Part of this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival and performing at the Broadwater Second Stage, “My Brother’s Room” — co-written by Angus Leslie and William MacDonald — is about estranged brother Bobby returning into his younger brother Carson’s life, only it turns out he’s not the hero Carson wants him to be. Set design is intricate and thoughtfully put together, bringing to life the brothers’ shared bedroom. The production clearly took its time creating a bedroom that feels sp

Benjamin B. in "The Anti-Magic Magic Show" at The Hobgoblin Playhouse/Hollywood Fringe Festival 2026 (Photo courtesy of the artist) Illusionist Benjamin B.’s “The Anti-Magic Magic Show” — billed as a magic show for people who don’t love magic shows — is having its world premiere at The Hobgoblin Playhouse as part of this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival. Benjamin’s performance is lighthearted, clear and informative. Since this is an anti-magic show, the production does not re

Mark Vigeant’s “Out There” at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival is a solo show that blends live video with clowning, about a burnt-out engineer hoping for viral fame by livestreaming his survival adventure in Alaska. But when the wild pushes back against his questionable survival skills, his mission soon spirals into chaos. Performed at the Broadwater Mainstage, Vigeant’s acting is raw, unfiltered, honest and memorable. At a recent showing, I really appreciated the way he

Lucas James Nelson’s “Angst” at the Hollywood Fringe Festival follows a man dealing with the physical manifestations of his anxiety and a nonstop voice inside his head. As he learns how to manage it, he begins to understand what it truly takes to live with himself and accept who he is. Performances by Spencer Weitzel as “Anybody” and Theo Fay as “Angst” are smooth, conversational, and grounded in honesty. Both actors have a strong understanding of their characters, delivering

Gabrielle Jackson in "They Tend to Themselves: A Choreopoem" at Hollywood Fringe Festival 2026 Part of this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival, “They Tend to Themselves: A Choreopoem” follows solo performer Gabrielle Jackson as she explores self-love, healing, ancestry and what it means to care for yourself in a world that can often make that difficult. Through poetry, movement, sound and reflection, Jackson creates a thoughtful and intimate performance that leaves the audience

Ensemble cast of "Hummingbirds Are Not Machines" at LA City College Theatre Academy Shewan Edward’s “Hummingbirds Are Not Machines” — presented as an “elevated” staged reading at LA City College Theatre Academy’s Cameo Theatre and directed by Edward — is a contemporary play about a group of young adults confined in a medical facility as they try to understand the loss of someone close to them. The production deals heavily with grief and identity, showing how people process pa

From left: Jonathan Miller and Michaela Kahan in "Bedridden" at Eastwood Performing Arts Center, reprising its Hollywood Fringe Festival run (Photo by Joshua Opper) Haley Cooper’s “Bedridden” — in a recent reprise of its Hollywood Fringe Festival run at the Eastwood Performing Arts Center —follows Laura (Michaela Kahan) and her best friend Jarod (Jonathan Miller) as they try almost everything imaginable to get her out of bed. What starts as playful and comedic quickly become

Promo for "A Haunting Revue" “A Haunting Revue” is a tightly constructed anthology of three eerie, unsettling stories that explore the...

“Dead Fat Corpse,” written by Barbara Lee Bragg and directed by Debra DeLiso, completed its Hollywood Fringe Festival run at the Hudson...

Davonna Dehay (Dolores) in "Dolores" at Hollywood Fringe Festival (Photo by Nicole Souza) Having just completed its Hollywood Fringe...

Lani Harms in "Reservoir Dolls" at Hollywood Fringe Festival (photo by Andrew Levy) Written by Lani Harms and directed by Laurie Magers,...

Janora McDuffie in "Earth, Wind & Car Fire" at Hollywood Fringe Festival (Photo by Richard Clark of Broadway Photo Video) In “Earth, Wind...

From left: Ciara Cain (Jordyn) and Emily Hope Turner (Miri) in "So Baby" at Hollywood Fringe Festival (Photo by Zheng Qu) Written by...

From left: Tanner Hake and Cheyenne Washington in "Wilhelmina" at Hollywood Fringe Festival (Photo by Griffin Scillian) Written by...

Linzy Beltran in "El Mago Loco" at Hollywood Fringe Festival (Photo by Jill Petracek) At the end of a recent performance of “El Mago...