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Discover firsts, favs and FUN.

1st Impressions

Two strangers meet—at a pet adoption home visit…entering the house on a reality TV show…as two strangers on a train. What happens next is up to you. In this theatrical comedy, three shorts play out using a branching storytelling structure. The actors poll the audience at key moments, choose-your-own-adventure style. Will these first impressions go down in history as the ultimate meet cute or as a run-in with the stranger from hell? You decide.

Length: 40 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Black Box Theatre
Genre: Theatre

35mm: A Musical Exhibition

A picture is worth 1,000 words—what about a song? Can a picture inspire a song or fifteen? In 35mm, each photo creates a unique song, moments frozen in time; a glimmer of a life unfolding, a glimpse of something happening. A stunning new multimedia musical which explores a groundbreaking new concept in musical theatre, this intricately woven collection of stories told through song reimagines what the modern American musical can be.

Length: 90 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Black Box Theatre
Genre: Theatre

6th Dimension Comedy

A night of avante garde comedy from some of the best experimental comedians in New York City. Featuring Matthew Silver (MTV, Adult Swim), Andrew Steiner (Glasgow Comedy Festival), Steve Girard (Floaters Dot Com) and Alden Skeadas (Bathroom Reviews). Join us for a night you will never remember to forget.

Length: 75 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Club SOTA
Genre: Comedy

Afternoon Seance with the Fantastic Fox Sisters

You’re invited to a seance. Guided by Leah Fox of the infamous Fox sisters-—originators of the Spiritualism Movement in Rochester, NY—you’ll hear Leah’s story and commune with spirits from the beyond. This interactive one-woman show is written and directed by Brad Craddock, author of Something Wicked, Pink Ribbons, The Fighting Girl’s Guide to Politics, Learning Targets, and The Elites.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Club SOTA
Genre: Theatre

Alice in Wonderland

While chasing the White Rabbit, Alice tumbles down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. She meets all its famous residents: the King of Hearts, Red Queen, White Queen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Gryphon, Mock Turtle, the Dormouse, Mad Hatter and March Hare, the Frog Footman, the Duchess, and the Caterpillar. Come and see Wonderland as you never have before! Presented by School of the Arts students, this play is sure to delight audiences of all ages.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Black Box Theatre
Genre: Theatre

Choreomania

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.

Length: 45 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Allen Main Stage Theatre
Genre: Dance

Comedy On Deck Comes Inside

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.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Club SOTA
Genre: Comedy

Dance Evolutions

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.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Allen Main Stage Theatre
Genre: Dance

Desperadoes: A Comedy about the ‘Wild West’ of Job-Hunting

Howdy, pardners! If you’ve been downsized from your livelihood by some "high-falutin'" employers, is this the tonic for you! Come on down to the funniest new play from Jim Harney (creator of Diary of a Substitute Teacher). Step into the hilarity and craziness associated with navigating the pitfalls, people, and perspectives of corralling a new job.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Club SOTA
Genre: Comedy

Diaspora: We Are One

From Africa to the Americas, the indigenous people of the Latinx Diaspora were forced to leave behind their roots, traditions, and beliefs. “Somos Sin Cara: We are without Face,” the diasporic people found themselves on new soil. Diaspora: We Are One removes that veil of identity to highlight the cultural traditions, beliefs, and spirituality of the diasporic people through movement and dance. It shares the light of truth of who we are, and reminds all that we are one.

Length: 75 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Allen Main Stage Theatre
Genre: Dance

Emotional Baggage

Seven strangers meet in a train station. In this transitional space, they confront themselves and one another with what they carry within. This completely non-verbal piece explores movement, physicality, and dance in equal measure. With original music composed for Rochester Fringe audiences and performed live by an onstage band of buskers, this latest offering from Last Fool Productions asks: "What do we carry, and how does it shape us into the physical stories we broadcast to others?"

