WASHINGTON — The Capital Fringe Festival is in full swing, presenting the budding creative work of local artists across the nation’s capital July 7-31.
But this year’s rendition of the 11th annual festival is getting personal with a simple greeting:
“Hi, I’m Fringe.”
“Not everybody goes to theatre, so while the audience may be great, sometimes it can feel a little like it’s a special club,” founder Julianne Brienza told WTOP. “What we try to do during the Fringe Festival is introduce people to the magic of the performing arts and the ease in which you can attend them.”
It’s an important reminder for a city most often associated with lawmakers, lobbyists and lawyers.
“D.C. is a bit buttoned up, so to be going into our 11th year … is kind of amazing,” Brienza said.
While Capital Fringe marks its 11th year, the festival spirit was born decades ago across the pond.
“The Fringe originated in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1947 when the locals were not allowed to participate in the big international festival that was happening,” Brienza said. “So they did shows wherever they could in alleyways and churches, and a journalist named Robert Kemp wrote in a newspaper that the international festival was getting ‘fringed.’ That group of artists took that word and created the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is the largest … arts festival in the world.”
In the decades since, 300-400 such festivals have popped up around the world, including right here in Washington D.C. where Brienza has seen the Capital Fringe Festival evolve over the years.
“Our first year, we did about 96 productions over 11 days,” Brienza said. “It was intense. We had fewer people working on it at that point. The staff was about 15-20 people. Now, the staff during the Fringe Festival is up to about 70 people and we’re in 20 venues doing 120 productions.”
What differentiates the Fringe Fest from other local festivals?
“Risk,” Brienza said. “We don’t do a lot of judging as a staff, so a lot of it is people throwing spaghetti up against the wall and seeing what sticks — sometimes literally.”
This is, of course, a double-edged sword — but the unpredictability is precisely the magic.
“Sometimes the show can be amazing, like finding a needle in a haystack, and sometimes they can be a little rough, but definitely risk and exploration are what we try to lead with,” Brienza said. “A lot of the shows are world premieres [of] original work done by an individual that may be living really near you.”
This year’s lineup includes “The Elephant in the Room” as dancing clowns encounter a creature; “I Found the Sun Will Rise Tomorrow,” an inspiring tale of overcoming disabilities; “Complexity: A One Woman Show” about relationships in New York; “Secret Honor” where a drunken Richard Nixon encounters ghosts; and “Amelia Earhart … IN SPACE” proposing that the lost pilot landed on Neptune.
There’s also “Play Cupid” about a live crowdsourcing dating app; “Concrete Division” exploring work-life balance through contemporary dance; “The Missing Peace,” a one-woman, multi-character tale of a woman seeking her missing mother; and “The Immaculate Big Bang” about the meaning of life.
Such variety provides a little something for everybody.
“A lot of the genres this year range from historical genres, a lot of dance … a lot musical theatre … a good showing of bluegrass, which is pretty interesting. … A lot of Black Lives Matter shows with that theme. We are bringing back ‘Power! Stokley Carmichael’ done by Meshaun [Labrone], a D.C. police officer. It’s really amazing and actually was in the festival last year and sold out almost every night.”
Individual tickets cost $17. You’ll also need a Fringe button, which costs $7. Multi-show passes are highly encouraged, ranging from a four-pack to a 50-pack, which brings down the overall ticket price.
“The mentality [is] artists retain their earnings, have choice over what they do, and local performers are important to a specific community,” Brienza said. “A lot of people have formed companies and are continuing to produce. What we at Capital Fringe feel very charged with is furthering that impact, because the community has a long way to go and grow until it’s recognized by city officials.”
What would she like to see from the D.C. government going forward?
“The city itself has done a lot with the tech industry and, as they categorize, the ‘creative economy,’ which basically boils down to culinary startups. But there’s a real impact the theatre industry has on our community,” Brienza said. “[I’d love to see more] tickets issued throughout the city for theatre, actual jobs created by theatre. … We have amazing regional theatres that have a very high profile nationally … and the city should be combining that in a real way with how we talk about the creative economy.”
If you’d like to support this worthy creative cause — or simply want to have a fun night on the town with arts and entertainment — check out any number of the following venues now through July 31:
Headquarters:
The Logan Fringe Arts Space, hosting food, drinks and free music at the Fringe Arts Bar.
Trinidad:
Logan Fringe Arts Space, 1358 Florida Ave NE
Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Ave NE
H Street, Northeast:
Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St NE
The Argonaut, 1433 H St NE Gallery O on H, 1354 H St NE
Downtown D.C.
MLK Jr Memorial Library, 901 G St NW
Flashpoint, 916 G St NW
Caos on F, 923 F St NW
Sixth & I Synagogue, 600 I St NW
National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave NW
Other Venues:
DCAC, 2438 18th Street NW
Rhizome DC, 6950 Maple St NW
Tropicalia Lounge, 2001 14th Street NW
The entire production is put on by Capital Fringe, a nonprofit organization operating year round.
“The Logan Fringe Arts Space is a year-round venue,” Brienza said. “All of our shows happening from August to December are live on our website right now, we’re doing a short film festival in October, so Fringe is something that is not just in July anymore. It’s really year round, which is exciting.”
Click here for more information. Listen to the full interview with the festival director below:
