Dmae Roberts  talks with Portland comedian, musician and Fertile Ground/Second City alum auGi and award-winning PBS writer Slash Coleman about Big Plastic Heroes– Warning: Trying to be Your Idol is Dangerous.

Hear some great stories from their monologues and auGi promises to sing live! The production is being presented as part of the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works 2012.

Dmae with auGi

Set against the backdrop of two small towns in the 1980s, the show, which starts January 21st with six shows and runs through February 4, features two autobiographical solo-performances that highlight what bad things can happen when oddball teen boys try to be their action-hero idols.

Growing up in a tiny Michigan town surrounded by endless cornfields isn’t exactly the life of an action hero. auGi reveals how he and a group of oddball friends formed a fantasy commando squad with very real consequences. This funny, humbling, true-life story proves that being yourself is all the adventure you need.

Slash Coleman

Bicentennial fever finds Slash Coleman, creator of the PBS special, revealing the story of his eccentric family, his obsession with Evel Knievel, and a crush on his third-grade teacher that lands him in the hospital.

Each night also includes appearances by two Portland storytellers who will tell their own 10-minute “misplaced hero” story. Local stortytellers include: Stacey Hallal, Meg Worden, Ry Stroud, Andrew Bynum, Jimmy Radosta, Karol Collymore, Cory Huff, Meagan Kate, Penny Walter and Molly Norton.

Performance dates: Jan 21, 26, 27, 28; February 3, 4 at 7:30 pm
Venue: The Sanctuary at Sandy Plaza which is located at 1785 NE Sandy Blvd Portland, OR 97232
Tickets: $15 – $17.50; www.BigPlasticHeroes.com or call (804) 353-3799.
Limited reserved seating available. Advance tickets are recommended.

Read a fun blog post about his experiences being interviewed on Stage & Studio!

auGi – Performer/Playwright/Producer
Called “…a brilliant funnyman” by the Producer of The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn and Entertainment Tonight, auGi created, wrote, produced, and performed in hundreds of shows at both The Second City and the world famous Improv in Hollywood, was a regular feature on “The Best of the Worst” on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, and appeared on Comedy Central and E! auGi co-wrote and starred in his autobiographical solo show, SexyNurd: Rockstar Trapped in a Nurd’s Body, which played to sold-out audiences during both the 2010 Fertile Ground and Singlehandedly festivals, was a Willamette Week pick.

Slash – Performer/Playwright
WGBH Boston says, “Slash has the power to change the way people think.” Best known for his PBS special and Off-Broadway one man show, The Neon Man and Me, Slash’s most recent performances include shows at The International Storytelling Center, The National Storytelling Festival, and Pete Seeger’s Clearwater Festival. He’s also a blogger for Psychology Today and a regular contributor to Storytelling Magazine.

Coleman lived in southeast Portland from 1997 – 2001, and worked as a visual artist, an educator and a performing artist. His production company About Vision Entertainment, created with Stash Tea CEO Tom Lisicki, which produced over a dozen multidisciplinary products with ties to the city, was based in Portland until 2004. Slash currently lives in New York City where he continues to write and develop material for the stage, film and TV.

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