How do they accomplish this? They put on a humorous play about cancer called, Tumor Humor: He's Malignant, She's Benign...a two actor – 21 character comedic drama based on the true stories of Jim's tumor, and his partner Valerie's diagnosis of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. I loved the idea...after all if laughter is the best medicine...then why not find a way to get the message across about cancer, raise some money and show people how to relieve some stress by finding laughter at their hardships...you truly can find humor in anything. My dad and I treated his cancer that way, going so far as to buy a chia pet when he had chemo to see who's hair would grow back faster (my dad's idea by the way while he was in 4th stage cancer.) So, I totally understood where they were coming from.

Jim and Kelly (who's also a stand up comic btw) asked me to become a board member. I accepted.

Fast-forward a year.

The project is moving along nicely and I get an email blast that tells me that Tumor Humor has been accepted into the most prestigious festival for plays in North America, the Fringe Festival.

Two days later I get a press release via email from Shane from Springer Associates PR firm inviting me to cover the press conference of the festival for Fran's World on rockmetv.com.

It read:

"Nicola Barber, Will Brumley, Brooke Fox & Kurt Gellersted are proud to present the world premiere of Williamsburg! The Musical as part of the 11th annual New York International Fringe Festival – FringeNYC. Written by Nicola Barber, Will Brumley (The Outsiders), Brooke Fox and Kurt Gellersted, Williamsburg!

Williamsburg! The Musical is a hilarious pop/rock parody of Brooklyn's over-hyped hipster ‘hood. A suicidal trust-funder encounters a disenchanted Chasidic Jew in the shadow of the Williamsburg Bridge. On their potholed road to love, they battle a greedy real estate agent whose diabolical plan to overtake the neighborhood spawns an army of zombie-like hipsters. Will the unlikely heroes of Williamsburg band together to save the sub-borough? Or will gentrification reign?

The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) runs August 10 - 26, 2007. This year, the festival will present over 1200 performances by 190 of the world's best emerging theatre companies in 20 theaters in Lower Manhattan. The Festival will present work representing 9 countries (including Sweden, Japan, Australia, France, Ireland, England and Romania) and 17 US states (including Iowa, Utah, Minnesota, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, Florida and Illinois). FringeNYC will offer performances covering a wide range of disciplines, including theater, performance art, dance, children's theater, spoken word, puppetry, and multimedia. The festival has served as the launching pad for numerous shows including Tony winner Urinetown, Matt & Ben, Dog Sees God, and Debbie Does Dallas. For more information call 212-279-4488 or visit www.fringenyc.org."

In one email I knew what the festival was about. I called up my trusty cameraman, Brian Weeks from rockmetv.com and set up the shoot date.

To me this was perfect. I'd get to see snippets of the new up and coming plays, get to finally see Tumor Humor, and help promote the dreams of playwrights and talk to some of the stars.

I was curious to see how this festival became so successful. So I did some research. I found out the festival began in 1997, and was run entirely by volunteers. Like most new things in their infancy, people doubted that the FringeNYC would become anything special...but they were wrong. The Fringe is now to Broadway shows what Sundance is to films...the birthplace of extended runs, Tony winning musicals, fresh screenplays and published novels...the interesting thing about the Fringe is it's built on a shared revenue model so that all the productions can get a little something out of it.

To promote the event, they have sponsors, and they put out a map showing all the theaters and a 64 page booklet telling you how to buy tickets, the history of the festival, and then it lists (kind of like a TV guide) all the FringeNYC shows, complete with running time, venue name, show icon and synopsis of the show and special events.

With all this I realized having your play in the Fringe is very prestigious.

On the day of the festival I grabbed my trusty cameraman, Brian Weeks from rockmetv.com and we went down to talk to the creative talents.

First up were my good buddies from Tumor Humor
I had them do a bit of a song from the play, joked around with them and had them announce the show times when they could be seen. Later in the week when I saw the play I was pleasantly surprised how they were able to incorporate facts about cancer, show the stages that people go through and yet add humor to the whole thing.

