Award-winning Fringe favorite Erika Kate MacDonald brings her long-awaited new solo show, The Barn Identity, to the stage for seven performances at this year’s Cincinnati Fringe Festival.
MacDonald excited Cincinnati audiences and critics with her Cincinnati Fringe solo debut in 2016.
Ice Candle, the story of her teenage evacuation from Indonesia due to massive political upheaval, won the Critics’ Pick-of-the-Fringe Award that year and was named to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Top Shows of the Year. Since then, she has directed five sold out solo shows and co-starred in three two-handers together with her partner Paul Strickland.
The Barn Identity will be a return to MacDonald’s roots in solo performance, but this time with the added support of Strickland on guitar.
The show
MacDonald wants to talk about falling-down-barns. MacDonald is aware that the subject matter doesn’t sound as thrilling as her evacuation from Indonesia when she was a teenager, the subject of her previous hit solo show.
“Sometimes we make shows about things we think audiences will be interested in. But sometimes, as artists, we make shows that are more of a risk,” MacDonald said. “I didn’t know why I was so drawn to these barns, but I knew that I was. So I decided to lean in, take that risk, and start writing. What I came up with is indeed all about barns, but it is also probably both the most entertaining and the most revealing show I have ever made.”
Production History
Due to COVID-19, the Barn Identity’s scheduled premiere at the 2020 Cincy Fringe Festival was canceled. In January of 2022, three days before they were scheduled to drive to the Orlando Fringe Winter Mini Fest, that festival was canceled due to the Omicron variant.
“Two strikes don’t mean you’re out yet… I think this festival’s gonna be a hit,” Strickland said.
The Creative Team
Writer, performer, designer: Erika Kate MacDonald
Director, composer, accompanist: Paul Strickland
MacDonald and Strickland are local creators who moved to the Greater-Cincinnati area because of the city’s expansive creative opportunities, specifically the Cincinnati Fringe Festival where they’ve created hit new shows together for the past nine years.
Tickets and Information
Tickets are on sale now. Tickets and passes can be purchased online at cincyfringe.com or by calling the Know Theatre Box Office at 513-300-5669.
Ticket Link: https://cincyfringe.com/the-barn-identity/
Venue: Art Academy Room 402, 1212 Jackson St. Cincinnati OH 45202
Show Dates and Times (60 minutes): Saturday June 4 at 2 p.m.; Sunday June 5 at 7:15 p.m.; Thursday June 9 at 9 p.m.; Friday June 10 at 9 p.m.; Saturday June 11 at 7:15 p.m.; Sunday June 12 at 3:45 p.m.; Friday June 17 at 9 p.m.
Pricing: $16 plus $1 ticketing fee. Multi-show passes are available.
Rating: Parental Guidance (13+)
