Tag Archives: Cincinnati Fringe Festival

The 2023 Cincinnati Fringe Festival 

Celebrating 20 Years of Experimental Performance in Over-the-Rhine 

Announcing the Digital Primary Lineup, All Ages Events, Fringe Development, Special Events, Visual Fringe, Public Workshops, and the After Hours Schedule

Know Theatre proudly presents The 20th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival – the region’s largest and longest-running annual performing arts festival – June 2-17, 2023! A 14-day celebration featuring 170+ live performances from independent local, national, and international theatre artists, the Cincy Fringe is Cincinnati’s Summer Theatre Party.

This year we offer an incredible variety of ways for people to re-engage with their social and creative practice:

• 30 Primary Lineup Performances
• 40+ Productions to entertain at 6 venues within a casual 15 minute walk from each other in Over-the-Rhine: Know Theatre, Art Academy of Cincinnati, Gabriel’s Corner, and 1316 Main Street.
• Free All Ages Performances on Weekend Afternoons
• Free Happy Hour Performances on Saturday evenings in the Know Underground
• Free Nightly After Hours Events
• Public workshops from outstanding artists in their field
• And the Grand Reopening of the beloved Know Underground Bar! 

TICKETING INFORMATION

• 50% of all Box Office revenue is given to the Performance Fringe artists.
• Single tickets to the 2023 Cincy Fringe are $18.
• The All-Access Pass ($300) is good for one entry into as many productions as one person can see.
• Our 6-ticket Flex Pass ($90) can be used in any combination of shows and is transferable among individuals.
• All passes are currently on sale at cincyfringe.com

Digital Primary Lineup

Video On Demand

Sweet Dreams, Pillowman
J.E. Hibbard of Indianapolis, IN
Monique, along with her Basement Rat Chorus, conjures up a new roommate.

Free All Ages Events

These productions are Pay-What-You-Wish, but you will have an opportunity to pay the artist directly at the performance. As space is limited, we ask that folks reserve tickets in advance.

Fantastical Tales
Paul Strickland Presents out of Covington, KY
Paul Strickland tells children and family stories. Bring everyone! 

Trolls! Trolls! Trolls!
Autumn Kaleidoscope out of Cincinnati, OH
There’s a TROLL in my suitcase!

Storytime with Sparkle
Sparkle Leigh out of Cincinnati, OH
A simple & hysterical afternoon for Friends & LGBTQ+ Found Fam!

Fringe Development

New works with open rehearsals and only one performance.

Far Away From Home: The Travel Plays
Madeline Mitchell out of Cincinnati, OH
Several short plays take the audience around the world.

Perfect Purity
Faith Von Handorf out of Cincinnati, OH
A purity instructor gives a presentation while struggling with doubt.

The Stork Files: True Stories of Adoption, Abortion, and Having No Choice
Julie Coppens out of Cincinnati, OH
Unswaddling secrets, terminating shame, bearing witness, fostering community.

Special Events

Special Events with only one or two performances.

Alphas: Apocalypse
Alphas Improv Comedy out of Cincinnati, OH
Thematic variety show with improv, sketch, music, dancing, & joy.

Dearly Departed
Animal Engine/Karim Muasher out of New York, NY
A clown show about grieving for the whole family.

trueFRINGE 2023
True Theatre of Cincinnati, OH
True, personal “behind the scenes” stories by current Fringe artists!

Truth Talks: The Tale of The Wolf
Fly Boyz Llc/ Tre Howl out of Cincinnati, OH
Live storytelling podcast and concert series featuring Tre Howl

Workshops

Public workshops with local and touring artists. As space is limited, reservations are required.

WORKSHOP: Sew’N’Tell
Sunday, June 4th at 12:30pm; ongoing throughout the day; Ages 16+; FREE;
Materials Provided; Know Theatre Underground: 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

A crafting and community workshop where we’ll share personal stories regarding reproductive choice and make hot water bottle covers to be part of an installation for the Fringe Development project: “The Stork Files: True Stories of Adoption, Abortion and Having No Choice.”

