Theater flourishes on the Fringe
Fort Lauderdale event will feature music alongside dance and theatrical performances
Dance, spoken word and live music planned at a bigger Fringe Festival.
For its sophomore season, the Fort Lauderdale Fringe Festival is doubling in size.
Staged by Broward College on Friday and Saturday at the down town campus in Fort Lauderdale, the festival features a variety of live performances, including theater, dance, spoken word and music, as well as vendors in an outdoor family plaza at the college’ s Willis Hol com be Downtown Center.
“The big difference is we went from one day to two days and a preview night,” explains Dan Barnard, associate dean of cultural affairs. “So our footprint is bigger. Wewant to grow, but grow organically, not in a forced way.”
The idea of a Fringe Festival is based on the original Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a collection of unjuried and uncensored theater pieces. The Fringe, as it is known, has become a brand with similar festivals being produced in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.
In South Florida, the Fringe Festival is also expanding the kind of events it offers, according to its artistic director, Vanessa Elise.
“In terms of artists, we didn’t have any live music performances last year,” Elise says. “This time, on Saturday, May 7, we… have music from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. They are all locals. We also have workshops, which is very different from last year. Theworkshops are free for the performers and the audience.”
Barnard adds, “By far the thing most people asked us for was a day pass. Last year, everything was priced per show.”
So this time around, audiences can buy individual tickets, day passes or weekend passes. Shows can range from30 to 60 minutes. All proceeds from ticket sales go back to the artists. The street fair— with vendors, food trucks and family activities— is free and open to the public. Apreview performance will take place 8-10 p.m. Friday.
“This all came about because [Broward College] president J. David Armstrong thought it was a good idea for us,” Barnard says. “He had the vision in the first place. In looking at it, I can understandwhy hewould think that. It’s in the spirit of the first Fringe Festival, the original in Edinburgh… where therewas this big festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, and then therewas this other little festival going on, apart, on the fringes of this big, official festival. That’s how this whole fringe thing started. We are so close to Miami, but… can’t be seen trying to do everything Miami does. Fort Lauderdale compared to Miami is a fringe, butwe need to develop our own identity, do our own thing.”
The Fort Lauderdale Fringe Festival will run May 6-7 at Broward College Downtown Center, 225 E. Las Olas Blvd., in Fort Lauderdale. Showtimes are noon-10 p.m. Friday, May 6, and 11a.m. -10 p.m. Saturday, May 7. To order tickets, call 954- 201-6884 or go to FortLauderdaleFringe.com.