Primary Lineup

THE PRIMARY LINEUP
From a pool of over 100 applicants, a jury of local theater educators, professionals, and journalists have helped us curate a Primary Lineup of 34, hour-long productions.

As the core component of the festival, these shows feature an immense variety of disciplines, themes, influences, and cultural representations.

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.)

90 Lies an Hour
from Paul Strickland Presents
out of Cincinnati, OH

New Hilarious Tall-Tales from Paul Strickland. “Master Storyteller.” – Cincinnati Enquirer

Solo Performance (Comedy, Storytelling, Songs)
Rated: PG-13
Returning Participant

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Between 3 and 5
from Pones
out of Cincinnati, OH

What happens when most of us are sleeping?

Interdisciplinary (Multi-sensory, Dance, Immersive)
Rated: R (Simulated Drug Use, Simulated Sex Acts, Adult Language)
Returning Participant

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Body Language 2019: #metoo
from True Body Project
out of Cincinnati, OH

True Body Project returns with #metoo.

Interdisciplinary (Community, Mature Content, Healing)
Rated: PG-13
Returning Participant

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Borderline A**hole
from Julie Gieseke
out of San Francisco, CA

Julie’s ideal girlfriend is … crazy or else Julie is. Relationships are so triggering.

Solo Performance (LGBTQ+, Dating, Mental Health)
Rated: PG-13
New Participant

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Child of Friday
from All That Ish Productions
out of Cincinnati, OH

Kid born on Friday 13th runs away from superstitious mother.

Play (Storytelling, Dramedy, Family)
Rated: PG-13
New Participant

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The Consciousness
from Stage & Key Productions
out of Columbus, OH

Musician steals ideas from a dead composer’s digitally-stored consciousness.

Play (Drama, Sci-Fi, LGBTQ+)
Rated: R (Adult Language)
New Participant

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Dandy Darkly’s All Aboard!
from Dandy Darkly
out of Brooklyn, NY

The less you know, the better. Go. See. Dandy.

Solo Performance (LGBTQ+, Satire, Horror)
Rated: R (Violence, Adult Language)
New Participant

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Dave Maher Coma Show
from Dave Maher
out of Chicago, IL

A comedian survived a coma and reads his Facebook eulogies.

Solo Performance (Comedy, Storytelling, Life-Changing Shit)
Rated: PG-13 (Adult Language)
New Participant

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Descent: a Murder Ballad
from Hannah Gregory
out of Cincinnati, OH

Folk musical about marriage, miscarriage, and murder.

Musical (Women, Murder, Loss)
Rated: PG-13
New Participant

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The Devil On the Wall or,
That Time I Got Kidnapped
from Jamie Campbell
out of Kansas City, MO

Acclaimed comedian Jamie Campbell re-lives the time he was kidnapped.

Solo Performance (Stand-up, Storytelling)
Rated: R (Violence, Adult Language)
New Participant

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Diagnose This! Tales of a Medical Actor
from Donna Kay Speaks
out of Portland, OR

Hilarious, cringe-worthy stories of Medical Student foibles!

Solo Performance (Comedy, Storytelling, Solo Performance)
Rated: R (Adult Language)
New Participant

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Kill You with My Love
from Muwhahaha Productions
out of Cincinnati, OH

Fractured love stories played on skipping records. Spin till you fall….

Play (Physical Theatre, Dark Comedy, Romance)
Rated: R (Violence, Adult Language)
Returning Participant

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Knifeslingin’!
from Paper Soul
out of Minneapolis, MN

Ted “Critter” Montana teaches YOU to survive the streets.

Solo Performance (Comedy, Self Defense, Macho)
Rated: PG-13
New Participant

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Kumferted
from Performance Gallery
out of Cincinnati, OH

Women tell HERstory. There will be smashing but no bashing.

Play (Women’s Themes, Physical Theatre, History)
Rated: PG-13
Returning Participant

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Let’s Prank Call Each Other
from zach dorn
out of Los Angeles, CA

A darkly funny and fast-paced live-action comic book.

Solo Performance (Puppets, Multimedia, Comedy)
Rated: R (Adult Language)
New Participant

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Live Nukes!
from The Central Scrutinizers
out of Chicago, IL

Idiots launch a nuke, go through hell to stop it.

