As with many of his plays, Bob Bartlett’s newest, Bareback Ink, began from a very personal place. The idea came during a tattoo session. “Earlier this year, I decided to get a second tattoo commemorating the death of my only brother – this one twenty years later – and the act was as frightening, exciting, and compelling an experience this time. During that spiritual ninety minutes, the wheels began turning on this little play about an unlikely relationship which develops between an asexual tattooist and his client.
I’ve been interested for some time in exploring asexuality in my work and the challenges asexuals face living in a sexual world. And it seemed the art, the act of tattooing – let’s be honest, tattoos are hot – is intimate and erotic, and an odd vocation for a man without sexual desire.”
Bareback Ink is booked into the Capital Fringe Festival, opening July 13th for 16 performances at Gear Box, 1021 7th Street, NW, so you’ve got plenty of time to see it here.
But he hopes the show doesn’t end in DC. Bob has plans to take Bareback Ink to that mother of all Fringe shows, the Edinburgh Fringe. He figures he can move himself and DC actors DC Cathro and D. Grant Cloyd to the U.K this August, pay the registration fee, publicity and printing costs, venue rental, travel and lodging for $7,000.
He’s begun a campaign on Kickstarter, the popular crowdfunding site for the arts, and, so far, 41 backers have pledged nearly 25% of the total cost. (Pledges are redeemed if the project reaches $7,000 by July 11th).
While everyone on Kickstarter does a video pitch, Bob’s goes them one better. He makes his while Colin at Gus’s Tattoo Studio in Frederick, MD applies a tattoo of a tribal whale. (Be a big enough donor and Bob will even add your initials to the body art.)
You can pledge as little as $5, but higher pledges get you lots of cool stuff.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/barebackink/send-bareback-ink-to-edinburgh-fringe
Related:
More about Bob Bartlett
Well, we did it! We hit our kickstarter goal and we’re headed to Edinburgh Fringe this August!!! And we open this Friday night at the Capital Fringe Festival for a 16 show run!!
tickets are available at cityartisticpartnerships.org or http://shows.capfringe.org/shows/3492-Bareback-Ink.html
Woohoo!! What a summer!! 🙂
Well, we’re 80% funded with eight days to go! So if you’re not one of our 107 backers – now’s your chance! We’ve locked up a performance space in Edinburgh – http://www.whitespace11.com – it’s super cool! But we still need help.
thanks for the terrific coverage! we’re at 30% funded with 30 days to go! fingers crossed!! 🙂
I hope you reach that goal my friend.