inspirational for me: "Stop worrying if your vision is new. Let others make that decision - they usually do." and "Anything you do, let it come from you - then it will be new."

Favorite neighborhood in DC?

I love U Street. It has a little bit of everything there.

Favorite food AND best place to get that in DC?

There's too much food I like. I love Indian food (Masala Art), Salvadoran food (El Tamarindo), Thai food (too many favorites)...

Favorite game (board game, card game, video game, etc.)?

I'm a total video game nerd. I like the old-fashioned console RPGs - the ones that put a premium on telling a good story and having interesting characters. I don't care much if the graphics are great, but the music in RPGs tends to be really good. My favorite of all time in Final Fantasy VI.

Favorite time of the year?

In DC? The week or two of spring we get between winter and summer. In Ohio, definitely fall. I love light jacket weather. I like not sweating just from being outside.

One thing you do for fun?

I love listening to all kinds of new music, and I really love making playlists for parties that I throw at my apartment, and I make one new playlist based on a theme every season. I like to think that tons of people listen, but I know only two or three of my friends like them. I like a little bit of all sorts of music (though mostly indie stuff), so sometimes my taste can be a bit tough to follow.

What’s your day job?

I'm an adjunct music professor at both Catholic and Maryland, and I have a part time desk job (mostly on the weekends, and mostly just answering phones and emails) at a private social club.

What book are you currently reading?

How To Write for Percussion by Samuel Z. Solomon. Yes, I'm reading a textbook for fun. But before that I read a novella that my roommate wrote, and before that I finally read the Hunger Games trilogy.

Last show you binge-watched?

I'm really not much of a binge watcher. I usually just watch what my roommate is watching, which is Star Trek: Voyager right now. One day that we both had off a while back we marathoned through most of the Kroll Show.

What would your superpower be?

Definitely teleportation. I'd love to be able to see my friends all over whenever I want to. Heck, even skipping DC rush hour traffic would be great.

Three artists (living or dead) whom you would want to have dinner with?

Another tough one. After much thought, I've decided upon Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky, and Tori Amos.

You have 4 chances to catch Once Upon a Bedtime!

And it's recommended for all ages, so bring the kids.

Capital Fringe Special: Sean Pflueger

As you may know, this summer's Capital Fringe Festival starts in just a couple of days! So this is the first of a series of artist profiles and interviews with just some of this year's participants.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet local composer Sean Pflueger.


What is your personal artist mission?

I want to create a gateway to all the people that think opera is intimidating, boring, or "not for them" so they can realize it is a funny, beautiful, moving, and entertaining art form the can enjoy.


How many times have you participated in Capital Fringe, and what do you value about being a part of Capital Fringe?

This is my second show I've written to be premiered at the Capital Fringe, Do Not Disturb, a comic opera. It is rewarding how the festival is presenting and promoting new work to the theater audience. You can see a new opera, straight play, solo storytelling show, and abstract dance piece all in one day. I see talented local artists getting to showcase abilities and techniques that they have honed through a lifetime of theater. The Fringe is a festival where people take chances on new work. They can come in with open eyes to try something that they would not ordinarily go to see. I love the breath of age and experience of the audience and love that will take a chance with something unknown.


What inspired you to do this piece?

I’ve always wanted to create an original comedy and I love farces. I had the idea of a young man “calling in sick” to his office and then getting caught by his boss on vacation. That was the germ of my idea and I think the story I developed with my co-writers, Laura Wehrmeyer Fuentes and Michael Hock, is really funny. We looked to classic sitcoms like Frazier, who did a lot of slamming door farces, as well as classic plays, like Tartuffe, and opera, like Marriage of Figaro.

Musically, I was inspired by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Gilbert and Sullivan, and, my musical theater god, Stephen Sondheim. I spent time studying older Broadway composers in particular because I wanted to be inspired by their scores while keeping true to my own style. I’ve read Sondheim’s books on music and lyrics many, many times. I gave Sondheim's books Finishing the Hat and Look I’ve Made a Hat to Laura, my librettist, because I found what Sondheim says on writing theatrical lyrics so inspiring as well as instructional. They are the bible as far as I’m concerned for anyone writing lyrics for theater. Laura is a big fan of Gilbert and Sullivan and somewhat of an expert on their shows. She brought that influence to her lyrics, so I think some of their style seeped into the show with some fun patter songs.


How does this piece fit into your recent body of work?

Picture is from Children in the Mist

The premises of my two operas are quite different, but my philosophy and style are the similar. Musically, I used a more minimalist and church inspired approach to my first show Children in the Mist, which was a horror opera based on a Stephen King short story. My current show, Do Not Disturb, is an original farce inspired musically by legit Broadway music like Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel or Oklahoma. I have further refined my composing style through both of these shows and I think my music is more sophisticated as a result.

Both of my operas are set in contemporary America with recognizable characters. I’m trying to explore what opera does well on stage without the trappings of traditional Grand Opera. One thing I’ve specifically done is cast characters by their age not by their voice type. In this score, I have two soprano roles for women over the age of 45 and two soprano roles for women under the age of 35. Normally all the women over 45 would be Mezzo-Sopranos because Mezzos are mothers, old women, and temptresses in opera. I wanted to provides roles for mature Sopranos in the area who should not have to play 16 year olds to perform in an opera.

The lyrics, by Laura Wehrmeyer Fuentes, are in English and conversational. It is important to me that the lyrics are intelligible even when sung by opera singers. Too many operas gloss over the words. I hope by presenting recognizable genres, characters, and stories that appeal to the general theater going audience, I’m inviting the audience into the opera world. Opera isn’t just sopranos dying of consumption or tenors dying for tragic love. Operas can be about a lawyer who can’t have time off work so he “calls in sick” only to be confronted by his boss at the same B and B, who is having an affair with their presiding judge, and an incompetent hotel clerk who can’t get off his cell phone long enough to get the room numbers right. We have also incorporated current technology into the story (cell phones rings, txt messages, fire alarms) for comedic effect.


What excites you about this piece?

I love the humor of a farce. I love how ridiculous the plot gets, but how believable it is at the same time. I love the way music can punctuate a joke. I have to LOVE story to keep me energized about composing day in and day out for months. I love digging into character motivations and interactions, subtly underlining moods, and quoting musical thoughts underneath deceptive words. It has been a pure joy to hear people laugh while reading through the opera. There is nothing more exciting than getting a genuine response to your work. I want to see how a full audience responds to all the details we’ve put into the show. I’m a story person. I want to care about characters, root for them, and feels something. I can’t wait for people to hear our story.

YOU have 5 chances to catch Do Not Disturb!!

And keep an eye out for more artist profiles and interviews in our Capital Fringe series over the next week.