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Discover firsts, favs and FUN.
In Rochester playwright Maria Brandt’s new play Thirteen Ways, Jo and Tony repeat and repeat again the same comically absurd argument about the ethics of kidnapping. The danger is that as long as their goal remains to win, neither one of them ever feels heard. This showcase of local talent provides a fun, provocative look into the dynamics of disagreeing with someone you love.
Commotion Dance Theater strikes again with entertaining and evocative dances that include music, theater, and poetry. Ruben T. Ornelas will offer solos and duets to music by Canadian composer-musician François Houle. Laurie MacFarlane will present Like White Hair, a solo set to a poem by Bob Hart, and Lost and Found, a quartet that brings together movement, song, and text in a piece filled with laughter, surprise, and shadow.
Six fierce drag performers collide with the world of clown in this outrageous, high-energy fringe spectacle! Expect big wigs, bigger noses, slapstick glamour, chaotic beauty, and emotional depth as these queens, kings, and in-betweens push the limits of drag and clowning. Hilarious, unpredictable, and heartbreakingly human — this is drag like you’ve never seen it before! Starring Carmen Adore, Morticia Monroe, Yuka Liptis, Valentino Rose, Marzipan & Breakfast.
The Geriactors return with more plays by local playwrights. We've been around since the first Fringe, and our playwrights keep giving us more new wonderful material. We even have some new actors this year. Our plays are short, succinct, some may be a little edgy, and we'll provide some laughs as well. Come on down and check out what we have in store for you this year!
On a beautiful Fall day, Joe, a sixty year old successful theatrical producer, and Tony, a twenty four year old jewelry designer, are reunited in a New York City hospital room. With the help of a most fabulous nurse, their remembrances bring back to life joy and sadness. Memories brought on stage by the mother, the Llorona, and the Dama del Alba add love and passion to the conflict between Eros and Thanatos seen onstage.
Letters I Wear for My Father is an autobiographical solo performance written and performed by Sharon Rula Backos, presented through the eyes of a daughter struggling to embrace abandoned love. Stemming from a father’s World War II letters hidden in the basement for 68 years, and resurrecting blood memory and the truth of one’s life, Rula Backos comes face to face with the lives of her parents before she was born.
Step into the shadows of a prehistoric jungle where science and myth collide! The Lost World Bemshi! reimagines the groundbreaking 1925 silent film as a bold new spectacle—an electrifying fusion of cinema, live performance, and music. An event that unites the past and present, the silent and the spoken, the real and the impossible. Come see the jungle come alive. Dinosaurs roar, ghosts flicker, and the past awakens...feel the wonder, face the unknown!
In a world where magicians bask in prestige while jugglers get no respect, one juggler has had enough. A Magic Problem! is a farcical and thought-provoking solo show that explores the clash between the art of juggling and the illusion of magic. Juggling is about effort not cheap tricks bought off a shelf. Can he resolve his crisis of dexterity or will magic ruin the art he loves? All profits will be donated to Camp Good Days & Special Times!
Protest is a political drama by playwright and former Czech Republic President Václav Havel which explores courage, complicity, and the price of dissent under authoritarian rule. Two old friends, Stanek, a successful writer, and Vanek, a dissident recently released from prison, reunite after many years. As they discuss a petition protesting government oppression, personal fears and moral compromises surface. Directed by Jeremy Sarachan and starring Richard Kendrick and Turk Thomas.
A riveting one-man show that traces the journey of a young, Black scholar amidst major political shifts. With raw monologue, electrifying spoken word, & original music, this autoethnographic tour de force lays bare the intersections of systemic racism, mental health, & criminal “justice”. With unflinching honesty, Lamar the Therapist (under Reuben J. Tapp’s
Have you ever felt like whatever can go wrong will go wrong? You're always putting your foot in your mouth or finding yourself in crazy situations? We'll explore all of that and more in three one-acts by comedy masters David Lindsay-Abaire, Christopher Durang, and David Ives. We'd love to see you in our audience this Fringe! Starring Larry Ploscowe, Brittany Gagen, Andrea Daszkiewicz, Jon Lewit and Gretchen Woodworth. Directed by David C. Woodworth.
Get ready for a hilarious outburst of improv performed by some of the brightest (and slightly twisted) teen minds in our area. Join us for a fast-paced, family friendly, interactive experience where the audience becomes part of the show—so bring your razor-sharp wit, along with your own unique and goofy ideas. Produced by A Magical Journey Thru Stages, and performed by Stages of the the Game Improv Troupe. You'll howl with laughter at the madcap comedy created by some pretty creative kids!
A FABULOUS evening of some of the best Rochester has to offer including queens and/or kings of drag and hilarious stand-up comedians. Musical performance and stand-up providing all types of laughter for an all inclusive night of enjoyment. Come see this tradition of the Rochester Fringe Festival if you have not seen it yet, and if you have, come back and see your Stand Up for Drag family!
Time Schmime: History Unhinged—a fast, funny crash through the past, present, and future where nothing goes according to plan, presented by Rochester's Polite Ink. One moment you’re in ancient Rome, the next you’re dodging flying cars or debating a toaster. Smart sketch, sharp improv, and audience participation collide in a timeline that makes zero sense—but delivers total laughs. History may be inaccurate, but it’s hilariously unforgettable. You. Will. Laugh.
The Velvet Noose is highly stylized, avant-garde physical poetry. A multidisciplinary troupe, well-regarded in its unique approach to storytelling. For each Fringe Fest, themes rooted in Ancient Greek literature are explored to therapeutic tenacity, resulting in story that is felt viscerally, as their display spans the entire range of the human experience. The Velvet Noose’s professionally produced, sold-out performances continue to leave Fringe audience members in awe. Theatre you can feel!
