Frustrated by opportunities for virtual theater already disappearing from fringe festivals, actor/creator Tia Shearer Bassett (known locally as the cancer-surviving “TheatreWolf”) has founded a festival dedicated to the work that kept her feeling connected and inspired as she underwent chemotherapy in 2020: online, telephone, and by-mail theater. After the inaugural Fest drew audiences from all over the country and even overseas – and earned award recognition for multiple shows and artists – the Fest is back for a second year. Performances will run from October 26 through November 3. “The From-Home Fest is a celebration of the theatrics that blossomed at the start of the pandemic…shows that bravely and playfully expand the definition of ‘theater,’ welcome artists and audiences who may be unable to physically go to a theater, and surprise us with an experience of real human connection,” she said. ‘From-Home Fest’ logo by Bagels N Pretzels Illustration. This year’s expanded lineup includes artists from last year alongside creators new to the Fest: • I Do Adore You — a live one-on-one interactive show over the phone about correspondence, friendships, and love. Created and presented by Parker Sela (CA). Available October 26 – November 3; get tickets here! • labRats — a live interactive performance online where audiences play as lab rats who have to work together to take control of their lives. Created and presented by cirqueSaw (Nicole Orabona and Nathan Leigh; NY/MA). This interactive workshop is presented November 2 and 3; get tickets here! • Silence is Violence: The Future of the Field — a devised web series about the experiences of young Black theater artists in white spaces. Created and presented by Young Playwrights’ Theater (DC area). This prerecorded three-part series is available October 26 – November 3; get tickets here! • David & Jonathan — an in-browser game/play-script where you uncover scenes from the lives of a golden boy and a short king as you search for details in paintings. Created and presented by Tristan B. Willis (DC area). This interactive website (best experienced from a computer browser) will be available October 26 – November 3 here. • Megatron-1996 — a live performance where a Megatron unit in need of repairs comes to you, a Zoom room full of repairmen, to get assistance. Created by Megan Markham; presented by Megan Markham & Phoenix Tears Productions (FL). This live Zoom performance is presented November 1; get tickets here! • The Game — a live one-on-one phone show where you play The Game for a prize that can change everything, right down to the molecules in your fingertips. Created and presented by Phoenix Tears Productions (FL). Slots available between October 26 – November 3; get tickets here! • Glitter Vikings of a Wolfish God — a live theatrical adventure/memoir on Zoom, based on Tia’s cancer treatment (but…fun). Created and presented by Flapjack Theatrics (Tia Shearer Bassett; DC area). This live performance is presented October 26 and 27; get tickets here! • SPACE — live on Zoom; SPACE isn’t really about what’s happening on the screen – it’s about reconnecting with the space outside your screen… Created by Arshan Gailus; presented by Arshan Gailus and V. Brancazio (MA). This experience is presented October 27, 29, 30, and November 2; get tickets here! Free or Pay-What-You-Wish tickets to these shows can be obtained through links on the From-Home Fest website, fromhomefest.com. There will be an opening reception/mixer on Zoom the evening of October 26, hosted by Megan Markham. Details forthcoming on the website. SEE ALSO: Tia Shearer Bassett introduces ‘The From-Home Fest’ (news story, October 23, 2024)