On Stage

THE 2018 FRINGE IS OVER!
BUT YOU CAN STILL CHECK OUT EVERYTHING YOU MISSED IF YOU WANT, I GUESS.

THE 2019 LINEUP WILL BE REVEALED ON APRIL 23, 2019!


  • Primary Lineup
    35 productions by artists and performance groups from near and far create this core component of Cincy Fringe programming, accounting for over 200 of this year’s record 250+ performances. Curated by over 40 of Cincinnati’s most passionate theatre professionals, journalists, and educators — along with some historical Fringe folk — the Primary Lineup features a gobsmacking variety of genres, styles, subject matters, and skill sets, ensuring that anyone and everyone can find their perfect cup of tea.

    These are also the productions that vie for one of our 6 Pick of the Fringe Awards, which grant recipients an additional Encore performance on the final day of Fringe!

    (Shows listed in alphabetical order.)

    All We Have Borne
    from Victoria Hawley out of Cincinnati, OH
    We’re livin’ and dyin’ here. Get used to it


     

    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Drama, Women’s Themes, Abuse
    Rated: R

    The Amphibian
    from The Burying Beetles out of Cincinnati, OH
    Man with a gun wants to be loved. Get talking.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Comedy, Political Themes, Satire
    Rated: R

    Annalise
    from Take Two out of Cincinnati, OH
    Two teens learn to deal with their mental disorders. Together.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Drama, Mental Health Themes, Storytelling
    Rated: PG-13


    Aphrodite’s Refugees
    from MonTra Performance out of Boulder, CO
    A teenage refugee’s survival story brought to life, with paint.


    Primary Lineup – Interdisciplinary
    Tags: Dramedy, Storytelling, Visual Art
    Rated: PG-13

    Bad Poetry Night
    from A to Z Productions out of Cincinnati, OH
    Kids in the Hall take on an amatuer open mic.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Comedy, Satire
    Rated: PG-13

    Billy: the Haunting of William Howard Taft
    from Autumn Kaleidoscope out of Cincinnati, OH
    President Taft is about to have a rough night!


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Dramedy, Historical, Regional Interest
    Rated: PG-13


    The Blackface Project
    from Norman-Reaves Productions out of Cincinnati, OH
    In 24 hours, the Great White Way will go black.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: African-American Themes, Drama, Multi-Cultural Themes
    Rated: R

    bloom
    from allendance out of Philadelphia, PA
    bloom drenches the ground and air with raw contact.


    Primary Lineup – Dance/Physical Theatre
    Tags: Dance, Drama, Physical Theatre
    Rated: Family Friendly (All Ages)

    The Bureau
    from Sh*t Talkers Anonymous out of Chicago, IL
    It’s been a rough day for the New World Order.


    Primary Lineup – Musical
    Tags: Comedy, Musical, Women’s Themes
    Rated: PG-13


    Curie Me Away!
    from Matheatre out of Minneapolis, MN
    The radical life story of Madame Marie Curie.


    Primary Lineup – Musical
    Tags: Dramedy, Women’s Themes, Science
    Rated: Family Friendly (All ages)

    Damage
    from Pedamentum Dance Theatre out of Cincinnati, OH
    Five true stories told through dance, poetry, and a lamp.


    Primary Lineup – Dance/Physical Theatre
    Tags: Dance, Mental Health Themes, Storytelling
    Rated: PG-13

    Delivery
    from The Functional Shoes out of New York, NY
    Three women fail to get the message across.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Comedy, Music, Women’s Themes
    Rated: PG-13


    Doppelbanger
    from Nick Jonczak out of Philadelphia, PA
    an autobiographical gay tarot cabaret.


    Primary Lineup – Solo Performance, Dance/Physical Theatre
    Tags: LGBTQ Themes, Storytelling, Spirituality
    Rated: R

    Eddie Poe
    from The Coldharts out of Brooklyn, NY
    A manic riff about the adolescence of Edgar Allan Poe.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Comedy, Horror, Music
    Rated: PG-13

    ExTrashVaganza!
    from Theatre Mobile out of Cincinnati, OH
    A strange-sational puppet musical comedy delight.


