The Atlanta Fringe Festival eschews traditional theater conventions and rewards risk

Tickets for individual fringe shows are $15 and multi-show packages are available at a discount at atlantafringe.org. An added feature of this year’s festival is street entertainment, which will be provided by buskers around Little Five Points and will include musicians, jugglers, actors and comedians. Children’s and street side events are free for all.

Brown likened the variety of fringe acts to a buffet.

“There are a lot of options available to you,” she said. “You can stumble and discover things. It can open you up to a whole new thing that you love. We need to be surprised and learn new things about ourselves.

The artists chosen to perform on the Fringe stages are selected by lottery at the start of the year. Applicants submit their show pitches – some of which are not yet developed – and the shows are chosen at random.

“I love the lottery,” Brown said. “There is no access control. No one chooses anything or tries to prove anything to anyone. You can just let your work stand alone. Sometimes people use the lottery as an excuse to write something. The application states: “To be determined.” We’re not afraid of that if the artist isn’t. They are selected and begin to write. Many times it is an award-winning show. This gives daring people a fantastic reason to unleash their creativity.

Credit: Courtesy of the Atlanta Fringe Festival

Credit: Courtesy of the Atlanta Fringe Festival

Among the artists in town this year are clowns Miles Calderon and Levi Meltzer, who will bring their play “Mr. Cardboard” to Atlanta after touring European fringe festivals.

“I think we would be in big trouble, personally, if the fringe didn’t exist,” Meltzer said in a Zoom interview while in London. “Because it’s the kind of theater that really thrives (on) the margins.” It subverts traditional ideas around theater and comedy, bringing together two things that you might not think could fit together. The audience is willing to take risks and take chances, and they might fall in love with it. »

Linnea Bond, who presents her one-woman show, “Heart Ripped Out Twice and So Can You! , said fringe festivals give artists the opportunity to break traditional theater formats.

“We’re going through a tough time right now because I think we need live entertainment more than ever, but it’s harder to get people to the theater, maybe more than ever,” he said. she declared. “But I think people want it after the pandemic. It’s even more of a valued experience. And I think with bangs, having a space where you don’t really know what the rules are brings so much excitement and freedom.

Credit: Courtesy of the Atlanta Fringe Festival

Credit: Courtesy of the Atlanta Fringe Festival

Other notable events

“Five-fifths of ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure'” (June 3 at 7 Steps)

At this annual event, five Atlanta-based performance groups retell a classic film using a variety of styles, including Beau Brown puppetry and Twinhead Theater comedy. This year, the team takes on the classic time travel comedy starring Keanu Reeves.

Preview party (June 4 at 7 Steps)

Each featured festival artist takes the stage for three minutes, giving the audience a brief overview of what they can expect when attending their shows. This gives curious viewers the opportunity to get a taste of what awaits them.

“The Mask of the Red Death” (June 7-9 at 7 Stages)

The Savannah-based Assembly of Phantasms presents an Edgar Allan Poe-flavored burlesque variety show, with a murderous ending, backstage at 7 Stages.

“Agnès and Agathe” (June 7-9 at 7 Stages)

Dancers Rachel S. Hunter and Ben Howard present their piece at 7 Stages about two former radio stars now in a retirement home. Hunter said the work aims to explore how art and artists adapt their work as they age.

THEATER OVERVIEW

Atlanta Fringe Festival

June 3-9 at 7 Stages and other Little Five Points area venues. Most shows, $15. atlantafringe.org

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Benjamin Carr is a contributing editor to ArtsATL since 2019 and a member of the American Theater Critics Association, Dramatists Guild, Atlanta Press Club, and Horror Writers Association. His writing has been featured in podcasts for iHeartMedia, on stage at the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival, and online in The Guardian. His first novel, “Impacted,” was published by The Story Plant.

Credit: ArtsATL

Credit: ArtsATL

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