Dance/Physical Theatre (Comedy, Clown, Mime)
Rated: Family Friendly
New Participant

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Marriage: a Work in Progress
from ED
out of New York, Los Angeles, and Granville, OH

An unscripted exploration of the ultimate commitment.

Play (Improvisation, Comedy)
Rated: PG-13
New Participant

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Martha
from Autumn Kaleidoscope
out of Cincinnati, OH

From Billions to One.

Play (Regional Interest, Environmental Issues, Dramedy)
Rated: PG-13
Returning Participant

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Meatball Seance
from John Michael
out of Chicago, IL

A Seance in the name of queer love and meatballs.

Solo Performance (Audience Participation, Comedy, Improv)
Rated: PG-13
New Participant

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The MILF Also Rises
from Jen Joplin
out of Cincinnati, OH

Clean Up This Mess! A MILF’s guide through today’s world.

Solo Performance (Women, Parenting, Activism)
Rated: R (Adult Language)
New Participant

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My Geriatric Uterus
from Aggressive Curl Pattern Productions
out of Cincinnati, OH

What’s a uterus without a baby? Empty, Bored, Sometimes MESSY.

Solo Performance (Puppetry, Musical, Women’s Themes)
Rated: PG-13
New Participant

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Nellie Bly: A Menace to Propriety
from InBocca Performance
out of Cincinnati, OH

Madness. Betrayal. Cruelty. Step beyond the asylum walls with us.

Dance/Physical Theatre (History, Women’s Issues, Play)
Rated: PG-13
Returning Participant

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NIGHTMARE FUEL
from Sarah Knittel
out of Philadelphia, PA

Naughty slumber party about demons and stupid ex-boyfriends.

Solo Performance (Comedy, Horror, New Writing)
Rated: R (Adult Language, Mimed violence, and Nudity)
New Participant

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The Origins of My Magic
from Cody Clark Magic
out of Louisville, KY

Cody reveals what influences his magical life.

Solo Performance (Magic, Storytelling, Family Friendly)
Rated: Family Friendly
Returning Participant

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Puppets Should Speak
from Schedule C Productions
out of Anderson, IN

Get drunk, take a bullet, and make sweet puppet love.

Play (Comedy, Drama, Puppets)
Rated: R (Puppet Sex and Violence)
Returning Participant

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seXmas Cards
from Kate Mock Elliott
out of Cincinnati, OH

What? You don’t talk about sex in your Christmas cards?

Solo Performance (Women’s Themes, Storytelling, Relationships)
Rated: R (Adult Language)
New Participant

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Stow Your Baggage
from Alexx Rouse
out of Cincinnati, OH

Put your seatbacks in the all-right-let’s-talk position!

Solo Performance (Comedy, Storytelling, Pencil Skirt)
Rated: PG-13
Returning Participant

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SUFFER Fools
from Homegrown Theater
out of Cincinnati, OH

Finally, someone to suffer the fools for you…gladly (mostly).

Interdisciplinary (Satire, Clowning, Social Issues)
Rated: R (Violence, Simulated Drug Use, Simulated Sex Acts, Adult Language, Nudity)
Returning Participant

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Tales From the Cuckoo Club
from Caldera Studios
out of Cincinnati, OH

Two twins torn by mental illness reconnect in a hospital.

Play (Mental Illness, Family, Dramedy)
Rated: R (Adult Language)
New Participant

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This House Will Never Let Us Go
from Gideon Productions
out of Astoria, NY

A summer housesitter discovers she’s living with an eerie housemate.

Play (Horror, Burnout, Ex with Benefits)
Rated: R
Returning Participant

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the Vegetables!
from Old, Old, Very Old, Man Productions
out of Cincinnati, OH

A musical about people in a vegetative state.

Musical (Musical, Comedy, Drama)
Rated: PG-13
Returning Participant

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The Vicious Hillbilly
or Dating in the Deep South
from Dawn Larsen
out of Florence, SC

Online dating, a tale of woe in story and song.

Solo Performance (Comedy, Americana, Dating)
Rated: PG-13
New Participant

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Walking While Black in Moscow
from The Adventures of Les Kurkendaal
out of Los Angeles, CA

I am a black gay guy who went to Russia. They have never seen a black guy in person.

Solo Performance (Comedy , Storytelling, LGBTQ+)
Rated: PG-13
Returning Participant