Review: UTOPIAS at Kindling Arts Festival

For nine years, the Kindling Arts Festival has been bringing audiences together by giving local artists the chance to display their creativity. From July 23rd to the 26th this year, over one hundred and fifty local artists got to perform twenty-two shows spread across eight venues in Nashville. One minute, you’re watching a woman pour milk all over herself in the Darkhorse Theatre. The next minute, you’re speeding over to Oz Arts Nashville to catch a musical about the invention of cotton candy. A good chunk of these performance pieces are fairly uncommon in mainstream theatre, so Kindling co-founders and co-artistic directors Daniel Jones and Jessika Malone provide a safe space for these artists to expose their art without limitations or censorship. With this year’s theme of Utopias, the Kindling Arts Festival asks how we can create that one safe space for all.

Disclaimer: Because I was asked to review the festival at the last minute and because of my own personal schedule, I only got to review five shows. I had a sixth show planned, but it got canceled because of the weather and I was unavailable for the rescheduled time slot. With that being said, I will highlight all the shows I didn’t cover at the end of the review (there are seventeen of them). I will also encourage you to look at Kindling’s website or social media accounts to find the artists I didn’t cover and show them some love. I really wish I could’ve seen everyone. 

Show #1: Milk Makes Me Sick, But My Body Needs It by Hannah Dorfman

Hey, remember what I said about a woman pouring milk all over herself? This is exactly what I witnessed at Darkhorse Theatre. When I picture a one-woman show in the world of performance arts, this is the kind of thing I would imagine. Honestly, it’s not too far off from the time I did a one-woman show (minus the original music and the milk). Hannah Dorfman not only stars in this piece, but she also wrote the music and lyrics and did the trippy sound design. Directed and co-written by Anne Veal, Milk follows a 1950s housewife named Shelley who is being controlled by a machine. Stepford Wives, anyone? Described as “part I Love Lucy and part Twilight Zone”, this nightmare is full of repressed memories and emotions as Shelley fights for escapism. And it’s all accompanied by a live band with musicians dressed up as milkmen. 

For a show about a mental breakdown, Anne Veal offered very composed direction. I love seeing choreography in a small space, and Phylicia Roybal’s work fits the claustrophobic setting. Jules Robinson’s lighting design kept getting better and better as Shelley’s psyche broke down more and more. The lovely milkmen band consisted of Cody Carpenter on drums, Chris Lippincott on guitar, Oliver Hopkins on bass, and vibraphone and percussion. They accompanied the piece so well. The sound design. Oh my goodness, the sound design. I don’t know what Hannah did to accomplish that computer voice, but she should be just as proud of that as she is of the rest of the show. I would also like to give a shout out to stage manager Jenna Palmieri and sound engineer Nathan Montpool for working through the technical difficulties of the show. And yes, a few occurred, but the show must go on.

And now, we come to the woman of the hour: Hannah Dorfman. Hannah is just so magnetic in the role of Shelley. I don’t know how long she has been performing, but she was such a professional when I attended Friday night. A few things went wrong, like a cord accidentally getting ripped out of a telephone and the mic cutting out before a song, but Hannah played it off like it was nothing. Given how Shelley’s mind is falling apart, the ripped telephone cord felt very in-character. Now, I’m not mentioning the things that went wrong in the show to say that it was terrible. I’ve been performing since the curtains caught on fire in my fifth-grade production of Cinderella, and things go wrong all the time. I was recently in a show in which I accidentally knocked my rolling chair off a platform and into the backstage area, and I acted like it was part of the scene. Heck, you can find YouTube videos of things going wrong on Broadway. At the end of the day, it’s not about how perfect the show was; it’s about how well you handle everything. Hannah didn’t let her faulty mic ruin her musical number, and she played off any other blooper with her comedic skills. I’m not sure if this was planned or not, but I liked how she spilled a bit of her drink on top of an old TV and just licked it up like a cat. And of course, it all culminated in the diva sitting in a kiddie pool of sand as she poured an entire gallon of milk all over herself. An audience member even yelled, “Ew! What the hell?” I loved it.

