DANCING IN THE MIST

Xan Scott is an artist in residence at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in West Seattle. She has an MFA in Lecoq Based Actor Created Theatre from the London International School of Performing Arts. In 2012 she directed and was the head divisor of the stage production "School of Fish" at the Seattle Fringe Festival. Xan has worked with seniors as an in-home caregiver for more than ten years and is excited to merge her two careers in this production.

Kurt Fitzpatrick has toured the Fringe Theatre Festival circuit for over ten years in the U.S. and Canada. His touring shows include the Oscar movie parody "Best Picture," which was awarded Patrons' Pick at festivals in Winnipeg and Orlando. Kurt has performed as an improvisor and sketch comedian for several years in Manhattan and toured with the National Theatre for Children. He is a graduate of Temple University and trained with Second City.

★★★★ A son caring for his mother who has dementia. This, at first glance, doesn’t seem like the most exciting premise for a Fringe performance. But the forgetfulness and confusion of dementia give the son character Mike an opportunity to impersonate his own father in front of his mother when she gets it in her head that she is about to be married. And we get to follow along on Mike’s Kübler-Rossesque journey from anger - relating to the sacrifices he had to make as an adult caregiver - to acceptance. The performances are excellent. And the difficult subject is leavened with humor, singing, and dancing. -Dan Grossman, Nuvo, Indianapolis.

Fantasy, mystery, and film noir all play into Gillie's final days in "Dancing in the Mist." Fresno playwright Marcel Nunis took a break from writing plays for a while after being the caretaker for his mother, but returned to form in 2015 with this play based on his experiences. He cast festival veteran Kurt Fitzpatrick in the role of the son, and Kurt's girlfriend performer Xan Scott (they had met two years earlier in Fresno) in the demanding role of the mother. Xan has worked as a caretaker for elderly patients in the past. The play begins with Xan physically transforming before the audience into the mother, and the story unfolds from there.

The 55 minute play has sold out performances and received rave reviews. Amelia Barnes from IndyFringe Talks wrote, "A must see for anyone who has been or will be a caretaker for an elderly parent or relative ... Great script. Well executed. A serious topic done well with a great balance of the realities of Alzheimer's and humor and playfulness to keep the audience entranced."

Check out a trailer of the show and an interview that was done in Fresno.