Next up was the cast from Williamsburg...now here's a funny coincidence...one of the stars in Williamsburg is actually also a host or rockmetv.com, Cyana Cook. I did an interview with her and the other stars and they told me about some of the wacky songs that were in the play...like the one, "Craigslist Hookup," which tells what it's like to meet someone from Craig's list...or the song, "Peter Luger Lullaby" and "Million Dollar Crackhouse," which of course the titles are self explanatory.
(www. williamsburgthemusical.com)

With my mission accomplished I was going to leave but then I ran into an old comedy friend, Penny Landau from Maya Public Relations. Turns out she is also the PR person for Tumor Humor...small world....she used to book me at the famed Duplex Comedy Club in Manhattan years ago. Penny told me that she was also doing PR for a musical called, Bukowsical.

Soooo...since I was there and the cameras were rolling, I talked to the actors and playwright...it was an interesting interview.
As they were telling me the synopsis of the play they started getting all riled up...You see the play is about a passionate and edgy LA musical theatre company who has a brilliant idea...they want to do a musical about the life of poet and drunken madman Charles Bukowki.

As they started to tell me that the play contained booze, sex and really dirty songs...they started acting out their parts and were rubbing up against me...trying to distract me as a host. Now I know what it would feel like to do an interview with an octopus!

Actually it was pretty funny...and hell, the attention wasn't bad either. As they said, "This was not your grandmother's musical!"

Turns out during the festival...they would up having two more performances added on, and sold out most shows. www.bukowsical.com

As I was headed out once again...I was approached by a Japanese women dressed as a monkey holding a puppet. This was something I couldn't pass up. I asked her what her play was all about.

She responded wiggling her ears, "Monkey Moo is a sentimental comedy set in 1920's Shanghai. It is told by one actor and two puppeteers using Kuruma- Ningyo."

"Okay, not to be rude but what the heck is that? I asked.
She smiled, "It's a traditional form of Japanese puppetry developed in the late 1800's and uses a rope and umbrella to add to the story. It is in the realm of Vaudeville entertainment."

"A rope and umbrella...okay...well you learn something new everyday!" As the interview ended we both in harmony sang..."Monkey MOOOOOO, Monkey Mooooo, Monkey..Moo, Moo...Moo". We did this while other news outlets were interviewing other playwrights. Apparently our singing was either so bad or our energy so high that the singing started to attract attention.

So the next thing I know I am interviewing one of my mom's soap opera stars, Grant Aleksander. I didn't know his real name...but I sure remembered that he played Philip Spaulding on Guiding Light. Turns out he was also in All My Children and of late, as a freelance director on As the World Turns. He was at the Fringe because he is in a play called, Night, written by Philip Gerson (the guy who wrote for hit TV series Murder She Wrote and was co-executive producer on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman)

I grabbed Grant, his fellow actor, and the playwright and asked them what the play was about....they all tag teamed the plot line..."Over one night in NYC, three couples cross paths in surprising, mysterious and profoundly funny ways. The audience gets to follow their journey as they interweave with one another...with the help of a friendly ghost....by dawn each has begun to unlock the fear that has kept them from fully living....6 lovers, 6 secrets, 1 ghost, just another night in New York City."
"Yup" I know the feeling. Sometimes I feel as if I feel as if I'm followed by a ghost... could be the ghost in the haunted Castle that started this whole chain of events for the Fringe festival, over a year ago! Either way the play sounds great, and I'll go see Night during the day."
(www.night-the-play.com)

Later that week I did go down to see the play with my good friend, John Basedow...of course I made it a Kodak moment and snapped a picture between two handsome blondes. (Damn I'm short!)

At the end of the festival I was approached by many of the actors and people involved...they all seemed to have the same question.

"I remember you interviewing me...Where do you get your energy?"
I just smiled, "The same place you guys get your ideas...from within. "

The bottom line is if you love what you do it shows, and I have to say...there was a lot of love going on at the festival.

Good luck to all the participants...may you get picked up by "angels investors"...I look forward to seeing you on Broadway.