Show #2: Off The Clock by GrandmaFun, Landry Butler, Chris Strauss, and Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva

Instead of a single performance at the Darkhorse Theatre, this show contained four separate performances that perfectly fit the theme of Utopias. Honestly, it was almost as if the journey to Utopia was told in reverse, with the first performer living in their own Utopia and the last one being far from it. I’m not sure if the running order was done on purpose, but it worked. Kicking things off was GrandmaFun, whom the festival had labeled “Queen of experimental burlesque”. Accompanied by Filipino musicians in gorgeous garments, we see the Queen herself getting ready for Mardi Gras without saying or singing a single word. Just when we think she’s all ready to celebrate, she ducks backstage for one more touch up. It’s a simple touch of physical humor as she silently goes, “Oh, one minute, please,” and then sprays on too much setting spray. It’s simple, but I thought it was cute. And then the Carnival Queen finally treats the stage like a runway so she can show off her STUNNING gown. Seriously, did she make it herself? I have to know. She even waved at me and playfully tried to sweep her gown against my feet. It was a cute display, complete with a lit-up flower archway. Landry Butler, a spoken word and multimedia artist, was next to perform. Presenting his piece as if he were a pastor giving a sermon, he informs the audience on how they could reach their own utopias as they weave through everyday life. In the end, the answer was a bottle of distilled water droplets called “Shift”. I have yet to open the bottle that I received from the “pharmacist” walking around, but Landry’s vocal delivery and charisma charmed me enough to at least keep it as a souvenir. I try not to over-interpret a piece of art, whether it’s a painting or a performance. Over-analyzing art tends to strip away the magic and fun of it. However, the load of Shift did make me think about how we are often willing to buy any trendy product as a way to cope with the struggles of our daily lives. I’m not sure if that was the point or not, but it did get a laugh out of me.

Up next was Chris Strauss, a dancer with a humorous send-up to the “9 to 5” culture. Like GrandmaFun, Chris used physical humor and no dialogue to give a performance that I can only describe as “if that warehouse dance scene in Footloose took place in a corporate office”. I particularly admired how he wove a rolling chair into his choreography. He even used a lit-up orange screen on a laptop to highlight his gorgeous face as he spun around and around. Finally, we had the legend herself; Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva. Or rather, we had Sprinkles the Clown and company. With the balloons and circus set pieces, you’d probably assume that this would just be a simple circus show. Despite the hilarity that we see, Jennifer’s powerful voice-over brings us back to reality. As we witness a clown tossing hoops and a pair of conjoined twins, Jennifer delivers different monologues about how African Americans have to work harder for their own utopias. Whether it was about how women with her body type are expected to just cover up or how African Americans have to figuratively go through hoops to find better lives, the circus becomes a bit too real and no longer a successful facade. I’ve been following Jennifer for two years now, and she never disappoints me. 

Show #3: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes by Where House Ensemble Theater

Oh look! Another show at the Dark Horse Theatre! Anyway, it’s going to be really hard to cover this without being biased. Not only have I known some of the members since college, but I saw the company’s first-ever show on a tiny back porch all the way back in 2018. Initially starting off with productions of regular plays, one of the founding members got the idea to do these 30/60 shows after seeing Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind in Chicago. Since then, they have tried to do one of these at least once a year. And they always mention the inspiration behind the show in each performance so they can give credit where credit is due. In the original show and Where House’s iteration, the players must perform thirty plays that they have written in a single hour. These plays can range from two minutes to five seconds. If they don’t finish all of the plays by the time the buzzer goes off, then the show is over. Of course, it isn’t so simple. Some of the plays can be altered by “doopsies”, which affect the plays and can slow things down. For instance, the players had to present a play while blindfolded. There was another one in which audience members had to recreate the play they just saw. Unfortunately, the play that got that doopsie was very dialogue heavy, and I volunteered for the role with the most lines. I accidentally broke a prop. While some plays could be altered with doopsies, some that were highlighted in pink in the program could not. These were the ones that were too special for the writers and needed to be presented as they were.

Out of all ‌the 30/60 shows that I have seen over the years, this was the one performance in which the players actually completed all sixty plays. I cheered as they finished with five seconds to spare, and I was so certain that my “performance” in the scene I did would slow them down. Even if they hadn’t made it to the finish line, everyone in the show should be proud. Every single one of them brought something so unique and entertaining to their writings, and their comedic timing and comradery should be applauded. Megan Castleberry, Logan Baggerly, Patsy Long, Bekah Stogner, Emmalee Manes, Aimee Barnett, and technical wizard Elliot Martin each get their own time to shine. And yes, Elliot swapped with another player so he could make a memorable cameo and announce that an annoying coworker was dead. Like any other 30/60 show, the plays display different tones from funny to serious. One minute, you’re watching Emmalee and Megan using puppets as they walk on tiny treadmills while Aimee plays a dog alongside Logan as a bear. The next minute, Patsy is delivering a monologue in which she, a trans woman, jokes about how annoying trans people are before immediately shifting into a serious narrative about the harmful anti-trans rhetoric in America. After eight years, it was nice to see that Where House has yet to lose its spark. 

