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Stroke of Genius: Pantomime Masturbation Throughout Performing Arts History

Cheeky Sex-Themed “Lecture” Blends Academic Pretentiousness with Absurd Clowning

Innovative, award-winning team to premiere the satire Stroke of Genius: Pantomime Masturbation
Throughout Performing Arts History at mid-May arts festival

Boiled Horse Productions, a new live comedy team comprised of experienced bay area professionals, will present its premiere show this May at the Tampa International Fringe Festival in Ybor City. Stroke of Genius: Pantomime Masturbation Throughout Performing Arts History is a one-act comedy show in the spirit of a TED Talk or academic lecture...with a twist. The stage show– fully scripted with some elements of improvisation– consists of a multi-media video and slide presentation given by a (fictional) career academic who has a bizarre field of specialized research.

The plot’s description reads:
Dr. Walter Winkworth-Pérez has devoted the past decade of his academic career to the study and preservation of a highly specialized art form. His research has made him the world's foremost expert on pantomime masturbation conventions dating back to ancient Greece. Attendees of this prestigious multi-media lecture series will become familiar with techniques and regional styles of comedic simulated self-pleasure in their correct historical contexts. Those who were unable to obtain seats in last semester's workshop, "All In the Wrist: Vaudeville Jack Practicum," will enjoy this exclusive expanded material. This week's syllabus has an additional focus on the mysterious genius who immortalized timeless theatrical skills on the 1920s silver screen. Dr. Winkworth-Pérez will present an in-depth study of the man who became the sultan of sexual subterfuge, the master of the affected "wink-and-whack": the legendary Spankin' Shyster himself.

Although educational in nature, this special enrichment presentation does contain explicit and potentially offensive material and is consequently not suitable for students under age 18.

Clocking in at 45 minutes, the show is presented as part of the seventh annual Tampa International Fringe Festival.

Fringe Festivals began over seventy-five years ago as a platform for artists whose materials do not fit into mainstream theatrical categories. The format allows audience members to conveniently choose between several inexpensive short shows in a single afternoon or evening.

Boiled Horse Productions includes writers, performers, designers, and other artists who have collaborated on earlier theatrical successes. This show is created in partnership with Vulva Va-Voom & Co., a scripted vaudeville/cabaret team (founded 2006) with three Edge Award wins– a Fringe Festival honor that recognizes creativity and originality. The head writers/actors on this new project were recently honored by having their collaboration, Vulva Va-Voom: Hollywood Psychic of the Golden Age, selected by jury to appear at the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Winter Mini-Fest. Orlando Fringe is the country’s longest-running Fringe festival, and arguably the biggest.

“Stroke of Genius is exactly the story we’ve been wanting to tell,” said Shane Mayforth, Founder at Boiled Horse. “Is it a story that needed to be told? That’s going to depend on how easily offended you are. To me, it’s about three things: one, the futility of looking for hidden subtext where none was intended. Two, the absurdity of people who fixate on inherently stupid subject matter. And, most importantly: three, the opportunity to make d**k jokes. So many d**k jokes.” The performances will feature professionally shot “silent film” segments, a careful balance of intellectual and juvenile humor, some historically accurate facts, and– as previously stated– many, many d**k jokes.

Performance Dates:
May 12, 2023 at 10:30 pm
May 13, 2023 at 6:15 pm
May 14, 2023 at 1:45 pm

Tickets: $10.00 (plus festival fees)

Ticketing and Fringe information: https://www.tampafringe.org

Location: HCC Ybor Performing Arts Building, 1411 E. 11th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605 (Ybor City)

Facebook Event Page: https://fb.me/e/In70cL7V

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