Full 2016 Cincinnati Fringe Festival Lineup Announced!

Know Theatre of Cincinnati wants you take a chance by picking a show, any show, at the 13th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival, running May 31-June 11, 2016. We're once again set to welcome over 8,000 visitors to Downtown and Over-the-Rhine as we transform over a dozen locations into temporary performance spaces and present the region's largest theatre and arts festival that's Kinda Weird. Like You. With 12 days full of of opportunities to catch 50 live productions, Visual Fringe art projects, musical guests, and the nightly Fringe Bar Series at Know Theatre (Fringe Headquarters), you'll find yourself lucky to have more to experience at Fringe this year than EVER BEFORE!

This year saw a record-shattering 105 applications, which made the task of selecting a final lineup of productions extremely difficult. Chris Wesselman, Associate Producer of Cincy Fringe, says, "It's a blissful marathon, pouring through so many wonderful, thought-provoking and laugh-inducing applications; final choices are always tough because you want to see them all brought to life. Every year the passion and ingenuity brought to us by these artists further cements the fact that Fringe is the place to find modern theatre's true pioneers."

This year the Cincy Fringe Selection Jury, which adjudicates all submissions for the Primary Lineup (including FringeNext), was increased to a whopping thirty jurors in order to further expand feedback and ensure a lineup that is as diverse and varied in themes and disciplines as possible. The jury featured an array of notable Cincinnati theatre professionals and educators: Darnell Pierre Benjamin, Heather Britt, John Bromels, Rebecca Bowman Bromels, Burgess Byrd, Kevin Crowley, Buz Davis, Lisa Marie DeRoberts, Julie Engebrecht, Mike Flohr, Richard Hess, Susan Honer, Andrew Hungerford, Dave Levy, Shannon Rae Lutz, Justin McCombs, Miranda McGee, D. Lynn Meyers, Alyssa Michaud, Regina Pugh, Maggie Lou Rader, Betsy Shank, Mike Sherman, Derek Snow, Joshua Steele, Jim Stump, Harrison Swayne, Chris Wesselman, Torie Wiggins, and Tamara Winters.

A total of 50 productions have been selected for the 2016 Cincy Fringe; 31 local shows (including 4 FringeNext productions), 18 national shows, and 1 international show (Australia). Of those 50 productions, 44 create the Primary Lineup, 5 are presented as Special Events, and 1 is the featured FringeDevelopment production. The breakdown of the entire lineup is as follows: Plays - 25, Solo - 10, Interdisciplinary/Other - 7, Dance - 4, Musicals - 4.

With 62% of shows coming from right here in Cincinnati, Know's Artistic Director Andrew Hungerford comments, "It's thrilling to see so many local artists in this year's Fringe. Our breakdown of applicants was an even 50/50 split between local and out of town, so the number of local shows the jury selected is a testament to the quality of the work of local Fringers: they didn't get in because just because they're local, they got in because their work deserves it. I'm so glad the Fringe can provide a showcase for that work on stages around OTR. This community is a part of what makes Cincinnati such a great city for artists and audiences."

In harmony with Know Theatre's goal of showcasing underrepresented voices, 55% of this year's lineup features shows produced by women and/or focused on women's themes. About this year's strong female presence, Associate Artistic Director Tamara Winters says, "It is so rewarding to be able to feature such a powerful slate of women-led projects this year! Know Theatre is committed to gender parity in our MainStage season planning, but with Fringe, our slate depends on who decides to submit work each year. This year, the ladies came out to play - and I couldn't be more excited to see what that means for the Festival!"

FringeNext heads into its seventh year of providing local teens a unique opportunity to produce, write, direct, and act in their own original work - and it's time to take off the training wheels. After six years of partnering with The School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) to present FringeNext in their Black Box over the first weekend of the festival, the four productions selected this year (from students representing Highlands High School, Walnut Hills High School, Seven Hills High School, and St. Xavier High School) will be placed in traditional Fringe venues and scheduled performances throughout the entirety of the Festival. "We're always impressed by the quality of work and level of professionalism we see with our our FringeNext participants," says Chris Wesselman, "and now, no longer isolated in their own venue or confined to a shorter run, we hope they are able to experience more of Fringe alongside their adult counterparts, giving them even greater opportunities to learn and grow as artists."

The 2016 Fringe Festival will also include the fifth year of our FringeDevelopment programming, which serves a twofold purpose. First, we leverage the superb skills and abilities of the Fringe community to provide workshops and classes for both fellow artists and the general public. Among the public workshops being offered this year is Play with Joy from OTRimprov, an improv class open to all experience levels, whether you're "curious or confident." FringeDevelopment also capitalizes on the insight and creativity of the festival's artists by giving them opportunities to participate in the rehearsal and debut of works-in-progress. This year we welcome Cincinnati theatre veteran Michael Sherman's Paper Pete Productions to FringeDevelopment as they explore and prepare The Munitions Man, a "grotesque parody of The Music Man that focuses on guns and gun ownership with a South Park sensibility." About this work, Michael notes, "It is not our intent to make light of the victims of gun violence, but to ridicule the inaction of society as a whole to make a collective effort to at least prevent these horrible acts."

