Riding the final wings of summer, New York’s most expansive annual festival of festivals is FringeNYC—a multi-site, no hold’s barred extravaganza of music, drama, comedy (theatrical, sketch and standup), dance, vaudeville, clowning, magic and such, along with a handful of newbie genres that probably haven’t lit up your Fringe radar as yet. Take for example, a little something called “Fringe AL FRESCO” introducing outside-thebox stuff like a play that takes place on a Delancey Street rooftop (Above Us!), and Ferry Play, a self-scheduled/site-specific “sensory audio experience” requiring theatregoers to view a $1.99 prequel app before hopping aboard the Staten Island Ferry…whenever.
Emmy winner Slater Penney & Cirque du Soleil alum Jaron Hollander in The Submarine Show
With over 200 venues, hundreds of performers—some of whom you’ll recognize from film, TV and assorted other media -- FringeNYC is entertainment on steroids... an annual indulgence customizable to one’s whims, be they of the lighthearted/fun variety or on the darker, murkier underbelly of performance art. The website -- FringeNYC.org -- has even embraced the pop side of social media with “Find Your Fringe”, a quiz of the BuzzFeed variety that points you towards the FringeNYC events you’re most likely to lust after. Bonus: Not only do you get the lowdown on these handpicked shows, you also get an “exclusive discount code.”
As for the bound-to-sell-out short list, here’s a smattering of titles worth exploring: Curious Case of Phineas Gage; Sousepaw: A Baseball Story; The Submarine Show; Little One; and This Side of the Impossible.
FRINGE BENEFITS:
• Bargain basement tickets go for $18 each—except for shows that are FREE and FringeJR performances that run $13 for kids under 12 only.
• Several productions feature post-show talkbacks with actors, creators and/or subject-appropriate experts.
• The dress code is so loose you can show up in a Groucho mask and wetsuit—no problem. But please reserve the thrill of semi-nudity and beyond for the stage.
• FringeNYC, with playing schedules all over the map -- i.e. 2pm to midnight during the week and noon to midnight on weekends – allows the savvy and the curious to OD on the cool and the cutting edge, live theatre being so much more intense than your basic TV marathon!
• Aprés theatre there’s FringePLUS, billed as “A new way for artists and audiences to hang out”. The perk here is venue-specific restaurants and watering holes offering “an exclusive ticket deal” to theatregoers who want to hob, nob and selfie with FringeNYC “Ambassadors.”
• Hit “Special Events” (including cited FringePLUS and AL FRESCO) for extras with appeal for everyone from kids to teens to art lovers.
FringeNYC runs Aug. 14-30 at venues throughout the city. For more information, check out fringenyc.org.