Show #4: Fairy Floss by Madeline Hicks and Kara McLeland.

Oh look! Another show at…wait, this wasn’t at Darkhorse. This was at Oz Arts Nashville. If you’ve ever wondered where the cotton candy machine came from, this show has the answer. Well, kind of. Although it has never been confirmed, there has been some speculation that dentist William J. Morrison and confectioner John C. Wharton might’ve been more than just business partners. Writer and director Madeline Hicks and composer Kara McLeland play around with that theory by presenting a fluffy sugar rush of a musical, complete with puppets and singing non-puppet teeth. And before anyone complains about how there has been no record of the business partners being lovers, there has never been a record of them not being lovers. It is also worth noting that queer history has been consistently erased from history books over the years, and it’s only recently being discovered. Even if the love story never happened, I’m still going to enjoy a romantic tale of a dentist and a candy man joining forces to invent “fairy floss”, or cotton candy.

Don’t let the Candyland aesthetic fool you; this show is unapologetic and refuses to be censored. Tony Nappo outdid himself with the set design. Despite the set consisting only of a giant projection screen, two giant cotton clouds on each side of the stage, and a couple of set pieces, it’s a lot of work to do so much in a giant space without a massive set. I mean, the candy store is literally just two stacks of boxes. That’s it. However, it is up to the actors to make that small spot of two stacks of boxes feel like a candy store. Shel McMurtry’s projection designs also elevate the show, and they were mesmerizing without distracting me too much from the actors. Madeline Hicks didn’t just serve as the show’s director and writer; she also did the props and puppetry. Everything was great, but that horse puppet has ‌to be her greatest accomplishment in terms of craftsmanship. Shabaz Ujima’s choreography shifts from graceful to chaotic (I’m talking about that “Oui Oui” scene). The music also shifts from graceful to chaotic. For the most part, Kara McLeland’s songs are as sweet as candy. Madeline Hicks’s script is full of clever puns, and it has just about everything you’d want from a classic “enemies to lovers” storyline. Oh, and thank Hayley Rose Maurer for producing this show. She has served on the Board for Kindling Arts for the past four years, and this show wouldn’t have happened without her. 

I’d also like to give some credit to the musicians for the show. Nathan Girard did the keys for all the songs, and two other musicians provided music for the song “Missouri”. Zander Wyatt played guitar, mandolin, and banjo. Bill Mitchell played steel guitar. The music production was done by Kara McLeland, Nathan Girard, and Paul Kintzing. Bravo.

This candy store is full of talented performers. Hayley Johnson and Christine Cordelia Copelan were both ensemble members and stagehands. Not only did they give charming performances, but they kept the show running smoothly. As a former stagehand, never underestimate them. Ensemble member and non-stagehand Gabe Cyrus is one of the funniest people I’ve seen in a live show, and he’s just one of those scene stealers who can still leave enough room for others to shine. Speaking of scene stealers who leave enough room for others, Blake Holiday is a star in just about everything they do, even when they’re not the lead. I mean, there’s a reason that they’re on the poster for the festival. They just bring so much sass and joy as Sweet Tooth, and they balance themselves well with Wisdom Tooth and Baby Tooth. Emma Supica manages to make everyone laugh as the no-nonsense Wisdom Tooth, and she collaborates so well with her fellow teeth. Cammie York isn’t just Baby Tooth; she is Baby. Her cuteness balances so well with Blake’s sass and Emma’s no-nonsense attitude, and she brings so much heart to the show. And finally, we have the business partners and lovers of the show. These are your “enemies to lovers” type of characters. The “grumpy and sunshine” pairing. The “opposites attract” type of couple. Thankfully, we’ve got the right performers for the job. Andrew Newton plays Willy the Dentist, a serious man who takes the business seriously and wants what is best for his partner. Andrew does a fantastic job going from serious to playful, and he has a stellar voice. Seth Nathan Green plays Johnny the Candyman, a manchild who doesn’t take things too seriously and wants to be more than business partners with Willy. There is this naïve behavior to the character, but Seth is also sincere in his delivery. Together, Seth and Andrew are sweet perfection. 

