by Lexi Bissonnette
For 18 days in September, Philadelphia is taken over by the Fringe Festival, a celebration of various forms of art. Fringe art can be defined as anything that makes up the realm of art; from theatre to installations to music and more. Fringe art normally encompasses things of a cultural or local nature.
The festival is put on by FringeArts. FringeArts has been around for sixteen years and has recently began developing a permanent home on the waterfront. The building will boast 225 theatre seats, rehearsal spaces, a bar, an outdoor plaza and a place for festivals. However, the festival that takes place from September 5th-18th, 2013 will be in various locations throughout the city. In their 17th year, FringeArts is also trying to create year round performances.
The upcoming Fringe Arts building (credit WRT Planning and Design)
The Fringe Festival is an 18-day long event that starts on some days as early as 10am and goes as late as 11pm. There are over 150 events to attend and some free as well. Plus, the Underground Arts, is the official festival bar. Performance lovers of all walks will find something at this grand scale event. Like every year before, Fringe Fest 2013 pulls together acts from all walks of the art life and showcases them, sometimes various performances and sometimes only once. The event also hosts many international acts such as Jo Strømgren Kompani (Norway) and Ant Hampton and Tim Etchells (England). Not to mention the many world premiere artists; The Object Lesson by Geoff Sobelle and Moses(es).
A brief rundown of the event is below but you can check out more details in the Fringe Fest 2013 guide here.
September 5th:
AJAX, the madness @ 7pm
Page One by Philly Improve Theater @ 7pm
By the Slice @ 8pm
September 6th:
Bathtub Moby-Dick by The Renegade @ 6pm
Circus Legacy @ 8m
Celebrating Dance @ 9 pm
September 7th:
A Mystery? by Dragon’s Eye Theatre @ 1 pm
Surrender by Rachel Holt @ 6pm
Franz Kafka’s the Castle by The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium @ 7:30pm
The Ballad of Joe Hill by Swim Pony Performing Arts @ 8pm
September 8th:
Holly Dead Soldiers by Bruce Walsh, Douglas Williams, Chris Davis @ 11am
Three by MM2 Modern Dance Company @ 2pm
The Iron Factory Presents: allendance and Tori Lawrence + Co @ 7pm
September 9th:
Antihero by Tribe of Fools @7pm
Heart of the Revolution by Sonya Aronowitz @ 7:30pm
Completeness by Round Table Theatre Company @ 9pm
September 10th:
Life and Times: Episodes 1-5 @ 7pm
Boneyards by Jeffrey Stanley @ 8pm
Poor Poe by William Burrison/NIGHTHAWKS @ 9:30pm
September 11th:
If I Were a Drag Queen, I Would Be Famous by Shannon Agnew @ 7pm
Sephro: Back to Earth by Fantasy Weavers Original Opera for Children & Adults @8pm
Federal Detention: The Musical by The Panic Hour @ 9:11pm
September 12th:
One Year by MamaCITA Five @6pm
The Momentum by Collaboration Town @7pm
XFS Philly Song Shuffle by Xtreme Folk Scene @ 7:30 pm
Better Than Broadway: A semi musical travesty by Antrobus @ 8pm
Where (we) Live by So Percussion @9pm
September 13th:
Collapse/Interact @ 7pm
Trials of Paradox by Yes! And…’s SHADOW Company @7pm
Hush Now Sweet High Hells and Oak @8pm
DREADFULLY WHITE by Susan Pope @11pm
September 14th:
Adjacent Spaces by Leah Stein Dance Company @ 2pm
ChORDED Motion @3pm
Pay Up by Pig Iron Theatre Company with The University of the Arts @6pm
Six Feet (Above And) Under: A Graveyard Cabaret by REV Theatre Company @7:30pm
Opera Macabre: Edgar Allen Poe by Philadelphia Opera Collective @ 8pm
September 15th:
Roux. by Roux Dance Company @10am
The Party by Philly Improv Theater @ 3pm
The Soapranos by Poor Richard’s Opera @ 7:30pm
Stars and Garters: A Doctor Who Burlesque Show by Busts & Trunks Burlesque @ 8pm
September 16th:
Introducing Madhouse by Madhouse Theater Company @ 7pm
Enlightenment on E Floor North by Strange Attractor Theatre @ 9pm
September 17th:
The Waitstaff Happy Hour by The Waitstaff @ 7:30pm
Fresh Laughs by Philly Improv Theatre @ 9pm
September 18th:
Dutch Masters by Azuka Theatre @ 6:30pm
Not All Gods Go to Heaven by Dameadelphia @ 8pm
The Playdaters by Matchbox Theatre Project @ 11pm
September 19th:
BASEMENT by Gunnar Montana @ 7pm
Out of Time by Colin Dunne @ 7pm
Reggie’s Brodie: A Vaudeville Extravaganza by Cut House Production @ 9pm
September 20th:
The Safe Word is Begonia/He Deserves It by BSomeday Productions/A. Flamingo @ 12pm
Beautiful Extremities: A Collaboration of Up-and-Coming Temple University Artists @ 6:30pm
XY Scheherazade by Unstuck Theater @ 7pm
If the Slipper Fits by Philadelphia Performance Project @ 7:30pm
Bat Boy: The Musical by Life Theatre Company @ 8pm
September 21st:
This is the Twilight Kingdom by Found Theater Company @ 8pm
Dream Date by Forever Dog Productions @ 9:30pm
Alley of Nightmares by Philly Improve Theater (PHIT) @ 10:30pm
September 22nd:
The Quiet Volume by Any Hampto and Time Etchells @ 1:30pm
Love, Rose: An Original Chamber Musical by Jeremy Llyod, Directed by Matthew Decker @ 4pm