    Primary Lineup – Interdisciplinary
    Tags: Comedy, Music, Puppetry
    Rated: PG-13


    Fadeaway Girl
    from Rachel Petrie out of St. Paul, MN
    An autobiographical story of one woman’s experience with mental illness


    Primary Lineup – Solo Performance
    Tags: Dramedy, Mental Health Themes, Storytelling
    Rated: PG-13

    Forealism Tribe Origins
    from Forealism Tribe out of Cincinnati, OH
    Inter-Dimensional Being’s Earth & Spacetime Journey


    Primary Lineup – Interdisciplinary
    Tags: Dance, Music, Projection Mapping
    Rated: PG-13

    The Gospel of Barabbas
    from Hugo West Theatricals out of Cincinnati, OH
    Mysterious bible baddie gets high with satanically possessed pig.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Comedy, Satire
    Rated: R


    The Last Drag
    from Jen Spillane out of Kansas City, KS
    a rap cabaret in one act.


    Primary Lineup – Solo Performance
    Tags: Music, Storytelling, Women’s Themes
    Rated: R

    Lost Generation
    from Society’s Tongue Productions out of Cincinnati, OH
    An exploration of the stereotypes and realities of millennial life.


    Primary Lineup – Musical
    Tags: Political Themes, Spoken Word, Millennials
    Rated: R

    The Mountains Did Quake, The Hillsides Did Tremble
    from Animal Engine out of New York, NY
    The ancient epic “Gilgamesh” told in an authoritarian society.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Physical Theatre, Political Themes, Literary Adaptation
    Rated: PG-13


    Musical Chairs
    from Gideon Productions out of Long Island City
    The struggles of a 3-person marriage in a collapsing nation.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Drama, LGBTQ Themes, Political Themes
    Rated: PG-13

    The New Adventures of Calliope Jones and Captain Cool
    from Lucky Duck Productions out of Cincinnati, OH
    Superhero roommate, super-villain boss, super conflicted Calliope Jones.


    Primary Lineup – Family Friendly
    Tags: Comedy, Puppetry, Action
    Rated: Family Friendly (All ages)

    of Monster Descent
    from Queen City Flash out of Cincinnati, OH
    A supernatural solo show about inherited traits, claws and all.


    Primary Lineup – Solo Performance
    Tags: Mental Health Themes, Storytelling, Suspense
    Rated: PG-13


    One More Bad Thing
    from Homegrown Theater out of Cincinnati, OH
    Two sisters plan to start over and be good. Eventually.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Dramedy, Music
    Rated: R

    Please Shuffle the Cards
    from Erik Tait out of Columbus, OH
    Sleight of hand artist explores the border between skill and magic.


    Primary Lineup – Solo Performance
    Tags: Circus, Comedy, Magic
    Rated: PG-13

    Re-Grooving
    from Yarroway Productions out of Cincinnati, OH
    A dancer breaks through the film of her restrictive identity.


    Primary Lineup – Dance/Physical Theatre
    Tags: Dance, Music, Film
    Rated: Family Friendly (All ages)


    She Buried the Pistol
    from Lydia Blaisdell out of Brooklyn, NY
    An excavation and exorcism of my great grandmother’s legacy.


    Primary Lineup – Solo Performance
    Tags: Mental Health Themes, Storytelling, Women’s Themes
    Rated: PG-13

    Show Up
    from Peter Michael Marino out of New York, NY
    An improvised solo comedy based on your crazy life.


    Primary Lineup – Solo Performance
    Tags: Comedy, Improv, Mental Health Themes<
    Rated: PG-13

    Take Flight: An Adventure in Cirque
    from Imaginez out of Chicago, IL
    Aerial-silk/clown show about embarking on new journeys: life.


    Primary Lineup – Dance/Physical Theatre
    Tags: Circus, Comedy, Physical Theatre
    Rated: Family Friendly (All ages)


    There Ain’t No More!
    from Breaker/Fixer Productions out of Fayetteville, AR
    An award winning tour-de-folk operetta.


