Adam Lubitow
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This is my third year covering the Rochester Fringe Festival
for City Newspaper, and while I’ve got a long list of shows I’m looking forward
to — Remote Rochester, ShakesBLOOD, Hot Tub: The Musical, and the RIT Student
Honors Show currently top my list — by now I’ve learned that my favorite acts
often end up being the ones that weren’t even on my radar going into the
festival. It’s the joy of discovery that keeps me excited and coming back to
Fringe each year.
I’m also hoping to check out the lineup of movies showing at
the festival’s Pedestrian Drive-In at least a couple nights over the next 10
days. As programmer and writer for the ImageOut Film Festival, as well as City’s
resident film critic, the rest of my time is spent loitering in Rochester’s
many fine movie houses. As the week marches on, I’ll mostly be surviving on a
steady diet of iced coffee, popcorn, and dreams, but as long as you don’t mind
a likely-delirious, sleep-deprived response, feel free to shoot me a tweet @adamlubitow.
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Daniel J. Kushner
Art in a familiar medium that challenges us to engage with
culture in a way we may not have otherwise has always piqued my interests.
There is perhaps no local festival that draws such a high concentration of artists
who ply their trade in this way than the Rochester Fringe Festival.
I’m especially excited about the influx of contemporary dance
performances that the festival brings, including works from New York City and
Milwaukee choreographers in “An Ode to Lovingly Imperfect Bipedals” and a
program from BIODANCE that shines a much-needed light on social justice issues.
Contemporary dance will also be an integral part of the
concert “Bach without Boundaries,” in which violist Bridget Kinneary will
perform alongside dancer Missy Pfohl-Smith. The Fringe Festival presents
numerous opportunities to see multidisciplinary works that show how music and
visual art can inform one another, and this performance will certainly be one
to watch. Follow me on Twitter: @danieljkushner.
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Frank De Blase
Welcome to my world, the underground; splendor in the light
fantastic; life on the edge; life on the fringe. If you know anything about me,
you know I dig shit that’s out there, socially, emotionally dangerous, devoid
of convention, a genuine threat to pop culture and organized religion. Now not
everyone has the resources or the wherewithal to go hunting for the odd, the
unique, the fringe, but you do have the Rochester Fringe Festival where all
disciplines of artistic expression explode upon our downtown landscape in a
counter culture display. And we’re not just talkin’ about music either. I’m
aiming to see a pant-load of performances howsabout you?
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Leah Stacy
I am a freelance journalist who eagerly anticipates the
Rochester Fringe Festival every year. Though my specialization is in theater, I
love any risky, new artistic work. In 2014, I produced my own show,
“Intrepid,” at the Fringe — but I look forward to being in the audience this
year. When I’m not freelancing, you can find me at Nazareth College
teaching media and communication classes or guzzling coffee at one of the many
fine shops around town. You can follow me on Twitter: @leahstacy.
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Rebecca Rafferty
I’m looking forward to loads of shows (I’m reviewing 30 and
probably seeing even more), but especially the Arthur Shawcross-based drama,
“Mystic Castle”; “Conscience,” a play about Rochesterian Bob Good on trial as
part of the Camden 28; “Sure-Minded Uncertainties,” which promises a magical
exploration of the balance of nature and technology; “H | Histories,” a musical
performance inspired by subatomic particles and genomic lineage; and the Roc
Bottom Slam Poetry Team’s performance of “Growing Pains.” Follow me on Twitter:
@rsrafferty.
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Jake Clapp
It’s hard not to be excited about the Rochester Fringe Festival. More than 500 events; unique settings; artists pushing the boundaries of what is considered “traditional” in their genres; the Fringe is a whirlwind of performances that you won’t easily find anywhere else during the year. It’s invigorating to see the Rochester arts community starting to embrace new, funky, and fun ideas. Plus it doesn’t hurt that the fall weather is starting to creep in.
While I will be out and about covering my share of performances, as City’s Arts & Entertainment editor, I will spend the next week mostly burning the midnight oil, coordinating coverage, tweeting, and helping our bloggers review their shows. It’s going to be an exciting week, and we want to help you figure out how to make the most of the Fringe.
This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2015.
