by Terrance McArthur & Lorie Lewis Ham

It is Rogue Festival time again! This year’s festival takes place from February 28-March 8 in the Tower District of Fresno, CA. This is the first of many show reviews coming over the next few days! Before Rogue opened, we published several Rogue Festival Performer Preview articles, as well as an article about Rogue itself.
You will be able to find all of our coverage in our Rogue Festival category, and more info including some performer press releases on our Rogue Festival event page over on KRL News and Reviews. You can purchase tickets on the Rogue website.

The Barn Identity
By Terrance McArthur

“How many times have I told this story?” Erika MacDonald asks this question repeatedly in her Rogue Festival show The Barn Identity. Each time she tells it, another tiny piece of the story falls into place. Is it about swirling leaves? Barns falling down? Going to a movie? An old woman in a bed? Losing identity? Architecture? Poetry?

MacDonald is angular, placid, a snapping hand fan, graceful arms, a sonorous voice that leads without force. Moments, moments, moments, waiting to connect. Music slides in and out, adding, subtracting. Follow it.

MacDonald shares life and art with another Rogue 2025 artist, Paul Strickland (90 Lies an Hour: Paul Strickland-see our review of his show below). Her solo shows, directing, and puppetry have won awards, traveled nationally, internationally and Off-Broadway. There is a twinkle in her eye, a tilt of her head, that evokes a stage magician about to produce a ten-foot-tall tree from a paper bag. The magic is in her words.

The final performances of The Barn Identity are Friday, March 7, 7:00 pm and Saturday, March 8, 3:30 pm. Tickets are $15. The story will become clear. Trust it.

Terrance V. Mc Arthur worked for the Fresno County Public Library for three decades. He is retired, but not retiring. A storyteller, puppeteer, writer, actor, magician, basketmaker, and all-around interesting person, his goal is to make life more unusual for everyone he meets.

90 Lies an Hour: Paul Strickland
Review by Lorie Lewis Ham

I didn’t expect to review any more shows this Rogue Festival, but when I went to see Martin Dockery’s show again (yes it’s that good), he recommended that I see 90 Lies an Hour with Paul Stickland, and boy am I glad he did!

When Paul comes out on stage you immediately get that easy going southerner, down home vibe that comes with being from the south—Kentucky to be exact. He sings and tells stories that are folksy. He spins a tale so well that you are drawn in and want to hear more. It’s like you are sitting out on the front porch on a nice Spring day on the farm, or in this case the trailer park, listening to your cousin tell stories. It’s comfortable, and cozy. He starts off getting a feel for the audience to decide which stories will resonate best with this particular audience—he has a multitude of stories to draw from. So every time you see him it be may be a different set of stories. Paul collects stories—are they fact or fiction? He says they are fact within fiction. Another pearl of wisdom he shares is that fictional stories are sometimes what we need to get to the other side of something we are going through—and that very much resonates with me. He likes to tell folk and fairy tales, but with a different twist.

His songs tie in to his stories and they all weave together to tell a story about community, and ordinary people. People who may not always agree, but who still look out for each other. A message that with community, we can get through anything. In the stories I heard, there were trailer parks, family, witches, reading toilets, whale songs, hardback books for hats, lightning bolts, and sing-alongs.

You leave this show feeling refreshed, inspired, peaceful. But it’s also hilarious! I can’t remember the last time I laughed this much.

So here for you is another show you will not want to miss! Paul Strickland is a master storyteller. Funny enough, our last 2 reviews are connected—another thing that was completely unplanned.

90 Lies an Hour performs at The Lotus Room, 626 E. Olive Ave., Fresno
His remaining performance is on Saturday, March 8 at 5 p.m.

If you love theatre, be sure to check out Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, which features mysteries read by local actors. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and also on podbean.

Check out more theatre reviews & other local entertainment articles in our Arts & Entertainment section. You can also find more theatre coming up on KRL’s Local Theatre event page.

Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and a contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds. Explore Lorie’s mystery writing at Mysteryrat’s Closet. Lorie’s latest mystery novel, One of Us, is set in the Tower District of Fresno and the world of community theatre!