SHOWS AND BIOS
Lady Chilane hails from Tennessee and has become a high desert legend in drag entertainment. She began as an Elvis impersonator, but her journey soon led her to the glamorous world of drag. Known for her radiant style and magnetic stage presence, Lady Chilane hosts popular events like Drag Bingo, delighting audiences with a mix of humor and charm. Currently starring in Willa Justice: Drag Queen Private Eye, she brings her wit and energy to the title role. Lady Chilane’s dedication to her craft and vibrant personality have made her a beloved figure in the community.
THE MUSIC
Friday March 28, The Glass Outhouse Gallery, 6:15pm
Saturday March 29, Freedom Plaza, 11:00am
Marya Summers has been a freelance writer, a columnist for the alternative press, an itinerant scholar/educator, a singer-songwriter, and a winner (and loser) of poetry slam competitions across the country.
In 2017, environmental illness and disability emptied her life of just about everything, including her ability to read and write. To accommodate her disability and provide shelter, she moved into a van-sized travel trailer with her wonder cat Perceval and set out in search of a place where she could rebuild her health and life. She has lived with inadequate shelter for nearly 6 years as she’s struggled with illness, disability and the elements and yet she has found a deep connection with the spiritual and natural world.
She will be performing poetry from her manuscript in process, Blessed Stones & Holy Window. These poems are focused on her experiences with illness, disability, and resulting homelessness and will speak to the hardships as well as the deep growth of being isolated and self reliant. These are poems of survival, resilience, acceptance, defiance, and transcendence. Find her at WhollyCreative.com.
THE SPOKEN WORD
Friday March 28, The Glass Outhouse Gallery, 7:15pm
Saturday March 29, Freedom Plaza, 11:40am
Lisa Mednick Powell, MA, Dramaturge and Music Director, is a musician, songwriter and poet residing Twentynine Palms, California. She is part of the band "Arroyo Rogers," which plays country hits from the 60s and 70s, as well as original material. As a keyboard player she has worked on stages and in studios from New York to New Orleans, from Austin to Auckland. In addition to her musical career, Mednick Powell is a published writer with works appearing in the Hi-Desert publication Cholla Needles as well as the New Orleans Review.
THE MUSIC
Friday March 28, The Glass Outhouse Gallery, 9:00pm
THE WORKSHOP - POETRY
Walking Poetry Workshop: Writing the Walk
Sunday March 30, Oasis of Mara, 74885 National Park Trail , The Old JTNP Visitors’ Center, 10:45am
Group will meet at the former JTNP Visitor Center on Utah and walk from there. Bring your own tablet, IPAD or notebook and writing device
Sunday March 30, 12:00pm
Group will then move to 29 Palms Beer Garden for a No Host brunch and open reading.
Sharianne Greer and Joe Rego perform in Paperwork an original one act play. Actress, playwright and director Sharianne Greer will be for the first time performing her own first play, “Paperwork” from 1987. A metaphysical comedy about a dying woman blown off course in the cosmos being processed into the afterlife by a well meaning but not entirely dependable clerk. Greer and Rego have both been recently seen in Theatre 29 productions of Sleepy Hollow and A Streetcar Named Desire.
THE SHOW
Paperwork
Jane has been wandering along a hospital line on the floor for a very long time. She finally meets Medley who says due to a supernova exploding in another part of the galaxy the usual afterlife process is offline and he’s there to do her paperwork manually to get her to her next destination. Jane has to a bureaucratic process to navigate before she can give her final answer.
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 4:15pm
Sunday March 30, Theatre 29, 4:15pm
La
Lauren Wolpert creator of "Barking Up The Wrong Geek" and creator of Bad Ass Angel Oracle Decks, "Life is a Pre-existing condition and God is Killing Us All" and "I Thought I Was A People Person,,,then I met people". Presently, and pleasantly planted in Wonder Valley, this will be their second appearance with Desert Fringe, The first one being, "What Came First,"
THE SHOW
I Thought I Was A People Person..then I met people…. is a
Solo, autobiographical show, using historical pieces, as Lenny Bruce's monologue read for supreme court and traditional songs, as Battle Hymn of the Republic. As well as original lyrics from the musical comedy about cannibalism "Quiche Lorraine" written by Lauren Wolpert and Tom McCormack in the 80's.. Traditional as in , boy meets girl, boy loses girl boy eats girl. The 80's as in, if you can't eat the one you love, love the one you eat.
