The Best Man Show Fringe Tour!
Los Angeles, California | Theatre
Comedy
The Best Man Show is an interactive and darkly hilarious wedding reception where Mark Vigeant plays the Groom’s brother Paul, who has been asked to give the toast at a polyamorous commitment ceremony. It's a deep-dive into one person's loneliness that helps us examine the nature of modern love.
The Best Man Show Fringe Tour!
Los Angeles, California | Theatre
Comedy
2 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $15,005 for festivals. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
53 supporters | followers
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The Best Man Show is an interactive and darkly hilarious wedding reception where Mark Vigeant plays the Groom’s brother Paul, who has been asked to give the toast at a polyamorous commitment ceremony. It's a deep-dive into one person's loneliness that helps us examine the nature of modern love.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Poster design by Dave Vieira
Hey there, thanks so much for stopping by!
You can help make my Fringe tour be as successful as possible by contributing to this campaign. At least 80% of my goal has to be reached in order for me to keep the funds. Every dollar raised will go towards the show, as listed in the “Wishlist” tab. ❤️
The wedding reception is about to get started, and the groom’s brother Paul is about to give the best worst Best Man speech you’ve ever seen!
The Best Man Show is an interactive and darkly hilarious wedding reception where Mark Vigeant plays the Groom’s brother Paul, who has been asked to give the toast at an untraditional polyamorous commitment ceremony.
It starts out fun and silly, with your typical masculine roasting and ribbing – and slowly devolves into a drunken existential crisis where Paul tries desperately to understand what it means to love, but can’t get over his own toxic masculinity to recognize how lonely he is.
Throughout the show, Mark recruits audience members to play the various guests at the wedding reception: the groom Charles, and his two brides Carrie and Paige; his daughter Ella who comes onstage to sing a song; his Dad who is deeply disappointed in him, his mother who can’t stop crying; his wife Kristen with whom he bickers; and of course a photographer to document everything and post it to Instagram. Oh, plus Paul’s favorite of Charles' friends, Andrew, who can do no wrong.
It culminates in a melancholic and beautiful dance performance which leaves the audience impressed and unsettled.
Photo taken by Justin Burns
“a calculated, perfectly timed slide into insanity that convinces you this could really happen to anybody under the wrong pressures.”
“it’s the most enjoyable cringe I’ve ever experienced, and I loved every second of it.”
– Tara McEntee, theatreview.org.nz
“...incredibly beautifully done”
– Duncan Saries, Culture 101 Podcast
“The highlight of the show… is the Best Man solo dance… It is right up there with Ricky Gervaise’s jaw-dropping animalistic dance in The Office.”
– Dave Smith, theatreview.org.nz
Mark Vigeant is an energetic, physical, silly comedian based in Los Angeles.
Photo taken by Justin Burns
His deeply personal solo show, Mark Pleases You, had a critically-acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2023 after winning “Best of the Fest” at the San Diego International Fringe Festival, as well as the “Hollywood Producer’s Encore Award” at the Hollywood Fringe Festival that same year. The show was given a platinum medal by TheTVolution.com and 5 stars by Everything-Theatre.co.uk.
Poster designed by Dave Vieira. Photo by Lee Jameson
His first solo show, Let’s Make a Website, had a sold-out run at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater (UCB) in New York before touring the country from the Kennedy Center to Comedy Central’s Clusterfest. His lo-fi, fast-paced sketch group OSFUG had a sold-out monthly show at UCB for 5 years. Other shows at UCB include An Evening with the Trumpet Boys, Dorothy Goes to Hollywood, Ocean’s Lake and Maude Night.
This project wouldn't exist without the incredible direction of Joanna Simmons.
Joanna Simmons is a writer/director living in New York City. She has directed over 20 solo shows, countless comedy shows, and taught classes on solo show creation and creative writing. A self-proclaimed, "Story Midwife", she'd love to help you get your next show out of your head!
