Foolish Fridays Faction of Fools Friday, Aug 7, 7pm Free Click to watch Faction of Fools, Washington’s commedia dell’Arte theater company, resumes its Foolish Fridays beginning tonight at 7 PM. Greg Benson, the host of Bar None Podcast, will host – or toast, the company says – the initial broadcast, which will focus on the […]
Francesca Chilcote and Kathryn Zoerb, new leaders of commedia company Faction of Fools
Veteran company members Francesca Chilcote and Kathryn Zoerb have been named Co-Artistic Directors of Washington’s Commedia dell’Arte company, Faction of Fools has announced. The women succeed Paul Reisman, who held the position for three years. In a prepared statement, Faction of Fools Board Co-Chairs Ralph and Denise Perrino noted that “Kathryn and Francesca bring a wealth […]
Theatre patron and 2013 Gary Maker Award recipient Linda Elyce Bryce has died
Linda Elyse Bryce, a teacher, lover of Shakespeare, broad-spectrum theater supporter and winner of the 2013 Gary Maker Award, given to the audience member who best exemplifies Maker’s enthusiastic, grass-roots support of Washington theater, died yesterday morning. Bryce was a resident of Venice, Florida at the time of her death. The Faction of Fools, Washington’s […]
Review: Faction of Fools’ whodunnit, The Great Commedia Hotel Murder Mystery
The Faction of Fools are at it again. After a decade adapting titles that one wouldn’t typically expect of a Commedia troupe (Henry V, Our Town and The Cherry Orchard to name a few), Producing Artistic Director Paul Reisman has penned an original vehicle for his Fools, an Agatha Christiesque whodunnit set in the Hotel […]
Review: Henry V, commedia-style, finds the funny but loses the tragedy
It is worth noting that almost all the Shakespeare histories are tragedies, and almost all the kings whose stories he recounts are fools or knaves or both. The one exception (aside from the obsequious Henry VIII, of which he was a partial author) is Henry V, which is less a play than a celebration of […]
Review: Chekhov gets commedia-style Cherry Orchard from Faction of Fools
Faction Fools’ usual comic shtick works wondrously well in The Cherry Orchard. The award winning Fools bring artistry, cultural awareness and salient knowledge with funny bone commedia comedy arts to everything they touch. With Hamlet, Our Town and so many other classics under their belts, why not tackle the passionate throes of frustration, disappointment and human […]
Foolish Fairytales from Faction of Fools, abundant silliness (review)
Faction of Fools’ usual abundance of silliness reaches new heights in Paul Reisman’s Foolish Fairytales. The puns, the double entendres, mixed messages and general tomfoolery are so effective because of the special touch of this company.
A fool-ish Merchant of Venice (review)
Considering the numerous versions of The Merchant of Venice I have seen in the last several years, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a rendition by DC’s Commedia dell’Arte company, Factions of Fools. Having witnessed their exquisite Miser and Our Town last season, though, I should have known that the Bard would be in […]
The circus isn’t coming to town (but it’s already here)
With the recent announcement that The Big Apple Circus will be ending public performances, circus lovers might be worried about where to get their clown fix. No need to worry: the DC-area is home to an array of accomplished clowns, mimes, and physical theatre companies.
Faction of Fools reprises The Miser (review)
Known for its heightened physical Commedia dell’Arte and mirth, the award winning Faction of Fools Theatre Company takes on Molière’s The Miser for a delightful romp of wit and foolery. In the hands of the Fools, even the slightest nuance can result in a topple of bodies to aid the interpretation and meaning, and this […]
Commedia-styled Our Town from Faction of Fools (review)
The endearingly minimalist Our Town by Thornton Wilder gets a Commedia dell’Arte treatment from Faction of Fools. Does a Commedia troupe have anything special to bring to the Pulitzer Prize winning play? Indeed they do.
The holidays not funny enough? Matthew R. Wilson’s back to help with The Great One-Man Commedia Epic
If you are looking for entertaining theatre this holiday and begin to yawn at the thought of enduring one more Christmas Carol, head down to the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) for Matthew R. Wilson in The Great One-Man Commedia Epic. Billed as “1 actor. 12 characters.1000 catastrophes,” you will take in more people and […]
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