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 2:15pm
Sunday March 30, Theatre 29, 6:15pm
Jenn Henry/Mojave Dance is a choreographer, dancer, educator, and lawyer based in Morongo Valley, CA. She is the founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Dance Mojave Performance Collective and also teaches dance at Mojave Arts Academy of Dance and Copper Mountain College. She is delighted to share “The Moon” with you, which is an excerpt from the May 9-10, 2025 full-length production of The Planetsto be performed at the Sky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature Center.
THE DANCE
“The Moon,” a humorous ballet piece set to Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy critiquing the colonial exploits of Earth countries on our nearest celestial body.
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 5:30pm
Rotating Players Improv believes improv is for everyone! Since 2022, this dynamic troupe has brought unscripted entertainment to venues across the Hi-Desert. They also host monthly workshops at The Palms in Wonder Valley, welcoming all skill levels. Join host Liyan McNeltier and instructors Jesse Worstell, Graham Cooley, and Jericho McNeltier every third Saturday at 1:00 PM for a fun, hands-on improv experience!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @RotatingPlayersImprov for info on shows and workshops
THE WORKSHOP - IMPROV
Saturday March 29, Freedom Plaza, 12:30pm
Tania "T" Hammidi (she/they/them) is a Lebanese-American writer, performer, silk-screen artist, and community-based interdisciplinary arts organizer living in Joshua Tree, Ca. whose work integrates queer/trans storytelling, drag cabaret, Mojave Desert farming and agriculture, and social justice. T. recently received a 2023 California Humanities Quick Grant for their current storytelling & community engagement project on Mohave Desert Queer & Trans History, entitled “Hi Desert Queer and Trans Oral History Project.” In 2023, T will be hosting a bi-annual Queer Salon at the Joshua Tree Music Festival. T. holds a Ph.D. in Critical Dance Studies and an M.S. in Community Development, completing projects on LGBTQIA costuming & everyday style as tools for LGBTQIA community formation, expression, and collective sustainability.
THE SHOW
T. will be presenting an excerpt from a theatre piece in progress entitled “Instinct.”
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 3:30pm
Sunday March 30, Theatre 29, 2:00pm
Scott Morrill is a retired lawyer who handled ethics complaints about lawyers for the Oregon State Bar. He lives with his wife Jane and rescued dog Blueberry. They split their time between the dry Mojave Desert and wet Portland, Oregon. Scott enjoys racquetball, hiking, playing bad golf and looking for the humor in things. He taught in China for a year where he failed to learn how to speak Chinese.
THE SHOW/ WORKSHOP
STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
A state bar attorney considers written and telephone complaints about attorneys. The absurdity of the complaints and attorneys' conduct amuses or depresses him/her while she/he desperately hopes for just one legitimate complaint to stay enthusiastic about the work.
The material presented is taken from actual complaints.
Reading is followed by a discussion of of the text as a new work and its course for development.
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 6:00pm
Mr. Harry Taylor hails from the Morongo Basin, grew up in Twentynine Palms, and has been a staple in the music scene in the past and present years as a pianist/accompanist/music arranger and conductor for various venues from the concert hall to theater and church while holding a music performance degree. Directed the Color Country Winds for Seasonal Community Programs with choir and orchestra. Currently serves at Little Church of the Desert as their musician and directs the local Handbell Choir. Interests: shutterbug, culinary enthusiast, outdoorsman, & cynophile. Own an impressive collection of vests, well let's be fair...an awful lot.
THE MUSIC
Just Some Songs with Miri Hunter
Sunday March 30, Theatre 29, 5:30 pm
Lady Chilane hails from Tennessee and has become a high desert legend in drag entertainment. She began as an Elvis impersonator, but her journey soon led her to the glamorous world of drag. Known for her radiant style and magnetic stage presence, Lady Chilane hosts popular events like Drag Bingo, delighting audiences with a mix of humor and charm. Currently starring in Willa Justice: Drag Queen Private Eye, she brings her wit and energy to the title role. Lady Chilane’s dedication to her craft and vibrant personality have made her a beloved figure in the community.
THE MUSIC
Friday March 28, The Glass Outhouse Gallery, 6:15pm
Saturday March 29, Freedom Plaza, 11:00am
Marya Summers has been a freelance writer, a columnist for the alternative press, an itinerant scholar/educator, a singer-songwriter, and a winner (and loser) of poetry slam competitions across the country.
In 2017, environmental illness and disability emptied her life of just about everything, including her ability to read and write. To accommodate her disability and provide shelter, she moved into a van-sized travel trailer with her wonder cat Perceval and set out in search of a place where she could rebuild her health and life. She has lived with inadequate shelter for nearly 6 years as she’s struggled with illness, disability and the elements and yet she has found a deep connection with the spiritual and natural world.
