Audiences had glimpses of Collaboraction's "Carnival" during "Workbook"

Lord (Nathanael Card) and Lady (Catie Glynn)

Workbook, Collaboraction's quarterly late night show, recently included a glimpse of some of the delightful fun that awaits audiences at the Mar. 19 fund-raiser, Carnaval: Let Them Eat Cake to be held on both floors of the Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

During Workbook, lords and ladies mingled with court jesters and dancers.  Menu planners for Marie Antoinette offered up selections with accompanying photos that evoked a  range of audience reactions from augh to eeekkks!  A two woman clown/acrobatic team of Carolyn Hoerdemann and Sandra Delgado tickled one's eyes and funny bone.

The Chemical Queen offers up a prize

The Jester is Hannah Phelps

In a costume that titillated, the Chemical Queen, Carron Little, provided a three-part performance. Fabulously coifed and made up by hair and make-up artist Mark Bazant, the Queen served tea  from her trolley (cart) inside and out of the performance area. Later she presented ten audience members with an envelope. Inside was a picture of an internal body part. The recipient was to spell the first word that came to their mind, by writing on a cup cake with frosting.  Later in the evening, Queeny was rolled in on her trolley and delivered a poem she wrote using the "written words."

Andy Grigg as The Stranger

In an absorbing and funny two-man cowboy tale, "The Stranger and Blake" written by Andy Grigg,

Blake is played by Garin Jones

could be interpreted in a couple of different ways. Mark Bazant looked at it as a satire, " It was a mash-up of two popular gay stereotypes...the Lonesome Cowboy and the reality gay party queen...shallow, mean spirited, one dimensional and so unsympathetic."  I describe it as..."Obviously inexperienced with a major infatuation of another man, a country dude attempts valiantly, though clumsily, to express his interest in and adoration of a self-centered, self-absorbed, inconsiderate,  unsympathetic and rude raging queen." Poor Mr. Stranger!

Whatever our descriptions, the audience was totally engaged with every verbal poke and jab.

Workbook is a performing laboratory that provides performance artists from a variety of disciplines with an opportunity to perform before an audience. Collaboraction provides a panel to review the acts, selecting those they want to include in a show.

For DISCOUNTED TICKETS to CARNAVAL: Let Them Eat Cake: Use discount code - Our Urban Times.

More information: Sketchbook REVERB