Her work has been performed at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater, the Magnet, Wild Project, Under St Marks, the Tank, Austin Comedy Festival, the San Diego Fringe, the Hollywood Fringe, the Harrisburg Fringe, the Miami Fringe, and the Edinburgh Fringe.
I obviously took this one
Polyamory – it feels like everyone's talking about it, everyone's doing it, everyone's Mom* is saying "What's a poly-cue?"
It's hot and cool right now to reconsider relationship structures. The New York Times is writing articles about 20-person polycules and about being "Solo Poly"; New York Magazine featured a "practical guide to polyamory"; and there's a best-selling book about being a Mom in an open marriage.
Underlying all this is a deep desire to understand what modern love looks like.
At the same time, society is finally emphasizing the importance of wellness and self-care, the bane of which is loneliness and self-loathing. Adults, weary from burn-out culture and the long-lasting psychic impacts of quarantine, are finally beginning to address why they feel bad all the time.
This is a show that directly confronts what it means to love. What it means to love your family, what it means to love your friends, what it means to love your partner(s), and what it means to love yourself.
* my mom. She's saying that.
Creating and producing live theater is my life’s work. It also comes with high financial costs – 100% of which rest completely on my shoulders. So I'm looking for some financial assistance!
Photo taken by Jill Petracek
My campaign goal of $7,500 will help cover the costs of getting my show up in Edinburgh. This budget will secure my ability to get there, and focus on sharing my work without worry. These funds will contribute to:
- Renting my venue, the Zoo Playground in Old Town. $5,221
- Lodging at the least expensive student dorm I could find. $1347.05
- Printing flyers and posters that I will spend hours each day handing to passersby. $395
- Flights to Edinburgh. $537.30
I also need help spreading the word!
Support doesn’t need to be merely financial. You can help spread awareness. Here are some things that would be so so so helpful for me:
- Share the campaign link on social media
- Repost Mark’s work on Instagram
- Tell your rich friend who wants to support live art that I'm their ticket to salvation
My $7,500 goal is the bare minimum to perform in Edinburgh.
Photo taken by Jill Petracek
If we can raise $10,000, that will help fund my full tour:
- Hollywood Fringe venue rental and registration
- San Diego Fringe venue rental and registration
- Harrisburg Fringe venue rental and registration
- Flight to Harrisburg
- Flyers and posters for all three
Photo taken by Jill Petracek
If we can raise $15,000, I can pay myself and Joanna for our work. Joanna and I are working artists, and so often we are asked to perform our jobs for free. We love creating art, but to put the amount of work in that we have, at the level we have, for this long without receiving compensation is unsustainable. Achieving this goal would be a huge milestone for me.
The fundraiser will begin right as I embark on the San Diego Fringe Festival, and will last into the summer as I embark upon my Fringe tour. The moment we reach our target, I'll begin fulfilling all the incentives!
San Diego Fringe | May 16th to 26th
Tickets: sdfringe.org
Venue: The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater
Performances:
- Thursday May 16 at 6pm
- Sunday May 19 at 2:30pm
- Wednesday May 22 at 6pm
- Saturday May 25 at 10:30pm
- Sunday May 26 at 4pm
Hollywood Fringe | June 13th to 30th
Tickets: hollywoodfringe.org
Venue: The Broadwater Studio
Performances:
- Friday June 7 at 7pm
- Sunday June 9 at 5pm
- Thursday June 13 at 8pm
- Tuesday June 18 at 6:30pm
- Saturday June 22 at 1pm
- Sunday June 23 at 9:30pm
- Thursday June 27 at 11pm
- Saturday June 29 at 7pm
- Sunday June 30 at 3:30pm
Harrisburg Fringe | July 18th to 21st
Tickets: TBA!
Venue: TBA!
Performances: TBA!
Edinburgh Fringe | August 2nd to 26th
Tickets: edfringe.com
Venue: ZOO Playground
Performances: August 2nd through 25th, with 13th off. 9:50pm
You've read to the bottom of this. As a reward, here is a painting of a boat.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Edinburgh Theatre Rental
Costs $5,221
I have been accepted into the Zoo programming schedule, and will need to cover the rental of the space for the festival
Edinburgh Lodging
Costs $1,347
I will be staying at a modest dorm room at Queen Margaret University, a quick train ride away from downtown Edinburgh.