    Primary Lineup – Solo Performance
    Tags: Dramedy, Music
    Rated: PG-13

    Thrive IRL
    from Nameless Numberhead out of Charleston, SC
    A post-apocalyptic vaudeville show about YOU.


    Primary Lineup – Interdisciplinary
    Tags: Comedy, Music, Satire
    Rated: PG-13

    Vox Box
    from Performance Gallery out of Cincinnati, OH
    A sumptuous sound sensation; like Jabberwocky meeting a blender.


    Primary Lineup – Interdisciplinary
    Tags: Avant Voice, Vocal Gymnastics, Eargasm
    Rated: PG-13


    Walt Fit
    from Jimmy Grzelak out of Philadelphia, PA
    A live workout video for your abs and existential dread.


    Primary Lineup – Solo Performance
    Tags: Music, Political Themes, Fitness
    Rated: R

    The Whitest Baby in All of Africa
    from Welage & Kerns Productions out of Cincinnati, OH
    White couples, baby troubles, swaddles, squabbles and the improbable.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Comedy, Multi-Cultural Themes, Satire
    Rated: PG-13

  • Fringe Next
    For the past 8 Festivals, Cincy Fringe has offered slots to local high school-aged artists to create, direct, design, perform in, produce, and otherwise entirely control their very own productions. Technically part of the Primary Lineup, we think these up-and-comers deserve special recognition; they are the voices of the future, after all!

    (Shows listed in alphabetical order.)

    Annalise
    from Take Two out of Cincinnati, OH
    Two teens learn to deal with their mental disorders. Together.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Drama, Mental Health Themes, Storytelling
    Rated: PG-13

    The Whitest Baby in All of Africa
    from Welage & Kerns Productions out of Cincinnati, OH
    White couples, baby troubles, swaddles, squabbles and the improbable.


    Primary Lineup – Play
    Tags: Comedy, Multi-Cultural Themes, Satire
    Rated: PG-13

  • Fringe Development
    From workshops of brand new productions to artist-led Master Classes, Fringe Development is all about using the
    critical mass of creativity at the Festival to fuel the growth and evolution of shows and individuals.

    (Shows listed in alphabetical order. Master Class schedule TBA on 5/16.)

    H2O: A Play about Water
    from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) Acting Department out of Cincinnati, OH
    Water is life. And there can be no life without water.


    Fringe Development – Play
    Tags: Drama, Environmental Themes, Music
    Rated: PG-13

    The Origin of Kick Jab Girl
    from Muwhahaha Productions out of Cincinnati, OH
    Retired superhero breaks the mold on where heroes come from.


    Fringe Development – Play
    Tags: Mental Health Themes, Political Themes, Women’s Themes
    Rated: R

  • Visual Fringe
    Fringe isn’t just about live performance, it’s about ALL artistic endeavors, including visual art. From galleries to interactive installations,
    from painting to photography, Visual Fringe is a feast for the eyes across all corners and venues of the Festival! AND IT’S ALL FREE!

    (Listings in alphabetical order. Additional galleries and installations TBA on 5/16.)

    Cal’s Kinda Weird Art
    from Cal Harris out of Cincinnati, OH
    Cal’s art is kinda weird. Fringe is kinda weird. So we’re putting
    Cal’s kinda weird art all over the kinda weird Fringe, which is kinda weird. While it’s kinda weird, though, it’s also kinda weird…so we’re kinda
    totally okay with letting Cal kinda definitely do this kinda weird thing.


    Venue:Venue Box Offices and Fringe HQ

    Fringe: A History in Murals
    from Xylene out of Cincinnati, OH
    Over the years Fringe has welcomed the talented artists at Xylene
    (formerly Higher Level Art) to grace a side of Know Theatre (Fringe HQ)
    with one of their fantastic murals. For our 15th Anniversary, we’ll feature a gallery highlighting each and every mural composed for Fringe over the years.


    Venue:Fringe HQ

    Fringe Faces
    from Dan R. Winters Photography out of Cincinnati, OH
    Fringe Faces features a portable photo booth that will appear during
    specific Fringe events. Portraits are taken in no more than 5 minutes and
    a collection of the best photos will displayed at Fringe HQ. Fringe Faces captures the frantic joy of Fringe while keeping up with its frantic pace.


