Discover firsts, favs and FUN.
Choreomania: the uncontrollable urge to dance and the inability to stop. Frau Troffea danced herself through heat, hunger, and exhaustion, not stopping until forced to do so. Two months passed and hundreds had joined her in dance. Their feet bled and people dropped dead from exhaustion. There was no cure and no explanation.
Don’t miss the movie that rebooted the entire Italian film industry! A prominent movie director returns to his Sicilian home village for the first time in many years to attend the funeral of the town's former film projectionist, who served as the filmmaker's mentor when he was a young boy. This coming-of-age story received the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Prix, and five 1989 BAFTA Awards. Take this opportunity to see it on the big screen.
ENTIRE RUN SOLD OUT! Sky-high feats. Latin beats. Mind-bending moves. Circolombia, a groundbreaking circus troupe with a history of engagements in Edinburgh, London, and Chicago, will perform a show written and produced exclusively for Rochester Fringe audiences in the Spiegeltent this fall. The show, titled Corazón, will feature six extraordinary artists who each bring an exuberant, Colombian-born vibe to the act—along with madly daring skills.
Imagine, if you will, a circus through a child's perspective. A vibrant circus world springs to life when a young child is inspired by a display at a toy museum. Roc City Circus presents a classic circus show featuring the flying trapeze, daring aerial acts, acrobats and more! Come one, come all to this spectacle of wonder and awe. Suitable for all ages.
Have you ever wanted to run away and join the circus? Here’s your chance—and you don’t even need to run away! Cirque 101 will get you started with the basics of juggling, ball spinning, and balancing. Come join Ted Baumhauer of Red Tie Variety, an award winning juggler and performer, for this fun, interactive family experience. Cirque 101 will get you and your family on your way to learning these fun skills
The death-defying acrobatics of CIRQUE INEXTREMISTE burst onto the basket of a hot-air balloon during a tethered ride, knocking the skies off balance. In this clownish, tightrope-walking, quirky, fiery, spectacular and utterly crazy performance, Yann Ecauvre’s extreme acrobatic French collective will play with our fears and wreak havoc with our perspective. CIRQUE INEXTREMISTE has performed at major festivals throughout Europe since 2007. Don’t miss their U.S. debut tour!
From the creators of RagTag: A Circus in Stitches and One Man's Trash: A Repurposed Circus, Cirque Us Stories is an adventure that jumps off the pages as we put new spins, twists and flips into classic stories. This show features aerialists, jugglers, acrobats, contortionists and clowns in a page-turning show that will keep you on the edge of your seats.
For the ninth time at Fringe, Cobbs Hill Consort is a unique Rochester acoustic ensemble featuring Native American flute, supported by the living sounds of harp, guitar, drums and percussion. The music is soothing, emotive, and transporting. Dr. Jefferson Svengsouk (Native American flute, IG @sonolucent) and Sandy Gianniny (harp) are team members of UR Medicine Palliative Care, and Phillip Marshall (guitar) is with Rochester Regional Hospice. Steve Imburgia (percussion) completes the group.
Coldwater Blues loves to perform live. The band is led by Myriah Marsh-Hall, whose four-octave vocal range and style pays homage to blues legends like Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Koko Taylor, and The Tedeschi Trucks Band. Myriah is joined by Jim Rappleye (guitar), Chris Ott (keyboards), Steve Walters (bass), and Pete Steltmann (drums). Their energetic stage show celebrates the blues.
Spouses decide to try standup. The pandemic stops them when they’re just starting. They get sick of that and invite people to their backyard for an open mic. Comics and spectators show up. Comedy On Deck becomes a local fixture! In this third year of Comedy On Deck, the audience chooses its favorite comics from each night. Comedy On Deck Comes Inside features two shows with some of the city’s funniest and most popular comics—each performance has a different lineup.
Back by Popular Demand! The Comedy Trio Happy Hour (Matt Morgan, Mark Gindick & Ambrose Martos) never fail to entertain with acts that are very physical, occasionally sexy, somewhat dangerous, potentially intelligent and always hilarious. They last performed at the Rochester Fringe in 2021 with their hit show "Cirque du Fringe: AfterParty" and are back because the Fringe organizers needed a last-minute replacement for a trained dog act that ran off.
In this non-stop series of wordless comedy sketches, Philadelphia theatre clown Hank Curry brings his unique comic voice to the Rochester Fringe. He embarks on a picaresque journey through the pitfalls and pratfalls of modern life by trying on several unique identities, each with their own hilarious obstacles. Run away and join the circus of modern society with the “ridiculously talented Hank Curry” (DC Theater Arts) in a show that is "a joy to behold" (All About Solo).
From navigating his cultural identity as a Bukharian Jew, to figuring out why he dated a rabbi, Natan Badalov connects the dots of his past in this solo stand up comedy show. Making his Rochester Fringe debut, Natan Badalov has been seen on Adult Swim, New York Comedy Festival, as well as many others. For more info, check out his website www.natanbadalov.com as well as his socials at @natanbadalov.
Connie Fredericks-Malone returns to the Dawn Lipson Canalside Stage at the Rochester JCC. Fredericks-Malone performs songs made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Patsy Cline, Dinah Washington, Louis Armstrong and Nat Cole. “I fancy myself as a girl singer in a big band,” laughs Connie. She and musical director Scott Bradley set the arrangements and create fully orchestrated instrumental tracks that accompany Fredericks-Malone’s vocals.
What does it mean to honor someone with a monument…and who should be honored in such a public way? Australian artist Craig Walsh brings us one answer to this question, challenging us to select three people from our community who deserve to be recognized—but who may never rise to public consciousness without his unique method of celebrating them. Walsh projects the living, moving faces of these three Rochesterians on tall trees, where wind and other elements give them dimension and animate them even further.
Dance Evolutions is a world premiere featuring a cast of ten local dancers performing 13 original pieces of choreography created by Austen Kelly. Through the use of multiple styles and genres of dance, Kelly aims to create a sense of community for both the dancers and the audience members. Ultimately, Dance Evolutions showcases Kelly's love of dance and how it brings people together.
Known for its experimental delights, the Multi-use Community Cultural Center premieres a special Fringe version of Dances at MuCCC, a collection of local performance talent and creativity. For the first time, this annual dance festival appears at Fringe, showcasing a curated collection of its best summer dance performances. This past June, MuCCC presented Moving Margins to the Center. Co-directed by Donna Davenport and Nanako Horikawa Mandrino; logo by Jimmy Scamacca.
Enjoy stories in song from this award-winning Fringe favorite. Smart, funny, timely, and moving, Cainer’s beautiful songs are about all families and foibles. Cainer is a veteran of six Off-Broadway runs and 18 Edinburgh Fringes (Highly Recommended Show in 2014/15/17/18/22). "A gifted musician and an extraordinary performer. Heartbreakingly poignant, laugh-out-loud funny." —Ed Fest Guide. "You don’t have to be Jewish or British to get a kick out of Cainer’s shtick."—LA Times.
New this year! From the same team that gives you the total sell-out Dashboard Dramas experience, comes a slightly racier version with the same weird and wild ride you’ve come to expect. You’ll find yourself immersed in four all-new ten-minute plays as you rotate from one car to the next. Don’t miss out! Only 8 tickets per performance.
SOLD OUT FOR 2023! A total sell-out eight years running, this intimate theatre experience is unlike any other. You’ll find yourself immersed in four all-new ten-minute plays as you rotate from one car to the next. Don’t miss this hilarious, heartwarming, weird, and most of all, one-of-a-kind show.