WORKSHOP: Storytelling with Jon Bennett
Tuesday, June 6th from 6-8pm; 2 hours; Ages 16+; Sliding Scale: $25-$50
1316 Main Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Be trained by internationally-acclaimed storyteller Jon Bennett in a workshop to learn how to tell a story. Jon tours his storytelling shows all over the globe. His stories are heard on radio (NPR, The Moth) and his writing has been included in 2 New York Times Best Selling books.

WORKSHOP: The Art of Self-Defense with Brother Reginald Stroud
Thursday, June 8th at 5pm; 75 minutes; Ages: 10+ ; $10
Gabriel’s Corner: 1425 Sycamore Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Back by popular demand! A comprehensive self-defense session against very common attack situations in the street environment led by Brother Reginald Stroud. Teaching JINEN-DO for over 45 years, Brother Reginald is the former head Martial Arts Instructor at the Cincinnati Arts Consortium and currently teaches out of his home in Northside.

WORKSHOP: Movement Class & Choreographic Workshop
Saturday, June 10th at 11am; In two parts:
11am-12:15pm : 75 minute movement class
11am-1:30pm:  75 minute movement class + 75 minute choreographic workshop

Ages 16+; $25; Gabriel’s Corner: 1425 Sycamore Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

A movement workshop for anyone who has ever mothered anything.

Movement class & choreographic workshop led by Megan Flynn & Teresa VanDenend Sorge.  We will move together, followed by an opportunity to create an original dance, drawing from participants’ personal stories of caregiving, love, loss and everything in between. Open to all levels of experience, and personal identities. Appropriate for ages 16+. http://www.flynndance.org/

WORKSHOP: DIY Foam Sword & Fight Choreography with Jonn Baca
Sunday, June 11th at 1pm; 90 minutes; Ages 10+; $30; Know Theatre (Outside)

Back by popular demand! Participants will make foam swords using simple provided materials and then be led in the art of theatrical swordplay with Certified Teacher, Jonn Baca.

WORKSHOP: Introduction to Theatrical Intimacy
Thursday, June 15th at  4pm; 2 hours; Ages 18+; $20; Know Theatre Mainstage

How do actors figure out how to hold hands, kiss, or remove clothing onstage? In this workshop with intimacy director Karim Muasher, artists and audiences will learn how consent, boundaries, and choreography are used to create powerful moments of storytelling for both pre-existing and original works. (Note: no physical touch required of participants). https://www.intimacydirector.nyc/

Happy Hour Performances

Every Saturday evening at 5:15pm in the Know Theatre Underground; FREE

Saturday, June 3: Comedy Sportz!
The All-Ages, award-winning, improvised comedy show where 2 teams battle for your laughs and audience points! 

Saturday, June 10: Gay Spelling Bee
A fun and raucous game show where contestants try to spell GAY words all while navigating a secret rule to make things even more ridiculous.

After Hours Schedule

Every Night at 10pm we gather back at the Know Theatre Underground Bar for revelry! A different theme every night!

Friday, June 2: Fringe Kick-Off & 60-Second Previews!
At 6pm,  we gather to celebrate the opening of the 20th annual Cincy Fringe and at 8:30pm, every primary line-up production gets exactly 60-seconds on the Underground Stage to pitch their shows over the first two nights of Fringe!

Saturday, June 3: 60-Second Previews Take 2! 

Sunday, June 4: FRINGE-A-OKE!
With costumes, wigs, and back-up dancers, this is not your ordinary Karaoke – it’s Fringe-A-Oke!

Tuesday, June 6: Everyone’s An Artist
A chill night of coloring the creations of local digital illustrator and adult coloring book creator, Brandon Hill, live acoustic music from singer-songwriter, Robert Stark and artist-priced drinks!

Wednesday, June 7: Artist Speed Dating
Artists rotate to meet Patrons and pitch their shows over a series of very short “dates.” Get to know the Fringe Community!

Thursday, June 8: Gay Spelling Bee
A fun and raucous game show where contestants try to spell GAY words all while navigating a secret rule to make things even more ridiculous.

Friday, June 9: Puppet Slam
An evening of curated short-form puppetry acts intended for adult audiences.

