In January, the arts community faced a significant change when Capital Fringe announced it would discontinue its iconic annual festival.
For many artists, like Aubri O’Connor of Nu Sass Productions, this news felt like a personal loss.
“It felt like a piece of my heart broke,” O’Connor reflects, recalling the excitement she felt when her theater company launched its debut show at Capital Fringe in 2009.
For emerging artists, acceptance into the festival often serves as a springboard for successful artistic careers.
Numerous theater companies that originated at Capital Fringe have since flourished, and this year marks the beginning of a new chapter with the launch of the District Fringe Festival.
Nu Sass Productions has partnered with Pinky Swear Productions and Theatre Promotheus to establish this new event, taking place over the next three weekends on the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) campus in Van Ness.
While this inaugural festival is smaller in scale compared to its predecessor, it is positioned as an opportunity to showcase locally grown theatre that aims to entertain, provoke thought, and evoke emotion.
O’Connor notes that the festival came together in an impressively short four months, a timeline considered difficult even for a single play.
She emphasizes the collaborative effort that made this festival possible, stating, “It’s been amazing how many people have really put their full selves into bringing this festival to life.
It hasn’t been a single leader — not me, not Karen, not Tracey — none of us is the reason the festival is happening.
The reason the festival is happening is that three dozen people came together and offered their skills to make it possible.”
To ensure the festival was manageable, the organizers intentionally limited the programming scope.
Out of over 60 submissions, a juried selection process was used to curate a compelling lineup featuring a smaller number of shows.
The festival will present seven main productions, each featuring four to six performances, as well as eight additional ‘one-nighter’ shows that may run multiple times.
Alongside these productions, UDC’s outdoor Firefly Amphitheater will host nearly two dozen free performances, including Disney sing-alongs, ‘Shakespeare in the Pub,’ and karaoke.
Participants include Avant Bard Theatre, The Artless Bards Improvised Shakespeare, and various musical acts such as Boy Meets Pearl and Ari Voxx & The Sad Lads.
Approximately half of the featured ticketed productions highlight LGBTQ artists or themes.
One such production is ‘A Guide to Modern Possession,’ a dark musical comedy by queer nonbinary artist Caro Dubberly that explores trauma while celebrating musical theater’s magic.
Another is ‘Go,’ a wordless physical theater piece by gay couple Rodin Alcerro and Pablo Guillen, presenting the silent bond between two clowns.
The historical drama ‘Now to Ashes’ showcases four abolitionist women and features a ten-person cast presented by Theatre51.
Additionally, Daniel Maseda’s ‘Be Good’ with Paulette offers a one-person character comedy, while Ché Navin Arrington’s ‘The Hardest Words to Say’ addresses trauma processing through a six-person cast drama.
Lenox Kamara’s ‘The Pit,’ presented by the Confetti Collective, features a queer Black teenage drag artist in a narrative described as a ‘night of nonsense and nostalgia.’
Lastly, ‘Matt & Lily Get Together’ offers an hour of stand-up from queer, polyamorous comedian Lily Kerrigan and her self-proclaimed himbo boyfriend, Matthew Marcus.
The selection process prioritized diversity among artists and stories, with a specific focus on supporting marginalized communities.
O’Connor shares insight into the jury’s decision-making: “We did weight shows that featured BIPOC artists or stories, shows that featured queer artists or stories, and shows that featured drag or other — I’m gonna call them endangered — artforms under attack.
Because those communities need support right now.”
As District Fringe kicks off, it symbolizes not just the resilience of the local arts community, but also the hope for a vibrant future in D.C.’s theater scene.
image source from：metroweekly
