Fringe Festival Hit Returns As Virtual Monologue Series During Quarantine!

In Space, No-one Can Hear You Quarantine!

SPACE FORCE: QUARATINE! is a monthly anthology of short monologues released on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram throughout 2021. Based on the San Diego Fringe Festival comedy SPACE FORCE! and produced by solo show specialists Lonesome Whistle Productions, each monologue tells a new story of a different member of Donald Trump's Space Force quarantined in outer space following an outbreak of The Moronavirus. Premiering on the last of the month, the monologues are written, performed, and filmed by some of the best theatre artists in San Diego, including the actors from the original Fringe cast.

I'm Tom Steward, an actor, writer and producer local to San Diego though originally from the UK. I run a theatre company called Lonesome Whistle Productions specializing in innovative solo theatre. With so many theatres now offering virtual projects during the ongoing shutdown of live arts in the city, I realize there are many options of stories for you to cover. However, I would like to tell you about an online spin-off a San Diego Union-Tribune "Fringe Pick" show featuring the talents of performers who have graced local stages. It's a timely satire of the Trump Presidency masquerading as a broad science-fiction comedy.

In 2019, Lonesome Whistle Productions presented SPACE FORCE! for The San Diego International Fringe Festival. Written, directed by, and starring Michael Shantz, The San Diego Union-Tribune made it a "Fringe Pick" and called it "hilarious, well-conceived." San Diego Story called it "enjoyably lowbrow...the tongue-in-cheek tone...is hard to resist." This science fiction parody of classic cop shows, modern-day politics, and an alternative future following Trump's second term as President delighted festival audiences and critics, even securing an encore at Onstage Playhouse Chula Vista as part of their Sci-Fi 2-Weekend Event.

In 2021, with in-person performances cancelled and lockdowns still in effect, Lonesome Whistle Productions decided to reprise SPACE FORCE! in a format that suited online theatre, addressed themes relevant to a global pandemic, and gave a platform for independent theatre artists to produce their own work. Enter SPACE FORCE: QUARANTINE! The series consists of 5-minute monologues written, acted, and filmed by the same person with each new piece made by a different performer every time. Riffing on the theme of quarantining in outer space, the monologues go from comic to tragic and everything in-between.

On the final day of each month in 2021, the monologues will be simulcast on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram via the Lonesome Whistle Productions channels on each platform. The content is free to access and will remain available on social media throughout the year. We leave it to our audiences to donate to the company through PayPal if they wish. At a time when people are stuck at home for such long periods, I feel it remains important to continue to provide free content that can be enjoyed domestically. The first monologue is released January 31. 12 pieces by 12 performers following a science-fiction writing prompt.

LONESOME WHISTLE PRODUCTIONS has been consistently creating virtual theatre during the lockdown of 2020 with the YouTube serial THE GODFATHER ONE PART and multiple virtual performances of THE BOND SHOW (New Virtual Arts, Thornhill Theatre Space Worldwide Fringe Festival). We have created seasonal solo theatre for Halloween with GHOST WATCH PARTY on Facebook Watch, PARANORMAL TRANSMISSION WILL BE RESUMED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (Thornhill Theatre Space's Whispers In The Dark) and the Bond Show movie commentary ONE HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE on YouTube for Christmas.

We'd love to have media coverage of this event. The project is produced by a known theatre artist with acting credits including New Village Arts (Intimate Apparel, Awake & Sing), The Edinburgh and San Diego International Fringe Festivals (A Kind of Alaska, Poe in Pieces, One Man Bond) with plays produced by New Village Arts (Live in Folsom Prison), New Play Café (The Only Real Diner in Town) and Lamplighter's Theatre (Dead Play). Other local theatre artists attached to this project include Julia Giolzetti (Sofa Shakespeare), Queen Mab (San Diego Fringe Festival 2018) and Rhiannon and Greg McAfee (Rex Rivetter: Private Eye).

Previous Lonesome Whistle Productions have been covered by San Diego Union-Tribune, KPBS, Jazz 88.3 and San Diego Story. Our cast have large followings and are often covered by news media and arts publications in San Diego and beyond. Our fanbase grows with every project and audience numbers for past shows are strong. If any part of this series interests you, I'm available and more than happy to talk about it.

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