    Venue:Multiple locations. Dates and times TBA on 5/16.


    On the Fence
    from Assorted Artists – and YOU! out of Cincinnati, OH
    In 2017, Fringe took over the fence surrounding the parking lot
    neighboring Know Theatre to provide space for artists and the
    general public to get creative. This year we’ve got more of the same
    and it’s up to you to decide how things look.


    Venue:The ARTing Lot (12th and Jackson)

    Sick Beet Stitch
    from Robyn Novak out of Cincinnati, OH
    Sick Beet Stitch will display embroidery pieces in a collection that reflects Robyn’s turbulent thoughts and feelings of being a 20-something in 2018. This includes reactions to politics, Robyn’s love/hate relationship with pop culture obsessions, and her constant search for clarity as she defines her adulthood.


    Venue:Fringe HQ

    Van Gogh Find Yourself Gallery
    from #vgfy out of New York, NY
    Explore the paintings and works created live during not only
    the Cincinnati run of Walter DeForest’s Van Gogh Find Yourself
    but also previous installments; and not only by Walter himself
    but other audience members, as well.


    Venue:Wash Part Art


    Video Overdose
    from Channel 77 out of Cincinnati, OH
    Transfix on TVs as Channel 77 weaves their unique brand of video art out of stacks of analog devices in Know Theatre’s Underground space. Turn on and tune in to their delicious visuals. Channel 77 is a video art collective based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Follow them on Instagram: @Channel___77

     


    Venue:Fringe HQ

  • Film Fringe
    From 2005-2012 Cincy Fringe included film offerings to celebrate the “kinda WEIRD” in the world of celluloid, and this year it’s back! We’re presenting 5 nights of original, independent programming (shorts and feature-lengths), all thanks to an amazing partnership with Main Street’s award-winning Mini Microcinema!

    Film Fringe Program #1
    Salute Your Shorts – Some Short Films!

    directed by Andrew Day, InquisInc, Mike Olenick,
    Nicholas Thurkettle, Thu Tran, and Andre Hyland


    Salute Your Shorts is a program of short films of various genres, from comedy to animation and even a sci-fi soap opera! Including work by Andrew Day, InquisInc, Mike Olenick, Nicholas Thurkettle, and Thu Tran. Plus the local premiere of a new short film by Cincinnati’s own Andre Hyland. (60 minutes)

    Thursday, May 31, 2018
    Doors at 7:15 PM, Screening at 7:45 PM
    @ The Mini Microcinema – 1329 Main St.

    Film Fringe Program #2
    The Pink Egg (2016)

    directed by Jim Trainor


    In The Pink Egg, directed by Chicago filmmaker Jim Trainor, the life cycles of various kinds of wasps and bees are enacted by human actors. Its purpose is to depict with emotion, humor and unnerving specificity an alternative society that actually exists but has nothing to do with human beings. (70 minutes)

    Saturday, June 2, 2018
    Doors at 7:15 PM, Screening at 7:45 PM
    @ The Mini Microcinema – 1329 Main St.

    Film Fringe Program #3
    In The Jungle (2017)

    directed by Stephanie M. Barber


    In The Jungle playfully and sorrowfully tells the tale of an unreliable narrator in a self imposed exile. serving as an extended metaphor for excessive and continual growth, death, fear and sustenance; a metaphorical space of chaos in which the scientist finds solace and which stands in contrast to the human jungle of “civilization.” (63 minutes)

    Sunday, June 3, 2018
    Doors at 7:15 PM, Screening at 7:45 PM
    @ The Mini Microcinema – 1329 Main St.


    Film Fringe Program #4
    Inhumanwich! (2016)

    directed by David Cornelius


    When all-American astronaut Joe Neumann mutates into an unstoppable blob of meat, it’s up to a team of devoted scientists and hard-nosed soldiers to stop the creature
    before it devours the planet. Yes, really. (70 minutes)

    Tuesday, June 5, 2018
    Doors at 7:15 PM, Screening at 7:45 PM
    @ The Mini Microcinema – 1329 Main St.

