Monthly Archives: January 2011

On Saturday, April 9th, 2011, the Five Minute Follies will present a special spoken word event, “Telling Stories”, at the Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, PA.

Performers for the evening will include Poet/Actor John Frisby, the irrepressible Shenanigans Hannigan (pictured), Comedian Alejandro Morales, Follies emcee Michael Broussard (aka Michael Subvert), and maybe YOU!

Do you have a compelling 5-minute story to tell? We’re looking for artists who can deliver a tale that is riveting, funny, dramatic, revealing, touching, intense, harrowing, and/or any or all of the above. Comedians, poets and straight-up storytellers welcome. All we ask is that your piece is actually a story, with a beginning, a middle and an end.

To audition, just send a video or audio file of you telling your story to michaelsubvert@msn.com.

It doesn’t need to be a high quality file… a webcam or phone video or an audio file recorded with the basic sound recorder on your computer is fine. We just want to hear your story so we can get a good idea of where it might fit into the show.

Pay is a share of the door.

FULL DETAILS ON THE SHOW ARE BELOW:

Five Minute Follies presents

TELLING STORIES – an evening of spoken word

SATURDAY, APRIL 9th, 2011

Leyla Eraslan

Poet/Actor John Frisby

Shenanigans Hannigan

Comedian Alejandro Morales

Carol Anne Mueller

RhapsodE

Michael Broussard (aka Michael Subvert)

and more TBA

Wanna be part of the show? Check out the Auditions page.

@The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Click here for directions to the Rotunda

Doors 7pm
Show 8pm
$5 suggested donation (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)

PLEASE NOTE: SOME MATERIAL MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES

Email michaelsubvert@msn.com

Check out a clip of Poet/Actor John Frisby performing at the Five Minute Follies on Friday, Jan 14th, 2011. Thanks to Candace Sierra-Louise Taylor for this video!

Check out some new photos from the second Five Minute Follies, Friday, January 14th, 2011 at the Rotunda in Philadelphia, PA. Thanks to Follies Fotographer Kristie Kozenewski and to Chad Jordan and Jess Kratzer for these.

If you have any photos from the Five Minute Follies (either this one or the first one back in May of 2010) please feel free to send them along. We’d love to put them up on this site and on Facebook. Remember to include photo credit. Email all photos to: michaelsubvert@msn.com

Click an album title or album cover to view photos.

Five Minute Follies Jan 14th, 2011 at the Rotunda in Philadelphia

Thanks to my good friend Jess Carpenter for this video of Shenanigans Hannigan performing at the Five Minute Follies on Friday, January 14th at the Rotunda in Philadelphia. Enjoy!

Thank you all for making the second Five Minute Follies on January 14th, 2011 at the Rotunda in Philadelphia just as amazing as the first. We upped the ante considerably this time, with almost twice as many acts as the inaugural Follies last May.

The level of talent was uber high this year, as evidenced by such performers as Hoop Dancer Sarah Maccarelli, comedian Jess Carpenter, the vocal group Kneehigh Spunk, the amazing illusionist Anthony Salazar (pictured), and the hilarious Mad Mechanicals. Father/daughter improv duo Grandma Hates Technology had the audience rolling off their chairs in laughter, as did Evil Eye Arts with their clever and madcap skit “Something is Something”. Poet John Frisby took the crowd on an entirely different kind of trip, with his emotionally powerful and unflinchingly honest words.

We were also fortunate to see the premiere of another new play this year, with 2 scenes from our friend Nicolle Pasquel Blackmon’s “Dimensions of His Love”. Thank you to Nicolle for choosing the Follies to debut her work and thank you to her talented cast (Thierry Lundy, Tanya Morgan, Marci Shepard and Dax Richardson).

And speaking of premieres, we were more than proud to host the first appearance on any stage by the one, the only, the unstoppable Shenanigans Hannigan. Sincere appreciation to friend of the Follies Alejandro Morales for making this possible.

A big thanks to returning performers Singer Songwriter Rasan Allbritton and White Elephant Burlesque Society for once again lending their considerable talents to our little show.

And a King-sized thank you to Philly’s own Queen of Rockabilly, Kathia Jane, for bringing the show to a triumphant crescendo with her birthday tribute to Mr. Elvis Aaron Presley.

Of course, the success of any show is also highly dependent on the quality of the folks working behind the scenes, and the Five Minute Follies was once again gifted with the greatest support staff on Earth. Stage Manager Cary Gottlieb was thrown into the deep end from the moment he arrived and not once did he falter. Our eternal gratitude also goes out to the Foundation, to the staff of the Rotunda, and more specifically to Frank Bellina on sound and Gina Renzi and Jason Neugent on lights. And last but by no means least, thanks to our staff photographer, Kristie Kozenewski, for capturing the event so well. Some of her work can be seen in this post — and we’ll be putting up a lot more soon.

Now, it’s on to the next Follies. We’re going bigger once again, with 3 performances in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival this fall (Saturday, September 3rd, Tuesday September 6th and Wednesday September 7th). For info on how you can be a part of the next Five Minute Follies, check out the Auditions page.

More to come and… see you in September!