The first World Fringe Day seems an appropriate time for the Rochester Fringe Festival to announce its full 2017 lineup. During its Big Reveal press conference at The Little Tuesday morning, the Fringe released this year’s schedule, including more than 500 shows in venues in and around downtown Rochester. The sixth annual Rochester Fringe Festival […]
Rochester Fringe Festival
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Comedian John Mulaney to headline Fringe
The KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival has had a real knack for grabbing top-tier, left-of-center comedians as headliners. Fringe organizers on Tuesday announced John Mulaney will perform Friday, September 22, in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Mulaney will be coming through Rochester on his Kid Gorgeous tour, which has already sold out most of its summer […]
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Festival City
It’s that splendid time of year when the Flower City transforms into Festival City. The 2017 festival lineup is as diverse as ever and expands beyond Rochester to Livingston, Ontario, and Wayne Counties. The fests offer celebrations of flowers, glorious food, booze, cuddly animals, music, art, pirates, and more. Below is a quick guide to […]
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Rochester Fringe announces Friday and Saturday headliner
KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival today announced that French street theater company Plasticiens Volants will be a headliner during its upcoming September festival. The hour-long, family-friendly program, “Big Bang,” will be presented during Fringe’s annual, free Friday and Saturday on the Fringe program on September 15 and September 16 at downtown’s Parcel 5 (285 East Main […]
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Rochester Fringe submissions open April 1
The KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival will begin accepting submissions to its 2017 edition on Saturday, April 1. The submission period opens at 9 a.m. and runs through 11:59 p.m. on April 30, and will only be accepted online at backstage.rochesterfringe.com. The multi-arts Fringe — this year’s dates are September 14 through September 23 — is […]
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Fringe 2016: What we want to see again
The First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival — well, now known as the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival — ended its record-setting fifth year on September 24, and our staff has just about recovered from the arts overload. The 10-day festival had around 67,000 attendees this year, and sold out 115 shows — from theater, dance, and […]
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Fringe Festival gets a new name
The First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival has rebranded as the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival; the announcement follows a merger between two KeyCorp entities. “There’s much more to the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival than a sponsorship,” said James Barger, president of KeyBank’s Rochester market, at a press conference this morning. “The Fringe will continue to be […]
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Rochester Fringe Festival 2016: Preview
With more than 500 performances taking place Thursday, September 15, through Saturday, September 24, there’s a lot to take in. We’ll help you get started.
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A thoughtful slice
Comedian Patton Oswalt discusses philosophy, comedy, and how stand-up will always be his mainstay
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CRITICS PICKS: Adam Lubitow
“Ruts! The Oregon Trail Experience” If you’re anything like me, you’ve got fond memories of whiling away the hours in your elementary school’s computer lab, avoiding homework and playing The Oregon Trail. Fording rivers, hunting for squirrels, and doing everything you could to avoid dying of dysentery; good times. So I’m hoping for a wagon […]
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CRITICS PICKS: Leah Stacy
“The Kiss” One of Rochester’s most experimental theater companies, WallByrd Theatre Co., will present not one but two shows during this year’s Fringe. One is a theatrical reading of a new “Dracula” adaptation; the other is “The Kiss” by award-winning playwright Murray Watts. The two-person show centers on a mysterious meeting at a park bench. […]
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CRITICS PICKS: David Raymond
“Dangerous Theatre: Hallie Flanagan” As director of the government’s Federal Theatre Project, Hallie Flanagan gave opportunities to such politically minded artists as Orson Welles, Marc Blitzstein, and John Houseman, with results that were controversial and, to some, unpatriotic. “Dangerous Theatre” dramatizes Flanagan’s 1938 testimony to the House UnAmerican Activities Committee – a minatory slice of […]
