The 7th Annual KC Fringe Festival is an unfiltered, uncensored sampling of Kansas City’s cultural arts and runs July 21 - 31. The 11-day festival is jam-packed with live theater, dance, performance art, visual art, spoken word, puppetry, storytelling, film and fashion. At 17 venues throughout Kansas City, the KC Fringe Festival presents 358 live performances, 327 in the performing arts category alone, and exhibitions by 82 participating companies. Local and regional artists from Missouri and Kansas are featured along with national artists from an additional 14 states including New York, Washington, Florida, California, Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Tennessee, Indiana, Arkansas, New Jersey and Georgia.
Top returning local artists & 2011 shows:
- Kyle Hatley, the associate artistic director of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, presents a new adaptation of “Woyzeck,” a show with stage fight choreography.
- Burlesque & BOYlesque Downtown Underground bring a performance that embodies the game of life humans have been playing throughout the centuries: the battle of the sexes, burlesque style.
- Steven Eubanks, artistic director of Egads Theatre Company, presents “The Rocky & Bullwinkle Horror Picture Show Parody” based on an idea by Joe Blevins.
- Bryan Colley and Tara Varney, producers of the KC Fringe’s 2010’s “Khaaaaan! the Musical” present “Hexing Hitler.” In 1941, six people gathered in a remote Virginia cabin to kill Adolf Hitler using witchcraft. This is the true story of what happened that night.
- Susanna Lee/Lucky Deluxe presents “Getting Lucky,” a bawdy blend of standup, striptease, and audience participation; seamlessly presented in a one-woman show format by Lee.
- Heidi Van will perform a TBA window show at The Fish Tank
- Stephanie Roberts, Slow Burn Productions & UMKC Theatre faculty, presents “The Mask of the Broken Heart.” From the creator and director of “Boom!” and “Tallahassee,” this thriller combines humor, pathos and beauty while paying tribute to film-noir and Commedia dell’Arte. Roberts plays 13 characters in this masked mystery.
- Brother John presents “IRKS!” A near death experience and a heavenly comedy club provide a rare opportunity for a struggling comedian to express embittered issues and personal irks only to discover the real person that’s been sabotaging his success.
What’s New in 2011 at the KC Fringe Festival:
• 1-day ECOFringe to educate people about sustainable options including co-op farms, recycling, food not lawns, and organic culinary vendors
• Two LGBT world premiere plays performed by high school and college students
• New fiber arts project launches spearheaded by local artist Becky Blades
