Philadelphia Fringe Festival

A black and white still of a scene from Daniel Stein’s Inclined to Agree, 1986. A muscular Stein lunges his bent left leg upstage, bending his torso to his left, wearing dress slacks , movement shoes and shirtless. He is stepping on two bunches of taught chords that run diagonally from his right ankle up to the rafters where more chords of varying lengths hang with weights attached . An empty door frame hangs from chords just upstage of Stein, it tilts towards him on a steep incline.
Photo: Daniel Stein
  • Book Reviews

B.F.F. (Before the Fringe Festival: A Moving History)

Walter Bilderback

A reflection on the 2023 memoir of Michael Pedretti of Movement Theatre International, pre-Philadelphia Fringe Festival.

Two women standing in a spotlit space, each with a yellow top and white pants with the taller, Zoe Rabinowitz, gazing aside, embraces and holds Mary McGrath to her chest, one arm around her blond hair, the other around her back, her face buried in Rabinowitz’s chest.
Photo: Sara Radin
  • Reviews

Two tD Writers + Two Fringe Shows — A Reflective Conversation

Jonathan Stein

Dance and theater from artists/daughters address their mothers’ dementia.

three people wearing brightly colored clothing and blue lipstick hover closely together, looking off into the distance. they are leaning over miniature figurines of a desktop computer, a black and white checkered floor, a globe and other tiny toy objects.
Photo: Irina Varina
  • Reviews

Celebrating Nineties Nostalgia in ‘Future Jam ‘94’

Caitlin Green

At a séance sleepover party, they summon the spirit of Google from the future.

A white gay man lies on the floor, almost fully naked. A Black gay man dressed in a tropical dress with a hair scarf, sunglasses, and a floral bag stands next to them, extending their arms as if asking, “What’s the matter?”
Photo: Paule Turner and Dane Eissler
  • Reviews

My Pussy Hurts Too

Anito Gavino

Crumpled tissues on the floor, half-emptied soda bottles, and a raggedy wig tossed on the floor tell stories.

Meghan Frederick in a kneeling, twisted pose, wearing a tank top covered in yin-yang symbols and a skirt patterned with the American flag, performing on a stage with abstract drawings taped to the wall behind.
Photo: James Izlar
  • Reviews

Embodying a Turbulent World

Ziying Cui

A rejection of traditional meaning-making in Western theater and improvisation.

A white female dancer moves in a bright green pasture, framed by a vibrant blue sky. Some trees and housing are behind her in the distance. Around her, an abstract circle frames her as she leans over her shoulder, with arms floating out to the side. Within this frame she appears fragments, with fingers and palms floating detached from her body.
Photo: Nikki Weems
  • Reviews

Just wait. It will become something new.

Megan Mizanty

When your ancestors share their stories after death, how do you answer?

: A dancer in a black three-piece suit looks up as their fake ponytail - attached to a hat - swings up to the ceiling.
Photo: Pep Casadevall
  • Reviews

Fever Dream of a Shapeshifter

Megan Mizanty

Vanessa Kamp contains multitudes.

A dancer covered in a bright array of tulle looks downward. The tulle fabric bellows around her covered lower half. Her shadow looms large behind her.
Photo: Taylor Jones
  • Reviews

Cracking Open and Spilling Out

Megan Mizanty

What happens when the juice dries up?

Bathed in purple light, Adam Kerbel leans to one side with arms spread, a gold fringe flying from his shoulders as if he just landed a jump. His face is hidden by shadow and a large brown fedora.
Photo: Liz Deleo
  • Reviews

I’m an Artist, but I’m Fun!

Miryam Coppersmith

Adam brings his creative force to bear on his own experiences in Dead Muse.

Photo: Courtesy of Philly Fringe
  • Reviews

Fairytales, Famine, and Anti-Semitism in Sugar Houses

Courtney Colón

A brutal truth is lodged in this fairytale’s retelling.