Rounding out our performance offerings this year are the Special Events. Returning once again is trueFRINGE, where festival artists share true, personal stories about life behind the scenes. trueFRINGE is an installment of True Theatre, a storytelling series featured quarterly at Know as part of our Jackson Street Market resource sharing program. OTRimprov, another Jackson Street Market participant (voted Best Improv Troupe by readers of CityBeat in 2014 and 2015), also returns to present OTRimprov: The Fringe Show, an improv performance that promises to be "fun at the speed of thought." In a rare Special Event from an out of town artist, Daniel Park, a theatre and performance artist from Philadelphia, will join us opening weekend to present You Are the Hero, a unique, audience-interactive experience that is "one part Legend of Zelda, one part theatre." Finally, we have the annual Special Event presentation from Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati's Professional Acting Apprentice Company; during the final three days of Fringe, you can catch their production of The 4th Graders Present an Unnamed Love-Suicide by Sean Graney at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati.

The festival also features unique art projects and installments every year as part of Visual Fringe. "While theatre and live performance form the backbone of our festival," says Chris Wesselman, "Fringe is also a celebration of other disciplines and mediums, especially visual art." This year we once again welcome back Higher Level Art, led by Matthew Dayler, to emblazon the south wall of Know Theatre with a brand new mural; however, this year, the mural created over the course of the Festival will be a permanent installation to enjoy for years to come. Another part of this year's Visual Fringe is photographer Daniel R. Winters' Pieces Of The Queen, an "exploration of the little pieces of life around us." Patrons will use #piecesofthequeen to join Dan in taking abstract photos around the festival that will be included in a digital gallery at Fringe Headquarters. "We all become used to the world around us," explains Dan Winters, "We wander through the city where we inhabit without giving a second glance to small things that make it a unique place. I am fascinated by those small things however, and am highlighting them without the noise of the city around them." Also at Fringe Headquarters, you can enjoy The Other Frimages, a gallery created from Mikki Schaffner's photoshoot with Molly Wellman for this year's Fringe poster. Finally, Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC) student Danielle Tellez, along with a team of fellow female AAC students, will present an eclectic gallery of original works which will be available for viewing at select times during the festival. Works displayed in this gallery will also be available to purchase, so you can even take a piece of Fringe home with you! Final information on Visual Fringe projects will be posted in the official Cincy Fringe Guide, which will be dispersed on May 18th.

*Current information on all events and projects can be found at the end of this release.*

The 13th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival gets rolling on May 31st with the official CityBeat Fringe Kick-Off Party at 6:30pm. The evening will begin with food, drinks, and a performance by local band and familiar Fringers Serenity Fisher and the Cardboard Hearts. Following the launch of the 2016 Channel Fringe Hard-Hitting Action News Update at 8:00pm, attendees will be invited to gather out front of Fringe Headquarters for From Within, a unique music and art event exploring the human experience. The Young Professionals Choral Collective, who strive to connect singers and audiences to great choral music through innovative performances and diverse repertoire, will perform an eclectic selection of pieces from inside the Gateway Garage across the street from Fringe Headquarters. During the performance, corresponding artwork will be projected onto the side of the garage, adding a visual layer to the music. All artwork comes from the portfolios of artists who work with with Visionaries + Voices, a not-for-profit based out of Northside whose mission is to support and celebrate artists with disabilities. Then, at 10:30pm, The Whisky Shambles (2016 CEA winners for Best Blues Act) will take the stage and groove us towards the end of the night. The CityBeat Fringe Kick-Off Party is a great way to meet artists, staff, volunteers, and other audience members while getting your first dose of all the art and entertainment we have in store. A suggested donation of $15 will grant admission to the event and a drink ticket for Know's Underground bar.

After Kick Off, the Fringe marathon continues for the next 11 days with over 150 performances and events to choose from - but the nights don't end just because the shows do! Twenty minutes following the conclusion of each evening's final performance (approx. 10:15pm), artists, patrons, staff, and volunteers will gather together at Fringe Headquarters for the Fringe Bar Series. Each Bar Series event begins with an edition of the Channel Fringe Hard Hitting Action News Update, your infotaining source for all the news that's fit to Fringe. Following the News, each night of the Bar Series features different activities, events, and themes; from 60 Second Previews and Fringe-a-oke to Craft Cocktail Night and Fringetoberfest, there's always something to keep the party going late into the evening. Select Bar Series nights will also feature special programming upstairs on Know's MainStage. Food from local restaurants will be provided or select food vendors/trucks will be on site during every night of the Bar Series and the Underground bar at Fringe Headquarters, stocked with local craft beers and a wide variety of other delicious liquids, will stay open nightly until 1am. The entire 2016 Fringe Bar Series schedule and information will be revealed in the official Cincy Fringe Guide on May 18th.

All single tickets to 2016 Cincinnati Fringe Festival shows are $15 and there are multiple pass options for those wanting to take in as much theatre as possible - and save a few bucks, to boot! The Full Frontal All-Access Pass, which gets you entry into as many events as you could possibly attend, is $225; the flexible, 6-ticket Voyeur Pass, which can be used in any combination of shows or individuals, is $70; and the One Night Stand Pass, which gets you two tickets along with a drink at Fringe Headquarters, is $30. Artists receive a 50% cut of all ticket and pass sales.

Passes are on sale now through www.cincyfringe.com or by calling 513.300.5669(KNOW). Single tickets will go on sale and reservations using passes will become available when the full festival schedule is announced on May 18th. During the festival, passes and single tickets to all performances can be purchased online 24 hours a day, over the phone from 11am to 10pm, in person at the Fringe Headquarters box office, or at individual venues thirty minutes prior to showtimes.

