Coming this summer to the Minnesota Fringe Festival will be the world premiere of my play, Looking for Fun(Bags), from Up Top Theatre Company!!!
Friends, it has been more than two years since I first cooked up the idea for this play while driving to a rehearsal one night at UCF. My bud, Bryant Hernandez, was in the car with me and we were running late and I posed the question, “What if we tried to reconnect with a past girlfriend but all we really wanted was to just fulfill a certain fantasy that we never got the chance to.”
After we laughed about it, I said, “You know.. there’s a play in there.” Then we laughed some more. While I admit the initial joke was shallow and immature, it did spark an idea about something that would evolve heart and meaning, with characters I wanted to flesh out and make people care about. Yes, the play is definitely rated R, but my aim is to use that in order to showcase the real struggles we have with relationships and sex these days: The misconceptions, our preconceived notions, and all the false-expectations that are constantly dished out to us through too many sources.
Of course on the other hand, it is also a good old fashioned sex-comedy about four people who have no idea what they are doing and shenanigans ensue.
Therefore, despite the fervent profanity and frank talks of sex, I really think it has a little bit for everyone. Except maybe children. No, definitely not children.
Looking for Fun(Bags) has given me a real playwright’s experience; watching the play evolve, the characters grow, and ultimately being able to share the story with so many people. I remember in Orlando at UCF, we staged a reading of the play and I thought that was the tops. We had a great cast and crew, sound effects, and an audience that really enjoyed the evening. And man, I gotta admit I was a little nervous. What would people think? My reputation! Well, my worries were unfounded because people not only loved it, but gave me extraordinary feedback on how to fine-tune the piece even more.
Now the culmination of that process is the Minnesota Fringe Festival in a land far from Central Florida, but still full of friends and warm-hearted audiences. This play has only ever been possible with those key ingredients and I am forever thankful.
If you want to know even more about the show and would like to consider a financial contribution please click here!
What: Looking for Fun(Bags) by Vincent S. Hannam presented by Up Top Theatre
Where: The Ritz Theater at the Minnesota Fringe Festival
When:
7/30/15 8:30 PM
8/2/15 2:30 PM
8/7/15 4:00 PM
8/8/15 5:30 PM
8/9/15 7:00 PM
With: Philip Muehe (Director), Sarah Wolf (Stage Manager), Vincent Hannam (Brandon), Alyssa Brooke (Shirley), Mike Swan (Bud), Diana Jurand (Jackie)
VINCENT HANNAM 