Flight
Costs $537
I'm flying out of New York, and got a decent deal on the flight!
Advertising & Promotion
Costs $395
I will be printing flyers to hand out, as well as large posters to hang in the city to spread the word.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Mark Vigeant – Writer, Actor, Producer
Mark Vigeant is an energetic, physical, silly comedian based in Los Angeles.
His deeply personal solo show, Mark Pleases You, had a critically-acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2023 after winning “Best of the Fest” at the San Diego International Fringe Festival, as well as the “Hollywood Producer’s Encore Award” at the Hollywood Fringe Festival that same year. The show was given a platinum medal by TheTVolution.com and 5 stars by Everything-Theatre.co.uk.
His first solo show, Let’s Make a Website, had a sold-out run at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater (UCB) in New York before touring the country from the Kennedy Center to Comedy Central’s Clusterfest. His lo-fi, fast-paced sketch group OSFUG had a sold-out monthly show at UCB for 5 years. Other shows at UCB include An Evening with the Trumpet Boys, Dorothy Goes to Hollywood, Ocean’s Lake and Maude Night.
From 2018 to 2023 he hosted the monthly tech-based variety show Internet Explorers with Sam Reece at Caveat in New York.
Offstage, Mark is a co-host of the children’s sports podcast Game On on Audible, and writes for the daily wisdom and meditation series The Daily Jay on Calm.
He currently studies clowning under John Gilkey and Kevin Kreiger at The Idiot Workshop. Even though he went to school for engineering, he dedicated the majority of his energy to his college improv group, The Whistling Shrimp.
Joanna Simmons – Director
Joanna Simmons is a writer/director living in New York City. She has directed over 20 solo shows, countless comedy shows, and taught classes on solo show creation and creative writing. A self-proclaimed, "Story Midwife", She'd love to help you get your next show out of your head! Find me on Instagram @joannaksimmons
Her work has been performed at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater, the Magnet, Wild Project, Under St Marks, the Tank, Austin Comedy Festival, the San Diego Fringe, the Hollywood Fringe, the Harrisburg Fringe, the Miami Fringe, and the Edinburgh Fringe.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Poster design by Dave Vieira
Hey there, thanks so much for stopping by!
You can help make my Fringe tour be as successful as possible by contributing to this campaign. At least 80% of my goal has to be reached in order for me to keep the funds. Every dollar raised will go towards the show, as listed in the “Wishlist” tab. ❤️
The wedding reception is about to get started, and the groom’s brother Paul is about to give the best worst Best Man speech you’ve ever seen!
The Best Man Show is an interactive and darkly hilarious wedding reception where Mark Vigeant plays the Groom’s brother Paul, who has been asked to give the toast at an untraditional polyamorous commitment ceremony.
It starts out fun and silly, with your typical masculine roasting and ribbing – and slowly devolves into a drunken existential crisis where Paul tries desperately to understand what it means to love, but can’t get over his own toxic masculinity to recognize how lonely he is.
Throughout the show, Mark recruits audience members to play the various guests at the wedding reception: the groom Charles, and his two brides Carrie and Paige; his daughter Ella who comes onstage to sing a song; his Dad who is deeply disappointed in him, his mother who can’t stop crying; his wife Kristen with whom he bickers; and of course a photographer to document everything and post it to Instagram. Oh, plus Paul’s favorite of Charles' friends, Andrew, who can do no wrong.
It culminates in a melancholic and beautiful dance performance which leaves the audience impressed and unsettled.
Photo taken by Justin Burns
“a calculated, perfectly timed slide into insanity that convinces you this could really happen to anybody under the wrong pressures.”
“it’s the most enjoyable cringe I’ve ever experienced, and I loved every second of it.”