Below is a full list of all productions and projects set to appear at the 13th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Details of the line-up are subject to change. Please visit cincyfringe.com for the most up to date information.

PRIMARY LINEUP

Show Title: Baby Mama: One Woman's Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People

Group Name: Caps Lock Theatre

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: LGBT Themes, Solo, Women's Themes

Brief Description: Baby Mama tracks one birth mother's true adoption journey, from conception to placement with the gay couple of her dreams--while still living her life, dating, and attending the occasional orgy. From adoption agencies to vaginal discharge, from burlesque to good-byes, this up-close-and-personal night of storytelling is everything about those ten months you ever wanted to know (and probably plenty that you didn't). Bring hankies.

Artist/Company Biography: Mariah MacCarthy is a playwright, producer, curator, storyteller, burlesque dabbler, rapper, birth mother, immersive-party-play-maker, creatrix, and other things. Plays include Magic Trick (winner: Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award and Lotos Foundation Prize in the Arts and Sciences), Mrs. Mayfield's Fifth-Grade Class of '93 20-Year Reunion ("a lot of fun" -The New York Times), Baby Mama: One Woman's Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People (viewed over 41,000 times online), The Foreplay Play (two NYIT Award nominations), Ampersand: A Romeo & Juliet Story (FringeNYC "Outstanding Performance"), and The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret ("f*cking brilliant" -Kate Bornstein). She is Executive Artistic Director of Caps Lock Theatre, Associate Artistic Director-at-Large of The Brick, and a member of Youngblood.

Primary Contact Name: Mariah MacCarthy

From: Astoria, NY

Show Title: Black-n-White Cafe

Group Name: arte-fact theatre collective

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Dramedy, Multi-Cultural Themes, Political Themes

Brief Description: A diverse group of fun-loving patrons at a local hipster cafe are brought face-to-face with their fears when confronted by a larger society that seems to be crumbling like the famous NY-style black and white cookies that the cafe is known for. One by one, as they are confronted by the issues at hand, they learn to face one another honestly as they grapple with the awkward truths revealed as the story unfolds.

Artist/Company Biography: KJ Melson began her artistic life as a jazz singer in the Seattle area, studied theatre arts in college, trained at the Actors Studio West, and then studied for several years with the late, great Frank London. She has worked as an actress in LA, NY, and in Europe, and has spent the past fifteen years developing her skills as a director and deviser of original work, which incorporates her extensive training in Meyerhold's psycho-physical system, biomechanics, with the Russian practitioner, Gennadi Bogdanov, as well as Italian commedia dell'arte maestro Antonio Fava. She earned her PhD in Performance Practice and an MFA in Staging Shakespeare at the University of Exeter, in Devon, England, and also holds an MFA in Acting from the University of Hawaii. Her fledgling company, arte-fact theatre collective, hopes to find a permanent home in the next year in order to attract a core of permanent, international artists dedicated to creating beautiful and provocative professional theatre, school shows and teen interventions, as well as workplace training and creative consultancy. She is currently living in Dayton, Ohio, where she spent the past year teaching as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Acting at Wright State University.

Primary Contact Name: KJ Melson

From: Dayton, OH

Show Title: Boo-boo

Group Name: Homegrown Theater

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Multimedia

Brief Description: Frank is the nanny of Brandon, a 30-year-old man who lives his life as a toddler 24 hours a day. After three years, the two have grown close and Frank is troubled when he notices self-destructive tendencies in Brandon. He recruits Sandy, an altruistic but lost woman he meets at the park to go undercover as another adult baby to find what's hurting Brandon without alerting his mother, his greatest enabler.

Artist/Company Biography: Homegrown Theater is an all-local company of actors and artists coming together to create refreshing new plays that expand our understanding of theater in the 21st Century. Homegrown aims to create new and local works of theater that shine light on the modern themes in our lives, such as the ever changing world, and the distances between people that technology creates. Homegrown Theater was created in 2012 as a vehicle for the Cincy Fringe Festival production The Doppelganger Cometh and Overtaketh. Since then, Leah Strasser has led the company to appear in four Cincy Fringe festivals winning the Founder's Pick of the Fringe in 2013. Homegrown is Theater for the backyard dreamer, free of pesticides and preservatives, fresh from our imaginations to yours.

Primary Contact Name: Leah Strasser

From: Cincinnati, OH

Show Title: CESSNA: A Drama Noir

Group Name: Hugo West Theatricals

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Drama, Multimedia, Play w/ Music

Brief Description: December,1982. An unexplained plane crash leaves five officials and confessed embezzler Carl Johnson incinerated in a ruined Montgomery bookstore. The box of cash they sought? Buried in Cincinnati. Agent John Lockwood seeks answers and redemption in a dark caper where none can be trusted and fate carries out its own inscrutable design. Based on true events, CESSNA features live jazz music and an all-star cast including Michael Hall, Michael Bath, Mindy Heithaus and Carter Bratton.

