Feature: PICKLES THE PLAY at FringeNYC

The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), North America's largest multi-arts festival, celebrates its 19th anniversary this August 14th-30th. This year, two talented former Community College of Rhode Island students are representing what the Rhode Island theatre community has to offer with their original play Pickles. Playwrights and co-stars Laura Minadeo and Alexander Rotella and their enthusiastic cast are spending their summer preparing for this huge opportunity. I was lucky enough to sit in on a fight choreography session to watch the playwrights and some of the cast in action. Before they got started, Laura, Alex, their close friend and castmate Erin Archer, and I sat down to talk about how Pickles was conceived, their journey so far to FringeNYC, and what the next few months have in store.

"A unique action-packed superhero tale seen through the eyes of a sassy cosmetologist, as she expresses her outrageous views on her boyfriend's "night job", his sidekick dog, bodily functions, and the city's devastating lack of caffeine thanks to The Decafinator!" While this description of Pickles, taken from the FringeNYC website, is certainly enticing, I quickly learned that this doesn't even begin to cover the excitement and originality this story brings to the table. With the continued and recently explosive success of superhero stories in film, television, comics, toys, etc., it's difficult to imagine a superhero story that could stand apart from the rest and make an impact on audiences in a new and modern way. This is exactly what Minadeo and Rotella have set out to do with Pickles.

As actors, Rotella explained, it was important that they attempted to fill a gap they noticed in the theatre community, and created characters that they wanted to play and see. Minadeo expressed her personal frustrations as a female with how superheros' relationships are portrayed, with their girlfriends being used as plot devices and stereotypical 'damsels in distress'. It was important to these playwrights that their hero's girlfriend be just the opposite. Annie, played by Minadeo, is sassy, smart, and in no way in need of a savior. This concept, for this self-proclaimed superhero fan and unabashed feminist, is one that the superhero blockbusters have continuously failed to address. For myself, it was thrilling and refreshing to see that there were fellow fans who shared my grievances and were using their talents to make a change where they have the ability.

It became clear as I spoke with Minadeo and Rotella that their relationship was much more than a working one, and their friendship with Archer was essential in creating these three core characters. Rotella plays the "not-so-average superhero/vigilante" Everyman. Everyman was developed from Rotella's own personal superhero alter-ego ideas. The message that "every man can be a hero" was the inspiration for this new superhero, and his home, while a nod to Providence, is intended to be seen as "every city".

The play itself, I was shocked to learn, was written in three weeks. Minadeo recalled the night they submitted Pickles online as stressful and intense. It was down to the wire, with only minutes left for submissions and the two were still making edits to the play. Archer, who plays Everyman's evil nemesis the Decafinator in Pickles, laughed as she explained that she was horrified at the spelling errors in the first draft she was handed when Minadeo told her that it was the draft the two had submitted to FringeNYC. However, despite any spelling or grammar mistakes, Pickles made it through the hands of enough impressed reviewers to be selected as one of the best in the world.

In April, the email came that changed everything. Minadeo and Rotella expressed that they never could have expected to hear such a positive response to their work. Archer provided some insight here, insisting that with more time to edit, critique, and question their work, the play might have lost what makes it so special. The heart of the story is the personal voices of Minadeo and Rotella, which Archer says she was able to recognize as a close friend, but feels that their honesty and truthful humor is what will set them apart at FringeNYC.

After edits came auditions. Minadeo described that it was new for these two actors to be on the opposite side of the casting table, but they were impressed with the talent they saw and were excited to watch friends and former castmates transform and bring their beloved characters to life. A difficult aspect of the festival is the time restrictions given for setting up and taking down the sets after each show. Only 15 minutes are allowed to each crew before and after each performance, so it was crucial to find a cast who would be more than willing to assist. Rotella added that if castmates "are not part of the team, the show doesn't work", and that they were glad to have found a "team of players ready to make something together". This group of artists is excited to bring Pickles to FringeNYC. I, for one, have high hopes for their success. Of their Rhode Island pride, Minadeo said, "we are very lucky to be in a state that has a passion for the arts and we're so excited to represent that, and to show FringeNYC what we've got!"

Only six full rehearsals are left before the group performs in August. The greatest struggle Minadeo and Rotella face now is raising funds to cover all of the expenses required to take Pickles to FringeNYC. The two have devoted everything to get Pickles where it is today, but they need the support of friends, family, and all of our fellow Rhode Island arts-lovers to enable them to shine at the festival. In early August, hometown performances are being planned to raise money before the cast ships up to New York City, and I highly recommend keeping up with Pickles on social media so you can be in the audience.

You can help support Pickles now by visiting its IndieGogo page and donating even just a dollar to support this wonderfully original play. Laura Minadeo and Alexander Rotella will also be joining BroadwayWorld.com as guest bloggers for the remainder of the summer to bring us all along for their exciting journey to The New York International Fringe Festival!

www.indiegogo.com/projects/pickles-the-play

Facebook.com/picklestheplay

Instagram: @Pickles_The_Play

Twitter: @PicklesPlay

www.fringeNYC.org

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