FRINGE: Preview Night

Tonight kicks off the 2016 Fringe Festival. I’m sitting across the street at Lachey’s, waiting for the Box Office to open so that I can get my pass press and settle in for two weeks of show marathoning. Of course, I’ve gotta work my day job, too, so this should be a very tiring, but rewarding twelve days.

I’ve already said my hellos to Fringe Producer Chris Wesselman, talked with actress Lauren Carr about her incredibly hot costume for her show, FURLESQUE (hot as in furry-warm.  I think?) and am now at one of my favorite spots writing about one of my favorite events.

There’s little new to say about the Fringe experience for those who’ve partaken in the past. But my audience is a more casual theatre goer; they might be a little apprehensive about a festival that advertises itself as “kinda weird.”

And some of the shows are weird. Some are beyond weird. But some of them are heart-wrenchingly honest, beautifully thought provoking, or just down right entertaining.

I think about SARGE two years ago and how shaken I was to my emotional core for days after Christine Dye’s performance. I think about my first Fringe experience, NOTHING ∫ by Jon Kovach, which ignited a passion for new work I didn’t know I had. And I think about last year, where I spent a lot of time just talking, meeting, and enjoying Cincinnati’s theatre community.

That is what Fringe is about. Productions. Performances. But mostly it’s about people. I can’t wait for it to get started.

So, if you’ve never Fringed before, don’t be afraid. Come down and check out just one night to start. Feel free to email or message me on FaceBook to ask for a recommendation or two. Mostly, just come out and see the vibrant arts scene our city has as theatre captivates Over-the-Rhine for the next several days.

Click here for more information about the Cincinnati Fringe Festival.