It’s tough out there on
the fringe, where things are transitory by nature and elusive by
design. Fringe artists are itinerant, framing their works in any venue
that will have them. They exist outside the mainstream in thought and
action. And they are usually bereft of corporate sponsorship and
community support.
Still, every year Todd Fisher gathers a
group of artists from out there on the cusp — writers, actors, dancers
et al — and bands them together for a week in what has become known as
the Greensboro fringe Festival.
Now in its seventh year, the
festival spreads through venues all over Greensboro, its best-kept
secrets and most storied cultural institutions alike. No entry fees are
charged, no editorial directives given, the Greensboro Fringe Festival
tasks artists to come in from the ether and bring their findings to the
rest of us here on solid ground.
Todd Fisher
Fringe Festival director, playwright, director Informall Theater Company 3 Ways Sunday,
Feb. 1, Monday, Feb. 2; City Arts Studio Theater; 200 N. Davie St.; $10
The piece: Three actors, two women and a man, enact a series of scenes
in different configurations. “What were gonna do is, not the moment
before but the night before we go on stage we’ll draw things out of a
hat, so that everything is almost purely by chance, and the order of
things are gonna happen out of a hat. The actors literally get to put
on a new play every night.”
What makes it fringe: “Fringe in
general, most fringe artists do not have their own space or home to
produce or present their work. So we ‘ve partnered with places like
Open Space [Theatre Caf] and City Arts and Triad Stage to provide that
space for local artists.”
Karla Coghill
Dancer, choreographer; Sidelong Dance Company Pigeonholed Thursday,
Jan. 29 — Saturday, Jan. 31; City Arts Studio Theater; 200 N. Davie
St.; $10 The piece: “Basically it came from a desire to do a piece
about labeling other people. The music actually has a voic eover that
are a lot of words that are restrictive words.” What makes it fringe:
“Well, the dance portion of the Fringe Festival is a little different
than some of the plays and whatnot.
In a way, anything
[Sidelong Dance Company does] is fringe, since we’re such a small
organization that is working under the radar. We just do what we want
to do on our own terms.”
Katie Frazier
Playwright Virtue of Fools Thursday, Jan. 29 — Saturday, Jan. 31; Open Space Caf Theater; 4609 W. Market St.; $10 Piece: “It’s a play about self-doubt. The main character has to deal with addressing the idea of who he is.” What make sit fringe: “It’s fringe… huh… because it’s a new play. It’s fringe because we have no budget, It’s fringe because I just sort of up and did it in an independent spirit.”
Amy Beasley
Choreographer Adhere Activate Roll Tether Thursday,
Jan. 29 - Saturday, Jan. 31; Open Space Caf Theater; 4609 W. Market
St.; $10 Piece: “The title is four actions of a cell, I usually start
with movement….
I started thinking about circles and cells and
membranes and what that can mean… meeting with people and boundaries,
etcetera. It’s a little abstract.”
Why it’s fringe: “That’s a
good question. I haven’t really thought of it that way because it was
also presented in a really large theater, which is un-fringe….
I think it could be a fringe piece as well as a concert dance piece.”
The seventh annual Greensboro Fringe Festival 2009 Jan. 29- Mar. 7
Thursday Jan. 29
@ 6 p.m. John Gamble Dance Theater
presents On the Edge new modern dance
at the City Arts Studio Theater 200 N.
Davie St. Tickets are $10.
@ 8 p.m. “The New Fringe” hot new
theater and dance at the City Arts Studio
Theater 200 N. Davie St. Tickets are $10.
Tommy Trull — Hotel
Christine Kiernan- Give me the last possible
date
Sidelong Dance Company- Pigeonholed
Juila Edwards- Untitled
Loren Trollinger & Aimee Moynihan-
Dance
@ 8 p.m. Virtue of Fools by Katie Frazier
at the Open Space Caf Theater 4609 W.
Market St. Tickets are $10
Friday Jan. 30
@ 6 p.m. “The New Fringe” hot new
theater and dance At the City Arts Studio
Theater 200 N. Davie St. Tickets are $10
@ 8 p.m. John Gamble Dance Theater
presents On the Edge new modern dance
at the City Arts Studio Theater 200 N.
Davie St. Tickets are $10
@ 8 p.m. Virtue of Fools by Katie Frazier
at the Open Space Caf Theater 4609 W.
Market St. Tickets are $10
@ 10 p.m. Fanatique de Glam-Burlesk at
Artistika 523 S. Elm St. Tickets are $15
Saturday Jan. 31
@ 2 p.m. “The New Fringe” hot new
theater and dance at the City Arts Studio
Theater 200 N. Davie St. Tickets are $10
@ 6 p.m. John Gamble Dance Theater
presents On the Edge new modern dance
at the City Arts Studio Theater 200 N.
Davie St. Tickets are $10
@ 8 p.m. the Informall Theater Company
presents DEADLINE
Two new plays Signify by Douglas H.
Boxley and 3 Ways by Todd Fisher
at the City Arts Studio Theater 200 N.
Davie St. Tickets are $10
@ 8 p.m. Virtue of Fools by Katie Frazier
at the Open Space Caf Theater 4609 W.
Market St. Tickets are $10
Sunday Feb. 1
@ 2 p.m. the Informall Theater Company
presents DEADLINE
Two new plays Signify by Douglas H.
Boxley and 3 Ways by Todd Fisher
at the City Arts Studio Theater 200 N.
Davie St.
Pay what you can Superbowl special
Monday Feb. 2
@ 8 p.m. The Informall Theater Company
presents DEADLINE
Two new plays Signify by Douglas H.
Boxley and 3 Ways by Todd Fisher
at the City Arts Studio Theater 200 N.
Davie St. Tickets are $10
Thursday Feb. 5- Sat. Feb. 7 t
@ 8 p.m. The Greensboro Playwrights
Forum presents Evening of Short Plays #20
@ 2 p.m. Sunday Feb. 5
At the City Arts Studio Theater 200 N.
Davie St.
Tickets are donation only!
Thursday Feb. 12-March 7
Mad at Miles by Pearle Cleage directed by
Donna Baldwin-Bradby
Upstage Cabaret at Triad Stage 232 S.
Elm St.
For tickets and show times please go to
