'KINSHERF'S COAT' TO OPEN JUNE 9 DESPITE HAVING NO CAST

Kinsherf's Coat

LOS ANGELES—What if you went to a play, and there was no play? You’re in a theater space, you see a full set in front of you, and even have a playbill in hand listing cast photos and bios. But a performance never actually takes place.

Well, now you can. It’s called Kinsherf’s Coat, billed as a “pre-show” experience at the Hollywood Fringe June 9, 15 and 24th. The project will be staged, if that’s the word, at the Sacred Fools Studio Space at 1076 Lillian Way in West Hollywood.

“It’s the only show that can guarantee things won’t get worse once the lights go down,” assures producer Brian Wallace. “There’s a certain pleasure in sitting in the house before a play. Leafing through the program, talking to a companion, scanning the crowd for familiar faces.”

And there is something to look at, as well. A full set design has been rendered and assembled by Brittany Blouch and Diane Dwyer, and will be on display throughout the 45-minute experience.

The idea for Kinsherf’s Coat was conceived backstage while Wallace and a friend, actor John Kinsherf, were performing in another play some years ago in New York. “We liked to imagine things that people should do on stage, but never would. One of these was just to do a pre-show that had all the elements of a theatrical performance except for the performance itself.”

They chose to call the concept Kinsherf’s Coat because it sounded like a play that could be about anything. “It also helped that John was wearing a coat at the time,” Wallace adds. “That was probably about 90% of it.”

The Fringe being a natural home for misfit ideas, Wallace decided to harness the anarchy and put it up. He has even produced a number of short comic films to promote the event. So all this demands the question—is this just a lark? A big joke? Or is there some artistic purpose behind it?

“This is a legitimate artistic experiment,” Wallace says. “Audiences are encouraged to observe, absorb, or otherwise contemplate within the theatrical space. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun with it. I’ve sometimes seen audiences have a lot more fun before the show than during it.”

Tickets are $10, but are available for free depending on which of the unusual discount codes you use. More information about these and other aspects of Kinsherf’s Coat are at www.kinsherfscoat.weebly.com.