Artist/Company Biography: Hugo West Theatricals is the lunatic hobbyhorse of Cincinnati-based writing and producing team of Mike Hall and Joshua Steele. Accused of being "inveterate showmen" by the Cincinnati Enquirer, Hall and Steele are actors, producers, playwrights and composers with deep ties and investment in the thriving Queen City theatre scene. Founded in 2012, Hugo West Theatricals has produced award-winning stagings of both original and existing works: DON'T CROSS THE STREAMS: THE CEASE AND DESIST MUSICAL; A KLINGON CHRISTMAS CAROL; HOT DAMN! IT'S THE LOVELAND FROG!; and ZOMBIE-LOGUE.

Primary Contact Name: Joshua Steele

From: Cincinnati, OH

Show Title: Charlie's Girls

Group Name: InBocca Performance

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Dance, Interdisciplinary, Play w/ Music, Political Themes, Women's Themes, American Culture/History

Brief Description: Charlie's Girls gives the stories of the women of the Manson Family, forms some understanding of the motivation behind the infamous murders, and examines the terrifying control held over the women by Charles Manson. Charlie said, "These were your children; you threw them out and I took them in." This gives those children a voice, showing us what can happen when we 'throw away' the forgotten and weak parts of our society. Or even ourselves.

Artist/Company Biography: InBocca Performance is a theatre group with the goal of performing high-quality and cutting-edge theatre productions and inspiring children to be creators. We create devised and deconstructed work, specifically with local members of our community, no matter their age. We believe in taking risks, making mistakes, and going for broke.

Primary Contact Name: Caroline Stine

From: Ft. Thomas, KY

Show Title: Clara

Group Name: Physical Productions

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Dance, Drama, Interdisciplinary

Brief Description: Using dance, theatre and aerial silks, Clara is a singular theatrical event that tells the remarkable true story of one woman's fortitude despite tremendous adversity. Delve through time from the Depression and World War II to today to meet Clara at three pivotal ages: as a child, as a young adult and as a mature older woman who discovers that, in the face of loss and betrayal, the resilient know strength, hope and appreciation remain.

Artist/Company Biography: Physical Productions is a Cincinnati-based sole proprietorship that produces art which harnesses the power of the human body to tell theatrical stories.

Primary Contact Name: Aly Michaud

From: Cincinnati, OH

Show Title: Cosmic Nomad

Group Name: Josh Richards

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Solo, Science

Brief Description: Comedian, physicist, and general troublemaker Josh Richards knows his days are numbered: short-listed from over 200,000 applicants for the first human mission to Mars in 2026, and launching without any hope of ever returning, it's increasingly likely he'll die on the red planet. So if YOU were leaving the planet in 10 years time, what would you do before you left?

Artist/Company Biography: Physicist, Explosives Engineer, Soldier, Stand-Up Comedian and Astronaut Candidate - one thing Josh Richards can never be accused of is being boring. In the last decade he's picked up booby traps for the Australian Army, slogged through mud with the British Commandos, used napalm in a music video for U2, been a science adviser to the richest contemporary artist in the world, and performed with some of the world's top comedians while wearing a giant koala suit to confused audiences from Los Angeles to Edinburgh. Josh found his true calling in late 2012 when he discovered the Mars One project. Selected from over 200,000 initial applicants, Josh is now one of 100 worldwide astronaut candidates short-listed to leave Earth forever and become the first to colonize Mars in 2026.

Primary Contact Name: Josh Richards

From: Melbourne, Australia

Show Title: Daddy Issues

Group Name: Peter Aguero

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Solo, Storytelling

Brief Description: Moth Host and Storyteller Peter Aguero takes the audience through a raw and sympathetic look at his relationship with and without his father. "Simply, perfectly moving" - Edmonton Journal "A master storyteller and wordsmith" - Winnipeg Free Press

Artist/Company Biography: Peter Aguero was born and raised in New Jersey and currently makes his home in Queens, New York. He's a regular host and instructor for The Moth.

Primary Contact Name: Peter Aguero

From: Sunnyside, NY

Show Title: Darlings

Group Name: Animal Engine

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Drama

Brief Description: A re-imagining of "Peter Pan" told from the perspective of the Darlings, two parents struggling with the loss of their children. They search for them by day and tell stories about a place called Neverland by night ... where the mermaids will drown you, the pirates might kill you, and you can't trust the charming little boy with the impish smile. A dark and dangerous fairy tale for adults.

Artist/Company Biography: Animal Engine is a physical devised theatre company dedicated to creating strange worlds with a relatable touch; bold works of performance that are clever, quirky, sharp, and new. Since 2011 the company has created 4 major works: The Vindlevoss Family Circus Spectacular! (WINNER, Frigid New York Participant Pick Award), Age of the Android, Petunia and Chicken (WINNER, Cincinnati Fringe Artists' Pick Award and Frigid New York Festival Favorite Award); and Dog Show. Animal Engine is led by husband and wife team Karim Muasher and Carrie Brown. New works are performed in the company's hometown of New York City and across the country at festivals, theatres, and schools.

Primary Contact Name: Karim Muasher

From: New York, NY

Show Title: Duryodhana the Unconquerable

Group Name: All Shades Theater

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Drama, Family Friendly, Political Themes

Brief Description: Duryodhana is a ruler from one of the most talked about epics: The Mahabharata. Through the words of Duryodhana and his wife Bhanumati, this play portrays the universal nature of the rulers from the ancient times of history till the present day. Power thus becomes the central character of the story while evolving around the struggle within it. The subjects of the rulers - will they eventually rise? Do they aspire to become another ruler?

