Hitting Route 66, Cromania!-Style

From: T.S. Writing Services - Jun 1, 2006

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Hitting Route 66, Cromania!-Style

Sacramento, CA [May 31, 2006] – Put Hamlet, the Incredible Hulk and Elvis together and what do you get? Cromania!, performed by Crom Saunders.

Saunders, of Sacramento, Calif., wanted to somehow combine his love of books, theatre, movies and off-the-wall sense of humor. So he created Cromania!, which features skits incorporating pop culture, over 40 impersonations of famous people, improvisation, and physical antics into one big laugh fest – all presented in American Sign Language. Cromania! was first presented at Yerba Buene Center for the Arts in San Francisco, as part of the center’s Deaf Media Series, which has featured other renowned performers such as CJ Jones, Evelyn Zola and Peter Cook.

“Cromania! is different because it’s not autobiographical, yet has a lot to do with my background and who I am, because it’s not storytelling at all, but a series of skits I wrote and developed,” says Saunders, who is deaf. “And I thought a terrific way to bring Cromania! to people would be to travel the American highway, Route 66.” The Cromania! tour begins in Albuquerque, N.M. on July 15, follows Route 66 through Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Chicago, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas back to Riverside, Calif., although booking requests are still being accepted.
 
Saunders is best known for his involvement in ICEWORM, a non-profit theatre organization committed to breaking down barriers between hearing and deaf/hard-of-hearing communities. But he also is renowned for his brand of distinctive humor. When asked to describe himself, Saunders gets a devilish look in his eyes. “Let me see – I like to be entertained as much as I like to entertain. I read voraciously, spend a lot of time in coffeehouses, and have brown eyes. The rest of me changes often without notice.”

“I don't know where he gets the energy to do what he does on stage,” says Doug Lawson, director of Children’s Theatre in Sacramento, Calif. That energy is what makes Cromania! so much fun, especially since it comes through in the show. Saunders says that this energy comes from how he thinks. “I call the show Cromania! because it’s something that came out of my manic mind. I’m always thinking ‘Why not?’ and ‘what if…?’” And this passion delights viewers. Linda Blackwell of Fulton, Mo., is a die-hard Saunders fan. “Crom’s show is worth every penny! Aside from the humor, you can see that Crom is the perfect performer, because he loves what he does, and has such a zany view of the world. We all left the show still laughing and never wanting the night to end.”

“I do this show because it makes people laugh – and I get so much energy from that,” Saunders explains. “When I can perform in front of a live audience and see them laughing – what I really want to achieve through my shows is to just give them a couple of hours they can look back on and hopefully enjoy the memory as much as they enjoyed the show.”

Cromania! is still accepting booking requests. To see performance dates or to arrange for Cromania! to appear in your city, visit http://cromsaunders.tripod.com.

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