She will be performing poetry from her manuscript in process, Blessed Stones & Holy Window. These poems are focused on her experiences with illness, disability, and resulting homelessness and will speak to the hardships as well as the deep growth of being isolated and self reliant. These are poems of survival, resilience, acceptance, defiance, and transcendence. Find her at WhollyCreative.com.
THE SPOKEN WORD
Friday March 28, The Glass Outhouse Gallery, 7:15pm
Saturday March 29, Freedom Plaza, 11:40am
Lisa Mednick Powell, MA, Dramaturge and Music Director, is a musician, songwriter and poet residing Twentynine Palms, California. She is part of the band "Arroyo Rogers," which plays country hits from the 60s and 70s, as well as original material. As a keyboard player she has worked on stages and in studios from New York to New Orleans, from Austin to Auckland. In addition to her musical career, Mednick Powell is a published writer with works appearing in the Hi-Desert publication Cholla Needles as well as the New Orleans Review.
THE MUSIC
Friday March 28, The Glass Outhouse Gallery, 9:00pm
THE WORKSHOP - POETRY
Walking Poetry Workshop: Writing the Walk
Sunday March 30, Oasis of Mara, 74885 National Park Trail , The Old JTNP Visitors’ Center, 10:45am
Group will meet at the former JTNP Visitor Center on Utah and walk from there. Bring your own tablet, IPAD or notebook and writing device
Sunday March 30, 12:00pm
Group will then move to 29 Palms Beer Garden for a No Host brunch and open reading.
Sharianne Greer and Joe Rego perform in Paperwork an original one act play. Actress, playwright and director Sharianne Greer will be for the first time performing her own first play, “Paperwork” from 1987. A metaphysical comedy about a dying woman blown off course in the cosmos being processed into the afterlife by a well meaning but not entirely dependable clerk. Greer and Rego have both been recently seen in Theatre 29 productions of Sleepy Hollow and A Streetcar Named Desire.
THE SHOW
Paperwork
Jane has been wandering along a hospital line on the floor for a very long time. She finally meets Medley who says due to a supernova exploding in another part of the galaxy the usual afterlife process is offline and he’s there to do her paperwork manually to get her to her next destination. Jane has to a bureaucratic process to navigate before she can give her final answer.
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 4:15pm
Sunday March 30, Theatre 29, 4:15pm
La
Lauren Wolpert creator of "Barking Up The Wrong Geek" and creator of Bad Ass Angel Oracle Decks, "Life is a Pre-existing condition and God is Killing Us All" and "I Thought I Was A People Person,,,then I met people". Presently, and pleasantly planted in Wonder Valley, this will be their second appearance with Desert Fringe, The first one being, "What Came First,"
THE SHOW
I Thought I Was A People Person..then I met people…. is a
Solo, autobiographical show, using historical pieces, as Lenny Bruce's monologue read for supreme court and traditional songs, as Battle Hymn of the Republic. As well as original lyrics from the musical comedy about cannibalism "Quiche Lorraine" written by Lauren Wolpert and Tom McCormack in the 80's.. Traditional as in , boy meets girl, boy loses girl boy eats girl. The 80's as in, if you can't eat the one you love, love the one you eat.
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 2:15pm
Sunday March 30, Theatre 29, 6:15pm
Jenn Henry/Mojave Dance is a choreographer, dancer, educator, and lawyer based in Morongo Valley, CA. She is the founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Dance Mojave Performance Collective and also teaches dance at Mojave Arts Academy of Dance and Copper Mountain College. She is delighted to share “The Moon” with you, which is an excerpt from the May 9-10, 2025 full-length production of The Planetsto be performed at the Sky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature Center.
THE DANCE
“The Moon,” a humorous ballet piece set to Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy critiquing the colonial exploits of Earth countries on our nearest celestial body.
