South Philly Review

The stage is set, costumes pressed, make-up done and the curtain moments from rising. A faint buzz hovers over the workweek, as Friday brings the opening of Philly Fringe and the Live Arts Festival. Residents -- in unprecedented numbers -- are among the sea of talent that make the next two weeks unlike any other for the city's arts scene.

In the second of a two-part series, the Review highlights neighborhood performers whose passion for expression unleashes a new set of one-of-a-kind productions.

Thirteen has proven lucky for The Waitstaff. In its fourth year in the Fringe, the 60 minutes of sketch comedy dished up in "Served the Way You Like It!" by the 13-member troupe "runs the gamut from silly to sophisticated and ridiculous to raucous," group writer/performer/General Manager Kurt Runco of the 900 block of Bainbridge Street said.

Runco calls the group, who joined forces when they met at the Brick Playhouse, 623 South St., "a true Philadelphia success story." Jumping into sketch comedy, The Waitstaff consistently sold out shows at the Brick, and eventually moved to the bigger Five Spot in Old City before it burned down.

The show's material is completely new and characters are taken right from the streets, since "they're so distinctive and recognizable," Runco said. Past sketches have included the pain of being an Eagles fan and the destruction of Veterans Stadium.

Members' backgrounds include directing, producing, dance, music, acting and, of course, improv and each has collaborated to write material for the show, which premieres Aug. 31. The piece spans cultural satire to slapstick dance, a type of performance Runco says is unique to the event.

"The Fringe is a safe environment to do something risky. That goes for the audience as well as the performers," he said. "With the Fringe tickets so inexpensive and the shows usually only an hour long, someone doesn't have to plop down a lot of money or time. They can risk going to a show they might never normally see."

Keeping in line with a lighter performance is New Paradise Laboratories (NPL) "BATCH: An American Bachelor/ette Party Spectacle." Opening Aug. 31 as part of the Live Arts Festival, this bawdy and sometimes suggestive twist on the popular pre-marital tradition uses the talents of six actors -- including Jeb Kreager of the 200 block of Federal Street and Lee Etzold of the 800 block of Pemberton Street -- playing three characters each in the story of a betrothed couple who have never touched.

"BATCH" co-creator/director/sound designer Whit MacLaughlin, who also is NPL's artistic director, started the company in Virginia and brought it to Philly, now their home base.

MacLaughlin said, while it's good to bring theater everywhere, for this part-performance art, part-sporting event show in particular the area is key. "South Philly is the center of the bachelor/bachelorette party universe," she said.

And, as far as residents go, they are just the type to be cast in an NPL show.

"In South Philly, the men are men and the women are women," she said. "We really mess around with that idea, but we respect it nonetheless."

Natasha Lee Martin is bringing good karma to the neighborhood that welcomed her to Hoffman and Front streets three years ago.

"I moved here literally a few days after I lost my mom to cancer," the co-producer/writer said. "I was amazed by the support and selflessness of my neighbors who didn't even know what I had been through until later. I feel it is right to give something back that is a reflection of them."

The actress, along with a cast and crew of 14 make up Trajectories Theater Group. "Acts of Sedition," opening Sept. 5, consists of original pieces, stand-up comedy, live music, burlesque and video montage that comes together by way of "no topic too scared to explore" Martin said, citing terrorism, consumerism and ethnic diversity as just a few. By presenting an array of issues, the show relates to the "common, hard-working American having a say in what's happening in their own neighborhoods," Martin said.