– Tara McEntee, theatreview.org.nz
“...incredibly beautifully done”
– Duncan Saries, Culture 101 Podcast
“The highlight of the show… is the Best Man solo dance… It is right up there with Ricky Gervaise’s jaw-dropping animalistic dance in The Office.”
– Dave Smith, theatreview.org.nz
Mark Vigeant is an energetic, physical, silly comedian based in Los Angeles.
Photo taken by Justin Burns
His deeply personal solo show, Mark Pleases You, had a critically-acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2023 after winning “Best of the Fest” at the San Diego International Fringe Festival, as well as the “Hollywood Producer’s Encore Award” at the Hollywood Fringe Festival that same year. The show was given a platinum medal by TheTVolution.com and 5 stars by Everything-Theatre.co.uk.
Poster designed by Dave Vieira. Photo by Lee Jameson
His first solo show, Let’s Make a Website, had a sold-out run at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater (UCB) in New York before touring the country from the Kennedy Center to Comedy Central’s Clusterfest. His lo-fi, fast-paced sketch group OSFUG had a sold-out monthly show at UCB for 5 years. Other shows at UCB include An Evening with the Trumpet Boys, Dorothy Goes to Hollywood, Ocean’s Lake and Maude Night.
This project wouldn't exist without the incredible direction of Joanna Simmons.
Joanna Simmons is a writer/director living in New York City. She has directed over 20 solo shows, countless comedy shows, and taught classes on solo show creation and creative writing. A self-proclaimed, "Story Midwife", she'd love to help you get your next show out of your head!
Her work has been performed at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater, the Magnet, Wild Project, Under St Marks, the Tank, Austin Comedy Festival, the San Diego Fringe, the Hollywood Fringe, the Harrisburg Fringe, the Miami Fringe, and the Edinburgh Fringe.
I obviously took this one
Polyamory – it feels like everyone's talking about it, everyone's doing it, everyone's Mom* is saying "What's a poly-cue?"
It's hot and cool right now to reconsider relationship structures. The New York Times is writing articles about 20-person polycules and about being "Solo Poly"; New York Magazine featured a "practical guide to polyamory"; and there's a best-selling book about being a Mom in an open marriage.
Underlying all this is a deep desire to understand what modern love looks like.
At the same time, society is finally emphasizing the importance of wellness and self-care, the bane of which is loneliness and self-loathing. Adults, weary from burn-out culture and the long-lasting psychic impacts of quarantine, are finally beginning to address why they feel bad all the time.
This is a show that directly confronts what it means to love. What it means to love your family, what it means to love your friends, what it means to love your partner(s), and what it means to love yourself.
* my mom. She's saying that.
Creating and producing live theater is my life’s work. It also comes with high financial costs – 100% of which rest completely on my shoulders. So I'm looking for some financial assistance!
Photo taken by Jill Petracek
My campaign goal of $7,500 will help cover the costs of getting my show up in Edinburgh. This budget will secure my ability to get there, and focus on sharing my work without worry. These funds will contribute to:
- Renting my venue, the Zoo Playground in Old Town. $5,221
- Lodging at the least expensive student dorm I could find. $1347.05
- Printing flyers and posters that I will spend hours each day handing to passersby. $395
- Flights to Edinburgh. $537.30
I also need help spreading the word!
Support doesn’t need to be merely financial. You can help spread awareness. Here are some things that would be so so so helpful for me:
- Share the campaign link on social media
- Repost Mark’s work on Instagram
- Tell your rich friend who wants to support live art that I'm their ticket to salvation
My $7,500 goal is the bare minimum to perform in Edinburgh.
Photo taken by Jill Petracek
If we can raise $10,000, that will help fund my full tour:
- Hollywood Fringe venue rental and registration
- San Diego Fringe venue rental and registration
- Harrisburg Fringe venue rental and registration
- Flight to Harrisburg
- Flyers and posters for all three
Photo taken by Jill Petracek
If we can raise $15,000, I can pay myself and Joanna for our work. Joanna and I are working artists, and so often we are asked to perform our jobs for free. We love creating art, but to put the amount of work in that we have, at the level we have, for this long without receiving compensation is unsustainable. Achieving this goal would be a huge milestone for me.
