LOS ANGELES, Calif., May 18, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) \u2014 Tonoccus McClain, prolific actor, writer and maker of all things theatrical is pouring his heart and soul into a deeply personal work in his first venture as a producer and writer at The Hollywood Fringe Festival. Known for being an open-ended festival with bold experimental performances, Tonoccus aims to expand on this tradition while adding the depth, poignancy, and social urgency of his new engaging work, \u201cVersions of Her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had performed as an actor at the Fringe in the past and thought it was the perfect venue for this cutting-edge work,\u201d noted McClain. \u201cMuch main stream theater is commercial and for pure entertainment. I wanted the ability to entertain AND inform.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVersions of Her\u201d is a one person performance that showcases Tonoccus\u2019 natural charm as he unfolds his journey into the serious issues that evolve from his series of recorded interviews with Kerry Walsh \u2014 a celebrated opera singer and actor in her own right before illness began to take its toll \u2014 who is now negotiating the challenges of living with several autoimmune diseases and a terminal diagnosis amidst a medical system that marginalized and ignored her.<\/p>\n
In this multimedia experience infused with actual clips from these interviews, McClain bears witness to her experience through revelations that he deeply relates with, but keeps it uniquely Her story.<\/p>\n
A veteran performer whose voice has been heard on more than 50 film and television soundtracks \u2014 including \u201cAvatar,\u201d \u201cGlee,\u201d and \u201cThe Lion King\u201d (2019) \u2014 McClain spent over 2,400 performances on the North American tour of Disney\u2019s \u201cThe Lion King,\u201d appeared in LA Opera\u2019s Pulitzer Prize-winning \u201cOmar,\u201d and has performed at three Academy Awards ceremonies. His stage work spans the Hollywood and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, Helsinki, Taiwan, and South Korea.<\/p>\n
Tonoccus doesn\u2019t see \u201cVersions of Her\u201d as a departure from that experience but a natural progression.<\/p>\n
McClain\u2019s wide experience informs his ability to create what he describes as \u201ca deep collaboration that puts the work first but utilizes theater\u2019s ability to bring attention to vital issues through story, hard conversation, and even disarming humor.\u201d He adds, \u201cThough I always aim to ask something of my audience beyond their entertainment, this piece has been the most demanding, but ultimately the most profound to date.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though dramatized by McClain, this piece is the real testimony of his friend Walsh and her experiences in a system that complicated her health while she simultaneously felt the full gravity of diagnoses, false diagnoses, experimental treatments in Mexico, and the uncertain long days of increasing symptoms.<\/p>\n
Theater producer and collaborator Jonas Edwin Sills notes, \u201cTonoccus, in every aspect of his art, always dives full in. In every aspect of his life he elicits deep thought about things not often talked about, and ultimately challenges us all to grow \u2014 while doing it in a captivating and engaging way. Why would his theater be any different?\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking to what drives the urgency of the piece, Tonoccus notes, \u201cKerry is still here. She\u2019s hoping to be in the audience on opening night. That\u2019s the deadline I\u2019m working against \u2014 and it\u2019s why this piece exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sills adds, \u201cThat\u2019s the whole engine of the show. Tonoccus made something that couldn\u2019t wait. Audiences are going to feel that the second it starts.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is a must-see, can\u2019t-miss experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cVersions of Her\u201d is playing at Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, June 7\u201326, 2026:<\/p>\n
\u2013 Sunday, June 7 at 8 PM<\/p>\n
\u2013 Friday, June 12 at 5:30 PM<\/p>\n
\u2013 Sunday, June 14 at 4 PM<\/p>\n
\u2013 Wednesday, June 17 at 8:30 PM<\/p>\n
\u2013 Saturday, June 20 at 5 PM<\/p>\n
\u2013 Thursday, June 25 at 6:30 PM<\/p>\n
\u2013 Friday, June 26 at 5:30 PM<\/p>\n
UPDATED 9:15am PDT to fix an inadvertent error in the headline, where the artist name was mis-spelled: corrected to Tonoccus McClain.<\/p>\n
NEWS SOURCE: Actor Tonoccus McClain<\/p>\n
Keywords: Entertainment, Tonoccus McClain, prolific actor, writer, Hollywood Fringe Festival, Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, LOS ANGELES, Calif.<\/p>\n