Philly Fringe 2026: Cannonball presents Rachel O’Hanlon-Rodriguez’s The Untitled Court Show

Directed by Cat Ramirez, O’Hanlon-Rodriguez’s latest solo show is a departure from their previous scripted show, She Was A Conquistawhore, which debuted in the 2023 Fringe. Untitled Court Show centers audience participation.

The willingness of Fringe audiences

The first third of the show is a more typical scripted solo show. Mender introduces themselves; they are a playful alien eagerly figuring out human speech, human skin, and gravity for the first time. O’Hanlon-Rodriguez plays a lovable, silly, and confused alien trying their best to understand earth and its idiosyncrasies. O’Hanlon-Rodriguez garnered many laughs in their Mender skin, with their impersonation of their favorite Law & Order characters (as someone who has never seen the show, I’m guessing this with my best deduction skills). The more scripted part ends when they declare they are running their own court show, and ask for 12 volunteers to come onstage.

Inspired by community conversations and Abolition School studies, this show feels like a facilitated workshop under the Theatre of the Oppressed framework with an alien MC. It reminded me of Team Sunshine’s Great American Gun Show for some of the early participation parts. This begins as simple movements along a spectrum (do they like Law & Order or not? Why? Are humans guilty or innocent?) to more complex imaginings and dreaming of how to create a better Earth. On opening night, the audience was game to jump in. Without willing volunteers, the premise would break down, but Fringe audiences are usually happy participants.

Creating collective care

Personally, I would’ve like Mender’s role to be a little more active in this section, besides giving prompts, active listening, and taking notes. Their presence is strong in the first third, quiet in the middle, and resurges in the end (I realize that strengthening Mender’s presence without interrupting the flow could be difficult). I also wish there were more opportunities for folks beyond the 12 selectees to participate, perhaps just in the five-minute interlude; this could be something to fill out or prompts to discuss with a neighbor.

Overall, this nascent show is a strong exploration of ways for audiences to co-create an experience and learn through the lens of collective care, non-hierarchical structure, and community-based ownership. Especially given its reliance on the audience’s willingness to participate, and its heavy themes, the show works well. Pacing is strong and on opening night, the audience’s attention was focused throughout, despite the unpredictable nature of the format. Untitled Court Show brings levity and creates a safe space to have important conversations. I would be excited to see it evolve.