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 5:30pm
Rotating Players Improv believes improv is for everyone! Since 2022, this dynamic troupe has brought unscripted entertainment to venues across the Hi-Desert. They also host monthly workshops at The Palms in Wonder Valley, welcoming all skill levels. Join host Liyan McNeltier and instructors Jesse Worstell, Graham Cooley, and Jericho McNeltier every third Saturday at 1:00 PM for a fun, hands-on improv experience!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @RotatingPlayersImprov for info on shows and workshops
THE WORKSHOP - IMPROV
Saturday March 29, Freedom Plaza, 12:30pm
Tania "T" Hammidi (she/they/them) is a Lebanese-American writer, performer, silk-screen artist, and community-based interdisciplinary arts organizer living in Joshua Tree, Ca. whose work integrates queer/trans storytelling, drag cabaret, Mojave Desert farming and agriculture, and social justice. T. recently received a 2023 California Humanities Quick Grant for their current storytelling & community engagement project on Mohave Desert Queer & Trans History, entitled “Hi Desert Queer and Trans Oral History Project.” In 2023, T will be hosting a bi-annual Queer Salon at the Joshua Tree Music Festival. T. holds a Ph.D. in Critical Dance Studies and an M.S. in Community Development, completing projects on LGBTQIA costuming & everyday style as tools for LGBTQIA community formation, expression, and collective sustainability.
THE SHOW
T. will be presenting an excerpt from a theatre piece in progress entitled “Instinct.”
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 3:30pm
Sunday March 30, Theatre 29, 2:00pm
Scott Morrill is a retired lawyer who handled ethics complaints about lawyers for the Oregon State Bar. He lives with his wife Jane and rescued dog Blueberry. They split their time between the dry Mojave Desert and wet Portland, Oregon. Scott enjoys racquetball, hiking, playing bad golf and looking for the humor in things. He taught in China for a year where he failed to learn how to speak Chinese.
THE SHOW/ WORKSHOP
STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
A state bar attorney considers written and telephone complaints about attorneys. The absurdity of the complaints and attorneys' conduct amuses or depresses him/her while she/he desperately hopes for just one legitimate complaint to stay enthusiastic about the work.
The material presented is taken from actual complaints.
Reading is followed by a discussion of of the text as a new work and its course for development.
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 6:00pm
Mr. Harry Taylor hails from the Morongo Basin, grew up in Twentynine Palms, and has been a staple in the music scene in the past and present years as a pianist/accompanist/music arranger and conductor for various venues from the concert hall to theater and church while holding a music performance degree. Directed the Color Country Winds for Seasonal Community Programs with choir and orchestra. Currently serves at Little Church of the Desert as their musician and directs the local Handbell Choir. Interests: shutterbug, culinary enthusiast, outdoorsman, & cynophile. Own an impressive collection of vests, well let's be fair...an awful lot.
THE MUSIC
Just Some Songs with Miri Hunter
Sunday March 30, Theatre 29, 5:30 pm
SPECIAL EVENTS
Madeline Sayet is a theatre-maker whose work is shaped by the idea of Story Medicine: the belief that every story we put into this world has the power to do real world harm or healing.
An award winning director, playwright, and performer, Sayet's accolades as a theatre-maker include being named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, a TED Fellow, a MIT Media Lab Directors Fellow, NCAIED Native American 40 Under 40, a recipient of The White House Champion of Change Award from President Obama, the National Directors Fellowship and a National Arts Strategies' Creative Community Fellow.
Madeline is a Clinical Associate Professor in the English Department at Arizona State University (with the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies) and Executive Director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP). She is currently a Resident Artist at Center Theatre Group in LA and a member of Long Wharf Theatre’s Artistic Ensemble.
THE DISCUSSION
Producing Native American Theatre and its relation or
non-relation to a traditional Western Theatre.
Sunday March 30, Theatre 29, 2:45pm
———————————--
The Fringe Festival Band
featuring drummer Arturo Rooster Perez of Redbone.
The Music
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 7:30pm
Madeline Sayet is a theatre-maker whose work is shaped by the idea of Story Medicine: the belief that every story we put into this world has the power to do real world harm or healing.
An award winning director, playwright, and performer, Sayet's accolades as a theatre-maker include being named a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, a TED Fellow, a MIT Media Lab Directors Fellow, NCAIED Native American 40 Under 40, a recipient of The White House Champion of Change Award from President Obama, the National Directors Fellowship and a National Arts Strategies' Creative Community Fellow.
Madeline is a Clinical Associate Professor in the English Department at Arizona State University (with the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies) and Executive Director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP). She is currently a Resident Artist at Center Theatre Group in LA and a member of Long Wharf Theatre’s Artistic Ensemble.
THE DISCUSSION
Producing Native American Theatre and its relation or
non-relation to a traditional Western Theatre.
Sunday March 30, Theatre 29, 2:45pm
———————————--
The Fringe Festival Band
featuring drummer Arturo Rooster Perez of Redbone.
The Music
Saturday March 29, Theatre 29, 7:30pm