Egg Tooth

Overview

Ideas don’t hatch. They break free. They push, struggle, and slash their way into the light of day. They use a guitar, a camera, a pen—an egg tooth. Egg Tooth is a feisty hybrid of live music, video, and theatrical storytelling. It’s a celebration of short stories—and therefore, our lives. Some are shorter than others. Egg Tooth’s premiere at the Orlando Fringe Festival earned a “Patrons’ Pick” encore performance, and The Orlando Sentinel listed Egg Tooth among the “Best of Fringe,” calling it, “A smart, funny tribute to short stories,” whose “masterful performers find laughter in deep material and then deliver a powerful jolt of emotion as well.” The 2021 Philadelphia production features a homegrown cast and live music by Philly-based musician/composer Elizabeth de Lise.

Antony Bolante / TOBO Productions

Antony Bolante moved from Orlando to Philly to earn an M.F.A. from the Pig Iron School for Devised Performance.

Since graduating, Tony has performed in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time for Boise Contemporary Theater, and in the devised works Small Matters and Another Agatha for the Boise-based theater company, Migration Theory. He presented his darkly humorous cabaret piece at Pig Iron Theater Company’s annual fundraiser.

Before grad school, Tony had established a strong track record for creating original and diverse performance works. Under the pseudonym, TOBO Productions, he produced original shows for five consecutive Orlando International Fringe Festivals. His first piece, onomatopoeia, enjoyed a sold-out run, handily securing a Patron’s Pick award and an encore presentation. The Fringe also recognized Tony and his co-producer, Mike Besaw, as the most promising new producers in the festival. The multi-media, modern clown show, on the nOse – co-produced with Elena Day and featuring the acclaimed Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell of Happenstance Theater – premiered at the Orlando Fringe and went on to the Roundhouse Theatre in Silver Springs, MD and The Brick Theater’s New York Clown Theater Festival. For Liquid Courage: a D.I.Y Musical, Tony created an innovative improvisational theater structure that also featured local talent discovered in Orlando’s vibrant local karaoke scene. The Orlando Sentinel recognized Egg Tooth, Tony’s last Fringe show before moving to Philly, among the “Best of the Fringe” out of over 100 shows. It went on to earn Patron’s Pick for its venue. Tony is excited to bring a new production of Egg Tooth to the Philly Fringe via the Cannonball Fest, especially at a time when the motif of breaking out of a shell feels so resonant.