HOLY O Set for San Diego International Fringe Festival

Houston playwright and actress Lauren Hance brings an honest, vulnerable look at women, sex, and spirituality with Holy O, a multi-award-winning solo dramedy performance where the audience becomes part of the play directly from their seats.

"The show is for audiences who are up for something playful, heartwarming, and experimental," says director and developer Amelia Peterson.

Main character Vera wants to be a nun, but can't let go of her past or vibrators. Her situation is complicated by the onset of rapturous prayers, leading the audience to step into the role of advice-giving "saints."

As Vera's story unfolds, it intertwines with choose-your-own-adventure stories that explore the connection of body, spirit, and sexuality. Along the way, the audience helps Vera make some of the biggest decisions of her life, starting with what shirt to wear.

Lavender Magazine says, "Hance is an amazing storyteller.... She has a great sense for balance: drama balances comedy, sacred balances profane. I loved seeing our audience surprise her as much as she surprised us."

Hance wrote the show after reckoning with growing up in purity culture and the societal pressures women face with body image and sexuality. "I wrote the show I needed. I wanted to have authentic conversations about deeper aspects of life. Thankfully, audiences have said me too!" Audiences describe Hance's performance as "spellbinding," and Holy O as "very inviting, winningly awkward, and all human."

Co-director Cathy Lam emphasizes that, "Holy O offers a safe space to listen to the stories of women, and a chance to reimagine a world of honesty, intimacy, and hope."

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater

2130 Pan American Plaza

San Diego, CA 92101

Thursday 5.15 @ 7:30p

Saturday 5.17 @ 9:00p

Sunday 5.18 @ 1:00p

Thursday 5.22 @ 7:30p

Friday 5.23 @ 10:30p

San Diego Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. THE WULFEATER (Tenth Avenue Arts Center)

14% of votes

2. SHREK (Carlsbad Community theater)

9.9% of votes

3. FOOTLOOSE (A-List Theatre)

7.7% of votes

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