Artist/Company Biography: Since its inception, All Shades Theater has been engaged to create a bridge between the theater of the east and theater of the west. All Shades truly incorporate all the shades of life and all the shades of creation. And thus it remains color blind or colorless. Duryodhana the Unconquerable is a production towards the same objective where All Shades Theater attempts to take another bold step towards introducing a story from the east and to assimilate with the west. The style of the western theater and its grammar are being embraced yet the essence of eastern theory of theater remains uncorrupted.

Towards this essence of diversity and its appropriate visibility, All Shades Theater organized and hosted the first ever South Asian Theater Festival in Cincinnati in 2014 where participation from Know Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Unity Productions, Madcap Productions, Shark Eat Muffin, Beechmont Players and many more local theatre companies enriched the festival.

Another significant step went onto stage when All Shades Theater presented its own script Celebrated Silence that engaged audience against the social evil of groping or inappropriate touch against women. Following each show there were some members of the audience who tearfully identified themselves as a victim of this less-talked-about social evil as well as what the silence did to their life and its morality. A few found their voices through a sudden outburst following a prolonged suffocation of silence.

All Shades Theater aspires to become the voice of many more and through portrayal of many other social injustices.

Primary Contact Name: Prabir Das

From: Mason, OH

Show Title: Fruit Flies Like a Banana

Group Name: The Fourth Wall

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Interdisciplinary, Variety, Music

Brief Description: Winner of Audience & Critic's Choice Awards at Orlando Fringe, and earning 5 stars and Patrons' Pick at Minnesota Fringe, The Fourth Wall combines music, theatre, and dance in this madcap variety hour. In addition, YOU determine the show order by choosing cards from a deck! At the cry of "Pick a card, any card!" a company member dashes into the house to audience members eagerly waiting to choose whatever high-art shenanigan will come next.

Artist/Company Biography: The Fourth Wall inspires and delights audiences all over the country with their hybrid arts performances in venues ranging from elementary school cafe-gym-atoriums to performing arts centers to (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York. A favorite at Fringe theatre festivals, the trio has sold out shows in Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Orlando where they received Patrons' Pick and Critics' Choice awards for their vaudeville-inspired show, Fruit Flies Like a Banana. The Fourth Wall won the 2014 Savvy Musician in Action chamber music competition and was presented at the innovative music entrepreneurship retreat as performers and workshop leaders. The Fourth Wall has been featured on five National Flute Association annual conventions with gala performances, recitals, and their audience interactive project, Mixer. Collaborating with conductor Victoria Gau, The Fourth Wall created an orchestral hybrid arts performance that was premiered with the Capital City Symphony in 2013.

Collaboration has been a key element of The Fourth Wall's work from the very beginning. The Boston Composers' Coalition chose the ensemble for their inaugural concert in 2010, bringing together six composers plus a student composer to create new works for the unconventional trio. Since then, The Fourth Wall has reached out to composers from around the world for new music; developed new choreography as members of Windfall Dancers in Bloomington, IN; and created a body of winter holiday repertoire working with the Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis. In January 2016, The Fourth Wall was invited to participate in the second New Music Gathering, earning a picture in the Wall Street Journal and credit for their "deft choreography."

The Fourth Wall offers workshops, masterclasses, and performances that teach students how to incorporate interdisciplinary performance techniques into their creative work. The trio has been in residence at the Universities of Alaska, South Carolina, and Virginia; presented masterclasses and lectures at the Oberlin Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, and Rice University among others; and performed for various Percussive Arts and Flute Societies. The Fourth Wall is Ensemble-in-Residence for the International Flute Symposium and are teaching artists for Indiana's Arts for Learning program.

Members of The Fourth Wall have attended The Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, Ohio University, Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, and the Boston Conservatory.

Primary Contact Name: Hilary Abigana

From: Hudson, MA

Show Title: Furlesque

Group Name: Autumn Kaleidoscope

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Dance, Variety

Brief Description: Jackson Hawkins is the owner of the Scratch & Sniff. Nancy Hawkins is his niece. She so desperately wants to be part of the show, but he won't let her. Why is he squashing her dreams? Why won't he let her dance? Is that a real bear roaming around the stage? Furlesque answers these questions (and creates quite a few more) in this coming of age story set inside a burlesque club for furries!

Artist/Company Biography: Autumn Kaleidoscope is beyond excited to be making its official company debut at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival with their production of Furlesque. The idea for Furlesque started as an interesting "what if" among three Fringe artists (Lauren Carr, Mike Hall and Sean P. Mette) a few years ago at the Indianapolis Fringe Festival. Now in 2016, after years of joking about the "the furry dance celebration", Furlesque finally materializes on the stage at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Autumn Kaleidoscope's founder and director, Sean P. Mette, has been a persona around the Cincinnati Fringe Festival for several years, primarily known for his character: Fringe Dad.

Primary Contact Name: Sean P. Mette

From: Cincinnati, OH

Show Title: Golconda

Group Name: Tongue of the Mind Theatre

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Dramedy, LGBT Themes, Political Themes

Brief Description: In the modern world of online dating, anyone can be anyone. So why not be four of the most influential artists of all time? Join Magritte, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Warhol at brunch as they explore the freedoms and restrictions of their sexualities. When presented with equal dignity in the eyes of the law, what happens when some refuse this right themselves? It's a coming of age story, where four generations come to age together.