    Film Fringe Program #5
    How To Get From Here To There (2018)

    directed by Kevin James Thornton


    A gay man in blue collar America returns to his childhood home after the death of his mother. In his old bedroom, he discovers the ability to time travel and he blasts through the mistakes of his life. It’s a southern gothic, time traveling sci-fi gay love story! The special effects are done through the eyes of a child. The story is a metaphor for how the choices we make affect our destiny. Work-in-Progress. (90 minutes)

    Thursday, June 7, 2018
    Doors at 7:15 PM, Screening at 7:45 PM
    @ The Mini Microcinema – 1329 Main St.

  • Family Friendly Fringe
    While we pride the wide variety of offerings at the Festival for containing something for everyone, we want to ensure that plentiful opportunities exist for
    parents and children to Fringe together with us, so this year we have special, free offerings that give families a chance to get kinda weird, too!

    The Inventive Princess of Floralee
    from Know Theatre out of Cincinnati, OH
    Think like scientists on the adventure of a lifetime!


    Saturday, June 2 @ 12:00pm
    Know Theatre
    FREE!

    The Case of the Kidnapped Backpack
    from Madcap Puppets out of Cincinnati, OH
    Madcap Puppets and Paul Strickland’s Original Puppet Musical!


    Sunday, June 3 @ 12:00pm
    Know Theatre
    FREE!

  • Special Events
    Paint with Vincent Van Gogh, get surrounded by sound in a giant inflatable igloo, re-live a Fringe favorite from the past, AND MORE with our lineup of Special Event presentations that finally break you, causing puzzled exclamations like, “OMG, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SEE EVERYTHING AT FRINGE IN JUST 13 DAYS?!”

    (Productions listed in alphabetical order.)

    ComedySportz Cincinnati
    from OTRimprov out of Cincinnati, OH
    Competitive comedy improv for everyone.


    Special Event – Improv
    Tags: Comedy, Family Friendly
    Rated: All ages!

    CUSS: Fringe Edition
    from Travis McElroy out of Cincinnati, OH
    A comedy talk show with your friendly neighborhood secret society.


    Special Event – Interdisciplinary
    Tags: Comedy, Improv
    Rated: PG-13

    Improv Festival of Cincinnati (IF Cincy) Preview
    from OTRimprov out of Cincinnati, OH
    Savor a sneak preview of the 5th Annual IF Cincy!


    Special Event – Improv
    Tags: Comedy
    Rated: PG-13


    Immersive Igloo
    from Tom Montagliano out of New York
    A pop-up 3D sound experience.


    Special Event – Interdisciplinary
    Tags: Sound Design
    Rated: PG-13

    Kevin Thornton’s Final Fringe Forever! (sort of.)
    from Kevin J Thornton Entertainment out of Nashville, TN
    A man’s complicated but hilarious journey to knowing himself.


    Special Event – Solo Performance
    Tags: Comedy, LGBTQ Themes, Political Themes
    Rated: R (17+)

    MeSseD Tunnel Tour
    from MeSesD Comics out of Cincinnati, OH
    Immersive comic book experience in a subterranean basement.


    Special Event – Interdisciplinary
    Tags: Interactive experience
    Rated: PG-13


    Mortem Capiendum
    from Four Humors out of Minneapolis, MN
    Three con-men with a tonic with seemingly miraculous properties…


    Special Event – Play
    Tags: Comedy
    Rated: PG-13

    trueFRINGE 2018
    from True Theatre out of Cincinnati, OH
    True stories from Fringe artists.


    Special Event – Storytelling
    Tags: True Stories, Live Music
    Rated: PG-13

    Van Gogh Find Yourself
    from #vgfy out of New York, NY
    Have you ever wanted to meet a famous painter? Now you can.


    Special Event – Solo Performance
    Tags: Drama, Live Art Making
    Rated: PG-13


    Vibe with the TRIIIBE!
    from TRIIIBE out of Cincinnati, OH
    Rap! Chant! Break(dance)! Vibe!
    Immerse yourself in the TRIIIBE’s interactive vibe.


    Special Event – Interdisciplinary
    Tags: Spoken Word, Music
    Rated: PG-13

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