I joined Fractured Atlas in 2012 for fiscal sponsorship of the debut of my solo show "Desperately Seeking the Exit" at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, for which I raised $7,000 for (via partnership with RocketHub). The show was a critical hit there and went on to play in Australia, Manchester, UK, Philadelphia, Hollywood, Orlando, Long Lake, Buffalo, Ft. Myers, a month-long run in London, and another successful run in Edinburgh in 2013. In the course of doing the show for over two and a half years at these various theaters and festivals, it resulted in a great deal of press, teaching opportunities, artistic growth, and the forging of new professional relationships. But, what I learned most from doing the show was that I was viewed by my peers not only as a performer, but also as a competent, clever, and resourceful producer. I’ve always been a producer with a lower case “p”, but the success of “…Exit” really drove that point home, and I’ve been continuing on that producer path for my own work, and the work of others.
My experience in the following years followed a similar trajectory with my 2015 solo show “Late with Lance,” which I used at Edinburgh Fringe as a calling card to create more relationships and partnerships with the slew of international producers represented at the Fringe. Also, in 2015, I partnered with London-based Richard Jordan Productions to bring “Gary Busey’s One-Man Hamlet as Performed by David Carl” to Edinburgh Fringe and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre where it received raves. In 2017 I brought my own solo show, “Show Up” to Edinburgh while producing Jason Kravits’ “Off the Top” at one of the festivals’ more prestigious venues. The show went on to play London and Adelaide, Australia. During this time period I also created and co-produced “The Unofficial Upper East Side EdFest” which showcased shows returning from Edinburgh. And I created and co-produced “TrumpCon” at The Kraine in NYC as an entertaining political protest against the regime.
In 2016-2019 I toured “Show Up” around the country at various fringe festivals, and created the family version “Show Up, Kids!” which I performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and a year-long run in NYC. The kids’ show continues to play for special events, and plans are underway to create a Spanish language version as well as hiring other actors to perform the show.
Having the fiscal support of FA allows me to fund the development and presentation of my own shows, pay artists involved with those shows, produce festivals, and more importantly - produce other artists’ shows. Ultimately, the projects that were funded in part by my Fractured Atlas contributors in the past have helped me successfully transition from an international writer/performing artist to an international producer. And I plan to continue on this performer/producer path in the future.