Saturday, June 10: Fringe Homecoming
Let’s celebrate 20 years of Cincy Fringe with an epic dance party, the announcement of our Fringe Encores, AND the reveal of Know Theatre’s 26th MainStage Season!

Sunday, June 11: Fringe Con
Celebrate Fringe-Fandom with Creative Cosplay and Fringe D&D LIVE, our annual Table Top Roleplaying Adventure with an Audience! 

Tuesday, June 13: Fringe Olympics
Team up with your new best buds and test your strength and wits in Feats of Fringe!

Wednesday, June 14: Improv Jam
No script? No problem. Enjoy an evening of spontaneous fun led by local improvisors and open to all!

Thursday, June 15: Comedy Night
West Coast comedy travels to the Midwest! Sam Fisher and friends pull characters and themes from the ether for your entertainment.

Friday, June 16: Flashlight Cabaret
An evening of unforgettable entertainment lit entirely by audience flashlight.

Saturday, June 17: Pick of the Fringe and Closing Night Party – 9:30pm
Party with us one more time as we celebrate the closing of the festival and award the Picks of the Fringe!

Visual Fringe

“Rainbow Box” by Michael Coppage out of Cincinnati, OH

A community impact project centering and amplifying the voice of Black LGBTQIA+ individuals by sharing their stories through a series of interdisciplinary offerings: portraits, podcasts, and a dance film.

Adult Coloring Books by Brandon Hill out of Cincinnati, OH
As part of After Hours: Everyone’s An Artist Night on Tuesday, June 6

Inspired by personal experiences of trauma and healing, Brandon Hill’s vibrant and therapeutic coloring books offer a journey of self-discovery. With a passion for promoting mindfulness and self-care, Brandon’s work aims to inspire others to find solace and creativity in their own lives.

Primary Lineup Details

This year’s Primary Lineup totals 30 productions (29 in-person and 1 online) and features new work from 15 local creators, 13 productions from across the country, and 2 international artists from Japan and Australia.

With 16 world premieres, 14 regional premieres and 14 producing companies that have never-been-seen-before in Cincinnati, audiences are guaranteed to experience something extraordinary! 

The 2023 Cincy Fringe Festival Primary Lineup

1nce Upon a Lie: Paul Strickland
Paul Strickland Presents out of Covington, Kentucky
Paul Strickland’s NEW collection of HILARIOUS, HEARTFELT STORIES and SONGS!

Anatomica
Amica Hunter out of Portland, Oregon
What’s THE BEST skeleton? Get in loser, we’re finding out. 

Anchorette
Jane Carver out of Cincinnati, Ohio
An abandoned baby, a ship’s crew, and an ancient superstition… 

Bloodline
Paris Crayton III out of Los Angeles, California
The multi-generational love story of three men with the same name.

Cry Wulf
Boris Dansberry out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Heroism, blood, absolute evil, puppets; what’s more manly than that?

Gentrification: The Musical!
Doin’ Too Much Productions out of Cincinnati, Ohio
Definitely not a musical about OTR or 3CDC.

Granny’s FixIt: An Ozarks Guide to Healing the Body and Soul
Dawn Larsen out of Florence, South Carolina
Let Granny fix it, come git a cure. 

Happy Go Lucky
Shoshinz/Yanomi Shoshinz out of Tokyo, Japan
A one woman puppetry show from Japan.

Heart Ripped Out Twice And So Can You!
Linnea Bond out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A (mostly) comedy about pain.

Jon Bennett: Dad (hates) Jokes
2Hoots Productions out of Adelaide, Australia
Jon Bennett’s Dad is a VERY serious and VERY accident-prone man.

Julie
coyote & co creative studios out of Cincinnati, Ohio
Sapphic-picaresque journey of a 17th-century, bi-sexual, gender-bending, sword-wielding woman.

Keeping Our Torch
Pones out of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky
A dance-infused performance celebrating diverse stories of intergenerational wisdom.

MADE IN AMERICA
Teruko Nakajima out of Los Angeles, California
Teruko and Titi’s Triumph over Tragedy!

Magic for Animals
Liz Toonkel / Los Angeles Performance Practice out of Los Angeles, California
A magic show breaking through illusions around agency and consent.