Artist/Company Biography: Tongue of the Mind is a new theatre collective in Cincinnati that focuses primarily on the collaboration between director and playwright.

The playwright/director duo for Golconda features Robert Macke and Nate Netzley, respectively. Both are recent graduates of Northern Kentucky University's theatre program. The two have worked together on several projects including Robert's first play The Road through Damascus. They are also frequently involved with The Know Theatre's Serials.

Nate and Robert would like to thank their other founding members, Victoria Hawley, Alexx Rouse, and the man that inspired us to form our collective, Brian Robertson.

Primary Contact Name: Robert Macke

From: Cleves, OH

Show Title: Graphic

Group Name: Pones Inc.

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Dance, Interdisciplinary, Social Justice

Brief Description: Pones Inc. takes the audience outside the theatre and into the streets. The murals by ArtWorks and Higher Level Art have created an urban art gallery in the City, and Graphic extends these backdrops off their walls and into real life by creating six pop-up stages. Over 25 artists collaborate to share with you the stories behind the paint.

Artist/Company Biography: Pones Inc. provides artistic opportunities for community growth by creating engaging new ways for audiences to experience dance.

Founded in 2008, Pones Inc. has collaborated with over 200 artists and 80 arts and service organizations. The company creates site-specific performances through a fusion of movement and dance with other art forms. Pones Inc.'s accessible and participatory performances have been seen in over 90 Greater Cincinnati locations, as well as Indianapolis, and Chicago. Ongoing programs are available year round for artists and art groups, schools, and businesses.

Pones Inc. performers use their bodies to speak their minds. The collective uses its signature 'pedestrian-inspired' movement to spark collaboration, connection, and community.

Pones Inc. believes that art creates powerful change.

Primary Contact Name: Kim Popa

From: Covington, KY

Show Title: I Hate It Here

Group Name: SHEatre

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Dramedy, LGBT Themes, Women's Themes

Brief Description: Shelly and Margaret are at an impasse in their relationship. Shelly's an unemployed, outgoing hypochondriac, and Margaret is a highly functional agoraphobe who hasn't spoken to anyone but Shelly and their cat, Mr. Furrypants, in a year. To jumpstart their lives and eliminate their faults, they try to meld into one person, using rituals and potions. I Hate It Here is the first appearance of a SHEatre: Cincinnati Women's Theatre production in the Fringe Festival.

Artist/Company Biography: Started by co-artistic directors Abby Rowold and Caitlin McWethy in the summer of 2015, SHEatre: Cincinnati Women's Theatre's mission is to support female-identified theatre artists. By showcasing the intelligence, passion, beauty, heart, humor, and power of women, we wish to help solve theatre's parity problem while creating engaging theatre productions. And, by using theatre as a mirror to reality, we will compel our audiences to ruminate on the past, present, and future of women's experiences. Simply put, SHEatre is theatre by and about women, for everyone.

Primary Contact Name: Abby Rowold

From: Cincinnati, OH

Show Title: Ice Candle

Group Name: Pack of Others

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Multi-Cultural Themes, Solo, Women's Themes

Brief Description: When Erika MacDonald was 18 she did NOT spend a year in Indonesia - but she came close, before being evacuated. Can she ever truly explain what happened? A live "un-documentary" solo show about a strange girl in a strange land. Winner of the Critic's Choice Award for "Best Female Performance" at Orlando Fringe, MacDonald has appeared in Cincinnati in Andy's House of [blank] and Tales Too Tall for Trailers.

Artist/Company Biography: Pack of Others is an experimental theater company co-founded by Erika Kate MacDonald and Sophie Nimmannit in 2007 in Brooklyn, NY. Past productions include Tap Me on the Shoulder (Orlando Fringe Critic's Choice Award "Best Female Performance"), Peg-ass-us (San Francisco Fringe "Best Comedy"), and FLUID (Curve Magazine's "Top Ten Hottest Lesbian Plays"). The Pack has toured to Fringe Festivals across the U.S. and Canada including Minnesota, Boulder, San Francisco, Orlando, Montreal, and Edmonton. This is their first production at Cincy Fringe.

Erika Kate MacDonald (writer, performer) recently moved to the Cincinnati area. She has been seen onstage at the Know Theatre in Andy's House of [blank] (Sadie) and has been involved in the Know's Serials program. At last year's Cincy Fringe she performed together with Paul Strickland in Tales Too Tall for Trailers.

Primary Contact Name: Erika Kate MacDonald

From: Covington, KY

Show Title: My Left Teeth

Group Name: Paul Strickland Presents

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Dramaedy, Mystery-omedy

Brief Description: My Left Teeth is a new play written and directed by Paul Strickland, starring Miranda McGee and Annie Kalahurka. While cleaning out the house of her estranged and strange dead aunt, a woman encounters her aunt's persistently peculiar neighbor, and then finds a mysterious videotape the departed left behind-which is probably going to change everything.

Artist/Company Biography: Paul Strickland is a newly local writer and performer who tours North America with his Trailer Park Fairy Tale Trilogy, his stand-up and musical comedy, and his partner Erika Kate MacDonald. He co-wrote this season's Andy's House of [blank] with Trey Tatum, and most recently workshopped his new wacky midnight-B-movie musical My Messed Upera at SERIALS 4! Paul is so glad to call Cincy his artistic home.

