Adventures await local theatergoers
A new theater festival kicks off in Pittsburgh this weekend, when theaters throughout the area are packed with openings for sophisticated tastes and season-enders to delight families.
The first Pittsburgh Fringe Festival sends out 22 works by artists from as far away as San Francisco’s Joe Medina, of the band Merch, who will deliver “The Monologue,” a shout-out to the band’s latest recording, “This Betrayal Will Be Our End.” Closer to home, there are local performers such as the No Name Players premiering a new musical, “[best imitation]” by Jeremy Richter and directed by Don DiGiulio.
The festival opens with two events on Saturday and continues the following weekend.
There are no rules and there was no juried selection.
“The artists were picked out of a hat,” said Ross native and University of Pittsburgh grad Daniel Stiker, whose dream took shape with a seed grant from the Sprout Fund and support from Steel City Improv and Eons Fashion in Shadyside.
Pittsburgh Fringe held workshops and forums in preparation for the festival, patterned after the mother of all such fests, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Its mission is to “support adventurous and exploratory performing artists by showcasing their uncensored artistic expression in a professional environment to equally as adventurous audiences and opportunities.”
Marketing was limited to social media and word of mouth, and it was a surprise when 44 applicants vied for a spot.
Mr. Stiker figures that the most performances an intrepid fringegoer can see is seven, mostly due to time and proximity. Seating is first come, first serve. There are 50 to 100 seats, depending on the venue, with a box office at each location. Check the schedule at pghfringe.org.
The process began in earnest about six months ago, with
support that led organizers to Shadyside as the site.
Finding a walkable neighborhood and places close by was their criteria, said Mr. Stiker, who spent time with a theater company in New York before returning to Pittsburgh to complete his education. “Some festivals have venues throughout the entire city, but then transportation is an issue. The venue selection process was much harder than I thought. The key was getting [City Councilman] Dan Gilman’s support. Then Steel City Improv became our first venue sponsor, then Eons Fashions. That gave us entrance to two venues and was a great help in getting the rest.”
The venues are Gallerie Chiz (5381 Ellsworth Ave.), Steel City Improv (5950 Ellsworth), the Shadyside Boys & Girls Club (6 Brownell St.), Ava Cafe and Lounge (304 N. Craig St., Oakland) and several sites at Winchester Thurston School (555 Morewood Ave.).
“Prepare for adventure,” Mr. Stiker said of the offerings. “It’s not always in the typical way we think of theater, but we try to make it as theater-like as possible.”