My overall impression
I came to the Fringe to be entertained, I had no idea I’d walk away inspired too. I consider myself a “Fringer” – I pick a bunch of shows that sound good, figure out a very tight schedule, and theater hop all day long for a couple of weekends. This past Saturday I started at 10:30 and by 4:30 I was done, but since I had good parking and saw a couple productions in the program that sounded interesting and were nearby, I walked down to The Collective Theater, to see if they had any more tickets.
But since the shows I wanted to see were a few hours apart I asked what I might do in between and they said I could see Jerome Smith’s production called “Tree Talk.” I read the little card description and hemmed and hawed, even telling the guy at the desk that I didn’t think this would be “my thing” . . . but hey, I’m here to Fringe, why not? I said, “Go ahead and sell me a ticket to that one too – maybe it will change my life.” And boy did it.
Little did I know that the following day I’d be sharing Mr. Smith’s story with several people at my church and telling them they should go see him too. And each one thanked me for sharing his inspirational story (and I only shared the hi-lites), a couple even asked me to write down his name and said they were going to look him up to see if he’s performing again so they could see him. Then this morning I was even telling my boss about his story and found another interested listener. . . It’s the little gems like this that make the Fringe so much fun.
This is not a polished performance, I’m guessing that he’s not a professional actor or writer – though he did a good job and kept the audience’s attention to the end. But what he is, is a passionate man with an interesting story and the willingness and generosity to share it. What it showed me, as most things in life do, is never judge a book by its cover. Mr. Smith’s performance was my “filler” for the day and yet in the past two days his is the only one that I’ve told everybody about and I’m still thinking about it.
Thank you Jerome Smith for your contribution to my Fringe experience. You definitely entertained me and truly inspired me – and yes, as I left the theater I did reach out and touch that little tree growing on the sidewalk and said thank you. I say thank you to you as well. Bravo!