Originally from Australia, Miranda received her B.A from Trinity University and worked with various theatres across the country before settling in her favorite city, Cincinnati. Locally she has worked with the Covedale, the Carnegie, Clifton Performance Theatre, Madcap Puppets and Playhouse in the Park. She is proud to be a resident artist at Know Theatre and a resident ensemble member at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Thanks to Paul, the Fringe-tastic staff and to Brandon, without whom she would no doubt lose her mind!

Annie Kalahurka is a veritable creative force - spanning the worlds of stage, screen, music, comedy, puppetry, storytelling, performance art and even sewing her own damn clothes! She's a wholesome, midwest gal, born and raised in Kansas City, MO. Her hippy spirit drew her Southwest-ward to earn her BFA in Musical Theatre from the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. She now lives and works in Cincinnati.

Primary Contact Name: Paul Strickland

From: Covington, KY

Show Title: Naked Strangers

Group Name: Out of School Productions

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Drama, Multi-Cultural Themes, Political Themes

Brief Description: We all enter the world as naked strangers. We clothe ourselves in etiquette to navigate the twists and turns of life together on this planet. We are taught what is right at a young age and we do our best by each other. Or do we? Naked Strangers is a theatrical journey that will rock your world. These are nasty times. Are you ready?

Artist/Company Biography: Out of School Productions

A like-minded collective of 9 actors from the Acting Department at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music: Jabari Carter- Austell, GA; Lauren Carter- Gainesville, GA; Mafer; Del Real- Aguascalientes, Mexico; Annie Grove- Philadelphia, PA; Landon Hawkins- Knoxville, TN; Carter LaCava- Maryville, TN; Katie McDonald- Scotts Valley, CA; Graham Rogers- Knoxville, TN; Rupert Spraul- Cincinnati, OH. Creator and Director: Richard Hess- Cincinnati, OH

Primary Contact Name: Richard Hess

From: Cold Spring, KY

Show Title: Other Bother

Group Name: Performance Gallery

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Social Justice, Interpersonal Relationship

Brief Description: Others have infiltrated our daily existence. Others are irksome and tedious. Others believe weird stuff and do weird things. They're cretins. Evolution has not solved this problem? Why? WHY? WHHYYYYYYY? We will get right down to the real nitty gritty. We will solve the problem. We will make the world a joyous place. Join us as we explore how to conquer the bother of another other.

Artist/Company Biography: Performance Gallery is a Cincinnati-based collaborative of theatre artists. We are often outlandish, sometimes profound and strive to be unpredictable and, for a company that rarely produces more than once or twice a year, we have quite a devoted fan-base. Founded in 2002, we have produced a varying amount of works per year in a variety of spaces, including original plays (Chasing the Wolf, '04; Gilgamesh in Uruk, G.I. in Iraq, '06), some revamped classics (The Maids, '03; Woyzeck, '05) and twelve widely different, original offerings at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival (Images of a Beating Heart, '04; The Killer Whispers and Prays, '05; godsplay, '06; girlfight, '07; fricative, '08; KAZ/m, '09; the council, '10; The Body Speaks: scripted, '11; Rodney Rumple's Random Reality, '12; Mater Facit, '13; Heist, '14; and Shirtznecockle, 15). We had a successful remount of fricative at IndyFringe in August 2011 and took it to the inaugural Atlanta Fringe in May 2012 where we also did an encore in November 2015.

Primary Contact Name: Regina Pugh

From: Milford, OH

Show Title: Please Call Me Cupcake

Group Name: Kevin Thornton

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Sim Comedy, Musical, Drag

Brief Description: A mashup of Divine, Pee Wee's Playhouse and Reggie Watts! This bizarre and hilarious drag queen performance uses vintage drum machines and synthesizers with stream of consciousness song lyrics to bring you into the strange mind of Cupcake Hawthorne. Performer Kevin Thornton is a veteran national fringe performer and 2010 New Faces winner at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

Artist/Company Biography: Kevin Thornton is a veteran fringe performer who has appeared at Cincy Fringe many times. His first performance was in 2009 with his one man show Sex, Dreams & Self Control. Since then he has returned each year with his brand of confessional and funny stories combined with songs. His work has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered, has been a Berkeley guest lecturer, and is a 2010 New Faces Winner at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. He resides in Nashville where he plays with his queer alt-country act Indiana Queen.

Primary Contact Name: Kevin Thornton

From: Nashville, TN

Show Title: Post Traumatic Super Delightful

Group Name: Pair of Animals

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Dramedy, Interdisciplinary, Solo

Brief Description: Can there be laughter in the healing process? The lives of survivors, perpetrators, and bystanders weave together in a wickedly funny and piercingly insightful one woman show about a community trying to heal after a sexual assault. In Post Traumatic Super Delightful, the personal is political, the political is personal. And the person is a clown. "Meet your new heroes"- Marie Claire Magazine

Artist/Company Biography: Antonia Lassar is an actor, poet, playwright, and musician based in Brooklyn, NY. Antonia spends most of her time touring solo performance around the country to engage great people in great dialogue. As a playwright, Antonia believes that silence is the food of oppression, and her projects aim to dismantle hatred with communication, humor, and understanding. She was recently a panelist on Glamour Magazine's Top Ten College Women Program and profiled by Marie Claire Magazine. antonialassar.com

Primary Contact Name: Antonia Lassar

From: Brooklyn, NY

Show Title: Punk's Not Dead and Neither is Sam (Yet)

Group Name: BRO CITY MAHALO CREW

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Play w/ Music

Brief Description: Guys! My friend Sam's real sick - so listen. What if you only had one shot to pull off the most epic, punk as f*ck show ever, man? Nailing it would not only save "the kids," get you the girl, free the orcas, make me famous and... Wait, what? What was the deal with Sam again? Anyway, would you do it, man? Join some good friends and - Shoeless Joe Jackson? - in this punk as f*ck catastrophe.

