Although it took a while for me to find it (or for them to appropirately post it), the Orlando Sentinel also reviewed The 39 Steps during Fringe.
Because I know they move things around, I have decided to post the review in its entirety:
The 39 Steps
Any of our actors can play Hannay
Any of our actors can play Hannay
Your suggestions drive the action
Hannay is being followed by Russian Spies
Everyone wants the contents of the notebook
Villains could be lurking around any corner
One never knows whom to trust
The police think Hannay committed a murder
Hannay's friend the spy is killed, and he or she must carry on the mission alone
May 2013: The 39 Steps
Richard Hannay, who appears ordinary, is drawn against his best judgement into a mystery. The police and the establishment are chasing him.
A long-form improvised spy thriller based on the classic John Buchan novel, it's a different conspiracy every night. Hannay, the original spy hero; only his razor wit and clues from a dead spy will get him through this.
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poster design by Eric Price
Cast
 Producer
Ryan is very excited to be producing his first original theatrical concept - he has been a fan of improvised theatre for years and especially structured long-form shows. Ryan first got on the Fringe stage during the 2010 show The Creative Mind Experiment. He has shown interactive pieces at art shows, and regularly gives talks on building community, technology and entrepreneurship. In his daily life he makes websites for arts organizations and nonprofits using Drupal, the open source conent management system used by the White House and Britney Spears (how's that for a combination?). Ryan is awfully proud of his work at Urban ReThink, a creative hub in downtown Orlando's Thornton Park neighborhood, where he is a Resident Creative. He gives much love to his girlfriend Mariah for supporting him throughout this process, and sends a pat on the head to his 2 dogs and 3 cats.
Ryan's favorite line from The 39 Steps is: "You see Mr. Hannay, I happen at this moment to be dead."
Website: http://ryanpricemedia.com |
 Director
Rebekah has worked professionally as an actor, motivational speaker, puppeteer, and movement theatre artist since 2005. She graduated with a BFA in theatre performance from the University of Central Florida and then toured the state as a game show host with MicheLee Puppets, Inc. With MicheLee Rebekah designed and built puppets, developed scripts and songs for original programming, and applied interactive techniques that engaged audience members.
Rebekah graduated with an MA in Communication from the University of Central Florida in July 2011. Her research focuses on Entertainment-Education and persuasion theory. She is fascinated by the power media has to create positive social change in communities around the world. She has worked on several projects with interactive design developer Jeff Wirth. She continues to participate in research projects as an interactive, improvisational performer through the Colleges of Nursing and Education at UCF. Website: http://rebekahlane.com |
 Cast Member
Megan Borkes is a local to Orlando, and is excited to be involved in Fringe for the second year in a row! Fringe-ers may have seen her last year as Meg in Lil' Women: A Rap Musical. Besides rapping to classic literature, Megan also is involved at SAK Comedy Lab, and has been performing at the local theme parks for almost 10 years. She is a graduate of Rollins College, with a BA in Theater Arts (emphasis on performance), and was a featured improviser in David Charles' Murder We Wrote: An Improvised Murder Mystery during her time at Rollins, along with being an active member of the Rollins Improv Players. Megan is coming back from a wonderful summer intensive at iO (formerly Improv Olympic) in Chicago, Il, where five weeks were spent learning from some of the greats of the improv community. |
 Cast Member
Christian Cheker is returning to the Orlando Fringe Festival stage! He performed in Beer! The Musical for the 2011 Fringe festival, and has been itching to do it again ever since. Christian is originally from a little country called Uruguay in South America, and has been living in the US since the mid 90s. Fun fact: He was a US Army Veteran two years before becoming a US citizen. He graduated from UCF with a BFA in Scenic Design, and currently works as the warehouse manager for Bungalow Scenic Studios in Orlando. Recently, Christian has been credited for devising two shows through improv. The first, Breakthrough: Breaking Down the Barriers, was a show devised in 2009 based around the LGBTQ suicides at the time. It was created to send a message to the community that they are not alone, and it does get better. The second, The Other F-word, was inspired by stories from girls and women about what feminism means today and the struggles that women face daily. The hope was to shed light on matters rarely discussed.
"I want to be your Hannay tonight." |
 Cast Member
Nadia is excited to be “Fringing” again after a couple of years absent! Nadia is a professional bilingual actress and voice over talent (yes, she voices for T.V. and radio commercials, books, animations, etc.). She is originally from Bogota, Colombia, where she received comprehensive acting training at the “Academia Charlot.” In addition, Nadia holds a BA in Theatre and Sociology from UCF, and received improv training at SAK Comedy Lab where she participated for several years as an improviser for SAK’s GenS and ImprovEspañol. Nadia’s experience also includes on-camera work, several roles in local plays and at theme parks, her role of spokesperson for Univision Orlando, and performing, directing, and writing for MicheLee Puppets. Nadia believes that art has a social responsibility and that art can be a powerful weapon against oppression; thus she incorporates visual and performing arts in her activist work and volunteers with local organizations teaching different art forms to underprivileged youth creating an understanding of art not only as a form of expression, but also as a tool for social change. Website: http://www.nadiagarzon.com |
 Cast Member
Max has been involved in the development of several long-form improvisational pieces including Family Drive: The Improvised Musical, Mixed Messages, It's all Greek To Me, and Splintered. His favorite scripted roles include “Creon” in Antigone, “Lysander” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and “Valere” in the Florida Children’s Repertory production of The Emperor’s New Clothes. Max has taught improv classes all over the world... like in Daegu, South Korea. Max also mentors teens recovering from substance and alcohol addiction. |
39 Steps News
May 2013
I keep telling all the other artists that I will use every trick I know to market this show. One I learned at a very early age from my idol Jim Henson was the use of Cameo appearances to boost up the story, and in this case, hopefully put butts in seats, and help to cross-promote other artists' shows.
We know 6 out of 7 of our guest stars now:
May 2013
I'm very happy the Fringe was encouraging volunteers and press to join us at our tech rehearsal this year - I believe the extra few days people will have to hear about our show from volunteers, superpass holders and the press in attendance will help our first-time production company earn some more ticket sales.
Our very first review (my first as a producer) comes from Seth Kubersky of the Orlando Weekly. I know they will be publishing some sort of Fringe guide in this week's paper. To get mentioned at all would be awesome.
May 2013
This week we took an opportunity to test out our show on a room full of about 25 willing volunteers. Lots of Fringe Shows have a preview somewhere outside the festival - last year "I'm Saving it for Paul" did something really cool and invited any Fringe Volunteer to their show for free. One of the issues with this is getting a venue, lights, a sound system, chairs, etc. but mostly the venue. This year the Fringe staff are encouraging shows to open up their Tech Rehearsal to volunteers, since most shows do a full dress rehearsal during their Tech.
April 2013
On Monday we went up against almost 40 other acts to gain a minute or two (no more) of the most die-hard Fringe-going audience's attention at the Gauntlet wich is known as Fringe Preview.
Having never been in a show myself, I could only assume what to expect. I learned several things:
April 2013
Over the weekend we held a number of rehearsals and I'm proud to announce we had our first full run through of the show on Saturday. A lot has changed since the initial concept hatched last year. At first we were thinking of having 10 scenes - the current count is more like 14. We are also playing a lot with the props and our "set" to help us have a cohesive style.
I feel like I say this in every blog post, but I am so happy to be working with this cast. Every time we get together is a joy.
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