Length: 30 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Black Box Theatre
Genre: Theatre

Farcical Fantasies: Episodes from a Diary

Episodes from a Diary: where poetry, composition, and performance coalesce. Farcical Fantasies welcomes all to submit your own hilarious story (prose, poetry, short story or stand-up comedy snippet), for which we will compose music and perform it. There's no fee to enter for the chance to win a generous librettist monetary prize, even if your piece is not selected for composition! Submit your hilarious material at https://rb.gy/9tlx1.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Allen Main Stage Theatre
Genre: Comedy

The History of Drag, Part 1

Inspired by Mel Brooks’ film The History of the World: Part1 and Hulu series The History of the World: Part 2. The History of Drag, Part 1 is told through live comedic vignettes with a sprinkling of previously recorded material. It’s a multimedia comedic extravaganza, a celebration of what drag is and how it came to be. The world is attacking the drag community, and it's time the drag community gave a history lesson on what drag really is.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Allen Main Stage Theatre
Genre: Multidisciplinary

Human Resources

Dance celebrates the visceral capacity of the human body to utilize all its resources. The body can communicate, feel, think, respond, and express without words. Human Resources is a curated showcase of work by multiple choreographers from across the country, including producer Heather Roffe, that blends music, light and exquisite movement to produce an exciting, thought-provoking event for both seasoned dance viewers and first time audience members.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Allen Main Stage Theatre
Genre: Dance

It's Up in the Air!

It's Up in the Air! is a fun, fast paced interactive comedy cabaret spoofing the airline industry. Book your ticket for a one way flight to Rio de Janeiro and meet the crew: Skip Jones, a good ole southern boy; Mary Lou Rogers, a midwesterner who is young at heart; and Kevin Kennedy, a caustic New Yorker who tells it like it is. Before we ascend, of course, there is a flight delay (isn’t that always the case), but rest assured we will be airborne soon. So, come out and earn your wings.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Black Box Theatre
Genre: Theatre

Just A Little Scary Show!

As ghost stories go, this one is Just A Little Scary! It is the tale of how Ted Baumhauer got to meet Leon “The Wizard” Rehan, who passed away in the Great Blizzard of 1888 after his final show. Every year, Leon’s home town of Caribou has a show in his honor, featuring a variety performer. Little did Ted know what he was getting into! All profits will be donated to Camp Good Days & Special Times.

Length: 50 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Black Box Theatre
Genre: Comedy

Zizzo: A Tribute Show

Experience Zizzo: A Tribute Show, a sensational live performance that will leave you dancing, singing, and feeling like a boss. This electrifying production showcases the incredible talents of Rochester's own Zahyia & The Benevolent Mischief Arkestra. This tribute show is not just for die-hard Lizzo fans; It's a celebration of self-love, confidence, and empowerment. It's definitely an experience you don't want to miss.

Length: 50 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Allen Main Stage Theatre
Genre: Music

Mind Reader

After the success of his debut show ExperiMENTAL, Steven Nicholas returns to Rochester with a brand new mind reading experience. The show begins entirely in your imagination, and you might not even know it's happening. Nicholas reaches beyond the walls of the theater, involving people who haven't even come to the show. Minds are read, questions answered, and realities twisted. We can't tell you exactly what will happen, but we can promise you things you've never seen before.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Black Box Theatre
Genre: Multidisciplinary

Mounting Washington: The Story of a Mountain & a Miracle

What goes up…and up…and up…and up…Acclaimed storyteller/comedian Penny Sterling (Spy in the House of Men, Parents & Children/Husbands & Wives, ShMILF Life) returns to the Rochester Fringe Festival with this hilarious, heartfelt, inspiring, and improbable-yet-true tale of her quest to ride in the “World’s Toughest Bicycle Hillclimb” up Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, and the miracle that happened to her at the top. That almost killed her.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Ensemble Theatre
Genre: Spoken Word

A Nerdy Gay Juggling Show

Fresh off the hit Cirque du Fringe Afterglow, juggler Jacob D’Eustachio returns with a new solo show. Directed by Fringe favorite Matthew Morgan (Shotspeare, Flippin Metal Circus), A Nerdy Gay Juggling Show promises to be filled with unique juggling and irreverent humor. What do you do when you began juggling to express your queer longings as a closeted teen, but are now out of the closet? Why keep juggling? Find answers to this and more in this intimate, immersive show.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Movement Center
Genre: Multidisciplinary

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Genres

Comedy
Dance
Kids Fringe
Multidisciplinary
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Spoken Word
Theatre
Visual Arts & Film

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ASL Interpreted
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