Modern Beings in Search of the Sole
Solasta Theatre Lab out of Cincinnati, Ohio
To heel or heal, that is the question.

Mothering & Mourning
Megan Flynn & Teresa VanDenend Sorge Troy, New York;  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and  Cincinnati, Ohio
Dances of mothering and mourning, because aren’t we all?

One Last Night with Mary MacLane
Nora Bonner and James Cargill out of Atlanta, Georgia & Detroit, Michigan
19th century genius’s last gig before she meets the Devil.

plosive!
Performance Gallery out of Cincinnati, Ohio
Vocal sounds giving new context to conventional language.

Rappings
InBocca Performance out of Cincinnati, Ohio
Communing with the dead isn’t scary; it’s downright unreal.

RUH-Roh!
Queen City Flash out of Cincinnati, Ohio
A final, hair-raising adventure for a very meddlesome duo. 

Runaway Princess
Mary Goggin out of the Bronx, New York
A hopeful tale of heroin, hooking, and happiness.

ShMILF Life
Penny: For Your Thoughts out of Rochester, New York
Stories about dating when trans and old. HINT: You don’t.

Spank Bank Time Machine
John Michael out of Chicago, Illinois
Best friends, poppers, douches, & a time machine fueled by participation. 

The Highway Woman
Hannah Gregory out of Cincinnati, Ohio
The origin story of Wicked Lady Ferrers, Renaissance highway woman.  

The Rembrandt Job
Clifton Players out of Cincinnati, Ohio
Historically-accurate, hysterically-funny botched robbery of Rembrandt paintings from Taft in 1973.

Thread and Bone
Lisa Egan Woods out of Versailles, Kentucky
Sometimes funny, always honest memoir about grief, heart-surgery, and dressmaking.

Todalv
Maia Morrigan Aoibheil out of Cincinnati, Ohio
An Indigenous exploration of identity.

To Spite One’s Face
Zoë Peterson out of Cincinnati, Ohio
The VHS from The Ring meets the women of G.L.O.W. 

UDFCC (Unambiguously Destructive Family Crushes Community)
The Pajama Playhouse out of Cincinnati, Ohio
Two Carls, Barry Larkin, and a banana stroll down Central.

Who’s Afraid of Winnie the Pooh?
Clevername Theatre out of Saint Paul, Minnesota
It’s Edward Albee, but Winnie the Pooh.

Know Theatre is Cincinnati’s Theatrical Playground. The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience. Know Theatre seeks to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible.

The 20th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival is made possible by a generous partnership with our neighbors, the Art Academy of Cincinnati and 3CDC.

Know Theatre’s work is made possible, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Know Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

Know Theatre is also supported by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which provides a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving.

Know Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group and an Associate Member of the National New Play Network. 

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Liz Toonkel’s MAGIC FOR ANIMALS, a one-woman magic show breaking illusions around agency and consent, comes to the 20th annual Cincy Fringe

“In Liz Toonkel’s daring performance, she showed us vulnerability, empathy, and above all humor.”
– L.A. Dance Chronicle

Los Angeles | May 17, 2023 – In this one woman magic show about agency, consent, and animal rights, Liz Toonkel, the production designer behind the Oscar nominated film “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” a professional magician, and a passionate activist for animal rights, raises urgent questions about personal autonomy for humans and animals. Next month, Toonkel, in partnership with  Los Angeles Performance Practice, brings this thought-provoking and downright hilarious magic show to the 20th annual Cincy Fringe Festival from June 3rd through June 14th, 2023.

“I am excited to bring Magic for Animals to the Cincy Fringe because historically, womxn and animals have only existed in magic as props to be cut in half or miraculously disappeared,” says Toonkel. “But in this show, they are fully embodied subjects given space to speak and swim. As a queer female magician, I welcome audiences who feel alienated at traditional magic shows that often employ racist and sexist language and behaviors,”.

In this show, Toonkel never uses live animals as props. Magic engages the viewers to consider the pressing issues of animal welfare, climate change, and sexism through a continuous narrative woven throughout each illusion, ultimately paving a way forward with empathy and self-awareness. Part political protest and part humorous spectacle, Liz Toonkel created Magic for Animals as a form of dissent to inspire audiences to investigate their relationships to animals and one another, employing sparkling, incisive humor to offer an antidote to the gendered and speciesist tradition of magic.

