Download the Program here
PlayTheMoment presents VerSUS at FESTN4- Jan 10 th and 11 th , 2025
Curated By Nathan Ulrey
Directed By Aradhana Tiwari
Orlando, Florida – PlayTheMoment, in partnership with Kangagirl Productions and producers Marty Stonerock
and Luke Griswold, present VerSUS at the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival’s FESTN4 for two
performances in the Orlando Fringe ArtSpace – Jan 10 th and 11 th , 2025. Tickets are $15, with a $3 Fringe button.
Tix and more information at: https://www.orlandofringe.org/festn4
VerSUS is a poetic pastiche of performed verse exploring humanity’s archetypal struggles and triumphs. With
classic and modern poems curated by Nathan Ulrey and directed by Aradhana Tiwari, these verses interplay
with recorded and live music to take the audience on a journey through time and space. How should we
conceptualize dark times? How do we continue against adversity? How do we cherish and express our love?
Poetry has been providing tools to answer these questions for centuries.
“We’ve curated space for the ephemeral magic conjured when poetry is shared out loud,” says director
Aradhana Tiwari.
Whether you are well-versed or a prose-novice, we invite you to enjoy the magic of words spoken by Marty
Stonerock, Sam Hazell, Stephen Lima, Sarah Lockard, Cole NeSmith and more in response to the questions of
the ages. Whether we face others, nature, or our own minds, we could all pack a few stanzas in our proverbial
carry-on. These are timeless maps for all of us; so sit back and let our fellow travelers VERSE You!
Cast & Crew
Marty Stonerock
Sarah Lockard
Stephen Lima
Marty Stonerock
Cole NeSmith
Sam Hazell
Ra Pinete
Vijai Tiwari
Kendal NeSmith
Luke Griswold
Producers- Aradhana Tiwari, Marty Stonerock
Associate Producers- Margaret Nolan/Kangagirl Productions, Luke Griswold
Production Manager- Savannah Wilson
Digital Art and Animation- Jocelynn White
Performances:
Jan 10 th @5:45PM
Jan 11 th @6:15PM
Venue:
Artspace- 54 West Church Street, Suit # 201 Orlando Fl. 32801
Tix- $15 (w/$3 button) | https://www.orlandofringe.org/festn4
Media please note:
REVIEW:
FestN4 reviews: Christmas laughs, beautiful words, harrowing truth … and cows
By Matthew J. Palm | mpalm@orlandosentinel.com | Orlando Sentinel
UPDATED: January 10, 2025 at 8:57 AM EST
Today’s FestN4 reviews include “Beth and Mark’s Big Bang! (The Show Must Go On … Or Should It?,” “The Cowbaret: An Udderly Unhinged Bovine Variety Show,” “VersUs” and “Yallmark.”
An existential question for our times: Are those ubiquitous Hallmark Christmas movies ripe for parody, or have they already become parodies of themselves?
The question occurred to me while watching a preview performance of “Yallmark” at FestN4. A pair of performers from Atlanta get some audience suggestions and then use improv to spin a seasonal romance that lands a lot of laughs.
Devisers Kevin Gillese and Amber Nash demonstrate that they understand the Hallmark formula from the moment they present themselves as the movie’s stars: An “affordable Canadian hunk” and “a woman you vaguely recognize from television.”
Their system for naming the characters seems to work as well, and the pair — married in real life — have a winning rapport as they change characters through wigs, costumes and a fake beard. They cheat a little on their own rules — we had a religious joke and an exclamation that definitely wouldn’t fly on the Hallmark channel — but they have the right touch to pull this off as equal parts mockery and homage.
Warning: A viewing of “VersUs,” which I saw in a preview, may cause you to seek out your high school English teacher and offer an apology specifically for not appreciating the power of poetry.
“VersUs” has a simple concept: Place a series of poems, all of which say something about the human connection, in the hands of talented performers. Add music, movement, projections and a few props. Director Aradhana Tiwari takes those elements and comes up with an emotionally riveting show that is greater than the sum of its parts.
This poetry is not read, it’s performed. And it feels like this is how poetry was meant to be experienced.
The first bow should go to Nathan Ulrey, who curated the poems with a brilliant mix of the familiar (Browning, Dickinson, Longfellow, Frost) and lesser-known names. Honestly, I could praise every performer, but my favorite moments came from seeing Sarah Lockard’s joy encountering a “host of golden daffodils,” Sam Hazell’s fire in exhorting “Do not go gentle into that good night,” Marty Stonerock’s celebration of life’s eras in “Emily at 22” and Vijai Tiwari’s conviction in proclaiming “you’ll be a man, my son.”
These little vignettes of how we live our lives pack an emotional punch. And together they create a stirring and beautiful pageant of humanity.