TREE wants to be a human, even though humanity kinda sucks.
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Part clown show, part game show and part philosophical discussion exploring the duality of humanity. In this hour of comedy, participation is unavoidable. Our protagonist Tree leads the audience, or in this case “the forest”, towards what it means to be truly alive. A lovable gaze into a spiraling staircase of existentialism with surprising, yet inevitable, turns.
ACCOLADES & Press
3x SOLD OUT RUNS
(Orlando, Victoria & Hollywood)
MOST FRINGE BUZZ AWARD
Orlando 2023
GEORGE WALLACE PRODUCER PICK Orlando 2023
BEST CLOWN/ PHYSICAL THEATRE Victoria 2022
ENCORE PRODUCERS’ AWARD
Hollywood 2022
FRINGE SCHOLARSHIP
Hollywood 2022
FRUIT LOOP SCHOLARSHIP
Edmonton 2023
“Mercado’s uninhibited play-acting at being a person... might make you reflect on your own relationships to fellow foliage-folk, after you recover from laughing. Defying conventional categorization, Tree is a playful pastiche of clowning comedy, audience participation game show, and existential group therapy session. Even if you’re averse to improvised interaction, you’ll get sucked in by how fully invested Mercado is in every second of semi-scripted absurdity. “
-Orlando Weekly 2023, Seth Kubersky
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“Mercado has a winsome and winning way with her clowning and improv skills. And if, in her arts-and-crafts costume, she makes you think about humanity’s foibles — and by foibles, I mean failings — in between the laughter, all the better.”
-Orlando Sentinel 2023, Matthew J. Palm
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“Natasha Mercado has roots in the Upright Citizens Brigade (whose alumni includes Amy Poehler, Nick Kroll and Aubrey Plaza), so her improvisational and sketch comedy skillset is clearly elite.”
-Times Colonist 2022, Mike Devlin
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“Mercado is a master comic storyteller, who pulls you in from the outset, swiftly incorporating crowd input and reactions throughout. Even when she is not speaking, she conveys a world with just a look and a nod... The show has an unexpected twist that I won’t reveal, but by the end you may find yourself pondering if you’d prefer to be a tree. This is definitely a solo performance to see.”
-Stage Raw 2022, Inger Tudor