The fundraiser will begin right as I embark on the San Diego Fringe Festival, and will last into the summer as I embark upon my Fringe tour. The moment we reach our target, I'll begin fulfilling all the incentives!
San Diego Fringe | May 16th to 26th
Tickets: sdfringe.org
Venue: The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater
Performances:
- Thursday May 16 at 6pm
- Sunday May 19 at 2:30pm
- Wednesday May 22 at 6pm
- Saturday May 25 at 10:30pm
- Sunday May 26 at 4pm
Hollywood Fringe | June 13th to 30th
Tickets: hollywoodfringe.org
Venue: The Broadwater Studio
Performances:
- Friday June 7 at 7pm
- Sunday June 9 at 5pm
- Thursday June 13 at 8pm
- Tuesday June 18 at 6:30pm
- Saturday June 22 at 1pm
- Sunday June 23 at 9:30pm
- Thursday June 27 at 11pm
- Saturday June 29 at 7pm
- Sunday June 30 at 3:30pm
Harrisburg Fringe | July 18th to 21st
Tickets: TBA!
Venue: TBA!
Performances: TBA!
Edinburgh Fringe | August 2nd to 26th
Tickets: edfringe.com
Venue: ZOO Playground
Performances: August 2nd through 25th, with 13th off. 9:50pm
You've read to the bottom of this. As a reward, here is a painting of a boat.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Edinburgh Theatre Rental
Costs $5,221
I have been accepted into the Zoo programming schedule, and will need to cover the rental of the space for the festival
Edinburgh Lodging
Costs $1,347
I will be staying at a modest dorm room at Queen Margaret University, a quick train ride away from downtown Edinburgh.
Flight
Costs $537
I'm flying out of New York, and got a decent deal on the flight!
Advertising & Promotion
Costs $395
I will be printing flyers to hand out, as well as large posters to hang in the city to spread the word.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Mark Vigeant – Writer, Actor, Producer
Mark Vigeant is an energetic, physical, silly comedian based in Los Angeles.
His deeply personal solo show, Mark Pleases You, had a critically-acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2023 after winning “Best of the Fest” at the San Diego International Fringe Festival, as well as the “Hollywood Producer’s Encore Award” at the Hollywood Fringe Festival that same year. The show was given a platinum medal by TheTVolution.com and 5 stars by Everything-Theatre.co.uk.
His first solo show, Let’s Make a Website, had a sold-out run at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater (UCB) in New York before touring the country from the Kennedy Center to Comedy Central’s Clusterfest. His lo-fi, fast-paced sketch group OSFUG had a sold-out monthly show at UCB for 5 years. Other shows at UCB include An Evening with the Trumpet Boys, Dorothy Goes to Hollywood, Ocean’s Lake and Maude Night.
From 2018 to 2023 he hosted the monthly tech-based variety show Internet Explorers with Sam Reece at Caveat in New York.
Offstage, Mark is a co-host of the children’s sports podcast Game On on Audible, and writes for the daily wisdom and meditation series The Daily Jay on Calm.
He currently studies clowning under John Gilkey and Kevin Kreiger at The Idiot Workshop. Even though he went to school for engineering, he dedicated the majority of his energy to his college improv group, The Whistling Shrimp.
Joanna Simmons – Director
Joanna Simmons is a writer/director living in New York City. She has directed over 20 solo shows, countless comedy shows, and taught classes on solo show creation and creative writing. A self-proclaimed, "Story Midwife", She'd love to help you get your next show out of your head! Find me on Instagram @joannaksimmons
Her work has been performed at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater, the Magnet, Wild Project, Under St Marks, the Tank, Austin Comedy Festival, the San Diego Fringe, the Hollywood Fringe, the Harrisburg Fringe, the Miami Fringe, and the Edinburgh Fringe.