Show #5: Tea by Found Movement Group

Other than the murder mystery parties that I have done in the past, I don’t get to see too many immersive pieces in Nashville. I don’t think I’ve been an audience member in an immersive show since college. Thankfully, I got to do just that by attending a nightmare of a tea party. Ok, it wasn’t awful, but the storyline paints out pain and frustration that are bubbling under the surface. In Tea, we are invited to Annabelle’s perfect Southern tea party. Like something out of a Tennessee Williams play, everything crumbles as we see just how dysfunctional Annabelle’s relationship is with her mother. Rather than have everyone stay in one place, both the players and the audience members are whisked away to and occasionally locked up in separate rooms. You could stay and watch Annabelle play with one of her childhood toys after changing into a cheerleading uniform, or you could get yourself locked up in another room and watch an emotional dance between two other people. Everyone is going to have a different experience, but it all ends with Annabelle making a final decision to find her own utopia.

Even when people splinter off and things get a little physical, the immersive nature is carefully choreographed in more than one way. Speakers were placed everywhere so the dancers could keep up with the music, and crew members dressed as butlers and servants carefully weaved through the space to prepare the next sequence. Despite performing in tight spaces and on tables, the dancers were well-aware of their surroundings. One dancer dressed as a doll managed to dance up close to my face while keeping plenty of space between us. And yes, we were all informed that the dancers could get really close and interact with us based on how close we purposely placed ourselves. I am always down for audience participation, so I made sure I received as much of the immersive experience as possible. I even volunteered to dress up as a police officer, play hide and seek, and march around the property with the toys. There were times when I felt joyful and childish, and other times when I felt claustrophobic and uneasy. I basically felt like Annabelle herself as she tried to have a fun time without being crushed by the expectations of her mother. Everyone played their parts so well, and I enjoyed the interactions I had with the players. I’d personally like to highlight the giant Lego man I marched around the property with. I was impressed with how expressive he was in that restrictive costume. I wish I could share more, but I don’t want to spoil too much. Yes, the festival is now over, but the group is hoping to continue this story in another space beyond the festival. If you know of any place similar to the Curb Center at Vanderbilt University that the group could host their show ‌in, please let them know. 

I don’t have a cast list available for Tea, and I couldn’t remember all the names that were quickly mentioned after the show. However, I can give some information about the group. Established in 2006, Found Movement Group is a diverse ensemble made up of movers who are often overlooked due to their size, race, gender, lack of training, etc. To quote their website, “They are the lost who have found each other.” Their mission is to establish an open community by addressing real life issues through the lens of dance and movement theatre. Their executive director is Stacie M. Flood-Popp, who received a Visual Arts degree from Wittenberg University and studied dance in Paris. She guided the team through the project, and she was quite the backbone for the body of the show. She was a sweet person to talk to before and after the show. I apologize for forgetting the names of the other production team members she collaborated with, but I also hope that they are proud of what they have accomplished. Everyone involved should be proud. 

Despite the sold-out shows I have attended, ticket sales only make up less than half of the amount needed to keep the festival going year after year and help pay for everything and everyone. To ensure that the festival can continue to support local artists, please go to www.kindlingartsfestival.com to make a one-time donation or start a monthly membership.

And as promised, here are the seventeen shows that I sadly didn’t get to see. Please go to Kindling’s Instagram account so you can find the posts for the shows and follow the artists I couldn’t cover for the review. 

Faith: A New Opera by Jeremy Smith and Blueprint Ensemble

Objects In The Mirror by Becca Hoback, Emma Morrison, and Aisa Pyron/Pydance

Common Ground by DancEast, Friends Life Community, and Autumn Wegner

New Play Platter by Josh Inocalla, Mike Lacy, Maya Antoinette Riley, Saúl Rodriguez, Shea Stripling and Kyle Sahadeo

See You In Hell by Viola Vainglory and Kinetic Kristen

The Wreck of the Manifest Destiny by Clay Steakley

Kintsugi: Art of Scars by Cameron L. Mitchell with choreography by Thea Jones

Late Stage Elisabeth by Elisabeth Donaldson

Stuffed Spider by Ruined Causes 

Faulty Premise: The Live Show by Seth Nathan Green

Chisme Fantasmagorico: Pool Party by Olivia Jimenez

The Queerest Comedy Show by Griffin Bohn and Bec Groner

Embodied Creativity Workshop by McKay House and Carley Haggerty

Dance Studio Sharings by Amanda Howard, Arelys Hernandez, Kaylee Lane, Erika Hernandez and Winston Harrison.

Community Frolic by Amanda Cantrellroche

Writer’s Gym Workshop + Free Nashville Poetry Library Reading by Simba Alik

and Free Nashville Poetry Library Reading: Utopics

Unscripted: Festival Remix by Unscripted Improv

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