Liz Toonkel is an all around creative force who believes in the storytelling power of design in theater and visual art. Her work, which ranges from performance, installations, and video art, strives to wield a power that serves the LGBTQIA community, BIPOC, and womxn. Recent Exhibitions include Aarhus Festuge with Live Art Denmark, Honor Fraser Gallery, LAX Festival, ltd Gallery and the 2016 Queer Biennial in Los Angeles. Liz was nominated for an Art Director’s Guild award for her production design of the Oscar nominated animated feature film “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.” She is a magician member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California.

She adds: “It brings me so much joy to perform a show that not only entertains but also educates and inspires my audience. It will be so rewarding to get to share my work with a new community and I am so grateful for the opportunity,”.

Magic for Animals premiered in 2021 at the Live Arts Exchange Festival presented by Los Angeles Performance Practice, and had its international debut at Aarhus Festuge, Live Art Denmark in 2022. It can be seen this summer at Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland, U.K. The show is produced in partnership with Los Angeles Performance Practice – a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, California – devoted to the production and presentation of contemporary performance by artists whose work advances and challenges multidisciplinary artistic practices.

Show dates and times for Magic For Animals at Cincy Fringe are Saturday, June 3 at 7pm, Sunday, June 4 at 4:15pm, Friday, June 9 at 7pm, Saturday, June 10 at 4:15pm, and Sunday, June 11 at 7pm (U.S. Eastern time). The show venue is located at 1316 Main St, Cincinnati, OH 45202. Venue houses open 15 minutes prior to showtime for all performances.

Tickets and passes are now available online at https://cincyfringe.com/magic-for-animals/ , by calling 513-300-5669, or visiting Fringe Headquarters – 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. Single tickets to all Festival shows and special events are $18, or opt for the $20 “Love Your Artists” ticket that puts more cash in the hands of artists. Passes can be purchased online or at any Fringe box office.

Cincy Fringe is produced by Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Ohio. More information about the festival can be found at https://cincyfringe.com/.

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A (mostly) Comedy About Pain Touring Cincy Fringe in June

CINCINNATI – Linnea Bond’s one-woman play, HEART RIPPED OUT TWICE AND SO CAN YOU! makes its midwestern debut for 6 performances at the Cincy Fringe Festival, the fifth stop in a six-city tour. Extended twice by popular demand after its lauded Philly premiere, HROTASCY! is a clown comedy set in the world between death and rebirth, and asks how we find hope in the midst of life’s terrible pain. Written, directed, designed, built, and performed by Bond, the show was inspired by a double rare tumor diagnosis, open chest surgery, a severe infection, and a devastating breakup.

The “(mostly) comedy about pain” opens with an ebullient sales representative pitching the experience of existence to the audience, who is cast as a “floating, memoryless energy” between death and rebirth. As the clown educates the audience on the exciting adventure of being alive, hardships from Bond’s own life – including multiple hospitalizations and a difficult breakup – increasingly infiltrate the presentation, ultimately forcing Bond to directly confront the challenge of welcoming new humans into an often heartbreaking world.

From Philly’s Broad Street Review: “Time and effort can transform pain into art and laughter. Heart Ripped Out is the triumphant result of this alchemy…Witty and moving.”

Linnea Bond is a performance artist, actor, writer, director, and teacher who produces theatrical experiences with intentional social momentum. With degrees in Sociology, Acting, and Devising, her work explores apocalypse on a global, communal, and individual scale, including facing the looming reality of the climate crisis and our need for immediate comprehensive action.

Who: Written and performed by Linnea Bond, produced by Cincy Fringe Festival – TICKETS

When:

• Thursday, June 3th, 4pm
• Friday, June 4, 2:15pm
• Saturday, June 6, 8:30pm
• Sunday, June 11st, 6:45pm
• Thursday, June 13th, 8:30pm
• Saturday, June 16, 8:30pm

Where: Art Academy (Room 301)

You can watch the Teaser trailer here.