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.

Profile: Nina Charity

Nina Charity is the Artistic Director of Baltimore Aerial Dance.

Freeform Arts Festival 2013

She received her B.A. in Dance from the University of Maryland, a program that is now a part of the college's Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies department. And she hasn't stopped flying since. A cornerstone of the DC/Baltimore area aerial dance community, she has worked with multiple institutions including Air Dance Bernasconi, AirBorne DC, Ascension Arts, and Radiant Hoop.

Now with Baltimore Aerial Dance, as Artistic Director she is responsible for organizational leadership in carrying out their mission, which isn't just dedicated to their art but supporting community as well. Each show they produce benefits a local charity of the dancers' choice. A saying comes to mind:

A rising tide lifts all boats

So check out her company's website, and keep up with their work on Facebook, as well.

Dream Sequence from "Crazy Coconuts" student production choreographed by Nina Charity #aerialist #travelinghandstands...
Posted by Baltimore Aerial Dance (BAD) on Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Profile: Kyle Rasmussen

Last week, Dupont Circle was on fire! Well, at least it was on the north side of it.

This was thanks to a troupe of fire performers led and organized by Kyle Rasmussen:

Photo Credit: Joey Oliver

Kyle and company were presented as part of this year's Art All Night: Nuite Blanche DC. And, a disclaimer: I connected her to the opportunity during my time at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which has produced the event since 2014.

Kyle is a circus arts and flow arts performer in the District.  And she uses both fire and LED props in her flow artistry. For the Art All Night performance, she used fan (depicted in the photo above) and hoop fire props.

Check out this clip I caught of the troupe from Art All Night.

Kyle and the rest of the participants in the video are members of the local DC Burner community, that is individuals who go to Burning Man and related events in this region and all over the country, even internationally.

It is a community dedicated to cultivating creative and inclusive experiences, often times in non-tradtional and non-established settings and spaces. Which made them a perfect fit for Art All Night, a city supported initiative in five neighborhoods, as of 2015, to get residents and visitors to see, and do, and play with art all over.

Kyle is among a local circle of flow artists dedicated to and skilled at their craft. She's been part of a group that has even represented the District at Burning Man, as one of a number of conclaves who auditioned and were selected to perform the night the Man burns. If you have about 20 minutes, you can see Kyle here in Revoluationary Motion's performance from 2014 at Burning Man.

Keep up with Kyle at her Facebook page, Kyle Intergalactic Virvelvind, as she and other flow artists keep it moving in the District.

Profile: Shawn Westfall

In 2013, Shawn Westfall should've received diamonds and daffodils from the DC improv community. This is to say 2013 marked his tenth anniversary, not just being in the community, but existing as an essential member of it.

Back in 2003, comedic actor Shawn Westfall started an improvisation comedy school at the DC Improv on Connecticut Avenue along with club manager Allyson Jaffe. What began with a mere 14 students has now graduated nearly 1,800 people. And this past week, Westfall and Jaffe celebrated their 10th anniversary of helping D.C. bring the funny. (WAMU, Phil Harrell, May 17, 2013)

In addition to his work at the DC Improv, Shawn has taking improv off of the stage into corporate and organizational events, through his work with Commedia Partners. He's also taken to the stage outside of improv, by way of storytelling. You can see a true tale he told, as part of a special Story District (formerly known as SpeakeasyDC) Valentine's Day show from 2014 right below:

And now, his latest adventure in the DC Arts scene relatively recently started, with the founding of The Unified Scene Theater.

No, that is not Shawn :-)

The "brainchild" of him and Kathy Baird Westfall, The Unified Scene Theater is:

an improvisational and sketch comedy theater located in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, DC, as well as multi-use performance, rehearsal, event, and meeting space.

Shawn Westfall, a man you can and should get to know better through his work in DC (if you don't know him already), is best summed up using his own words, courtesy of his Twitter profile:

I make a living teaching people, organizations, and Fortune 500 companies how to make crap up. I have no idea how this happened.

So connect with him on Twitter at @shawnwestfall, like The Unified Scene Theater on Facebook (especially if you didn't go to their website yet, linked above earlier), and if you've ever wondered whether you need help making crap up in DC, the answer is yes and now you know who you're going to call.