Artist/Company Biography: BRO CITY MAHALO CREW is a local collective of various practitioners who like to play with the conventions of live theatre in hopes of finding their own unique way of telling a story. Kinda cool, kinda fresh, kinda buttheads; but mostly made up of a few friends drawing on their own lives and observations about the world to make the most interesting theatre possible.

Primary Contact Name: Brandon Moore

From: Newport, KY

Show Title: Ryan and Alice?

Group Name: 2060 Theatrical Productions

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Men's Themes, Women's Themes

Brief Description: Ryan and Alice weren't expecting to be trapped in the run-down bathroom at a Louisville apartment party - and they aren't too thrilled with the situation. Can tales of sex, adolescent humiliation, and giant cream puffs distract them from a doomed attraction? Witty dialogue and honest observation drive this contemporary look at the unexpected strangers who shape our lives. A must-see comedy!

Artist/Company Biography: For the 2016 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, our team is comprised of five new, bold voices in theatre.

Playwright Libby M. Gardner is a writer currently living and working in Los Angeles, California. An Ohio native, Libby holds a BA in Drama from Kenyon College and has been invited to work with theaters in the U.S. and abroad.

Director Emma Miller is a director and producer dedicated to exciting plays by female writers; she currently works at Playwrights Horizons and lives in New York. Directing credits include Dry Land, Gidion's Knot, A Steady Rain, Summer and Smoke, Boeing Boeing, and Post Grad: A New Musical.

Production Stage Manager Carly Mungovan graduated from Miami University with a BA in Theatre and served as a Stage Management Intern for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park for the 2015-16 season. She is currently a Production Coordinator for Lambda Productions in Cleveland.

Actor Julia Greer is an actor, producer and writer living in New York where she works as Paula Vogel's script assistant. Favorite acting credits include Gidion's Knot, Summer and Smoke, boom., From Up Here, The Ballad of Bonnie Prince Chucky, and Noises Off, and she is thrilled to be in this exciting new play!

Actor Aaron Lynn is an actor, writer, and musician based in NYC. Acting credits include - New York Theatre: The Glory of the World (Brooklyn Academy of Music), The Christians (Playwrights Horizons), Troll King Rises (Shapiro Theatre/Columbia Uni.), Two Gentlemen of Verona (Hamlet Isn't Dead) workshops/readings at New York Theatre Workshop, Manhattan Theatre Club, Ars Nova, The Lark; Regional Theatre: The Glory of the World, So Unnatural A Level, That High Lonesome Sound, A Christmas Carol (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Other Theatre: Cymbeline (Oval Theatre, London), Noises Off, Scapin, Antigone, Icarus and Aria (Bolton Theatre, Ohio) A Steady Rain, Macbeth (Hill Theatre, Ohio).

Primary Contact Name: Carly Mungovan

From: Cincinnati, OH

Show Title: SEVEN WINDOWS

Group Name: SHARP Dance Company

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Dance, Dramedy, Multimedia

Brief Description: Based on the dream of a dancer in which she is visited by her recently departed mother, she asks her mother if she is in heaven. Her mother's response is that she has not opened the seven windows yet. SEVEN WINDOWS looks into the world of reincarnation and moving on in the afterlife. With new choreography by Diane Sharp-Nachsin and inspired by original paintings made by: Jill Brandwein, Danielle Hallman, Patricia Zarate and Julia Salinger.

Artist/Company Biography: SHARP strives to bring together a company of strong dancers to perform work with a new vision. Their mission is to translate raw human emotion utilizing contemporary movement to connect the audience through individual interpretation. With a theory of "meaning behind movement", which is shown prominently throughout their work, SHARP believes dance should be more than a performance, it should be an experience.

SHARP Dance Company is a eight-member modern dance company based out of Philadelphia, PA. SHARP performs nationally and internationally and has been seen in such festivals as the: Bedfringe (UK), Chicago Fringe, Phoenix Fringe, Seacoast Fringe, Cool NY, STEPS Performance Lab (NY), San Diego Fringe, Capital Fringe, Boulder Fringe, Fringe Wilmington and the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA). Artistic Director Diane Sharp-Nachsin was also named a BAU Fellow in Italy this June 2013.

Primary Contact Name: Diane Sharp-Nachsin

From: Philadelphia, PA

Show Title: SHEnatra!

Group Name: Bowman and Yarborough

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Play w/ Music, Women's Themes

Brief Description: The Rat Pack is back! Those hip swingers who epitomized mid-century male swagger live on--and face their own music. Forced to broaden their horizons in the bodies of a couple of broads, Frank and Dino ring-a-ding-ding away their time in purgatory examining timeless gender issues via classic songs with new opinions. The Fresno Bee calls it "razor-sharp...blisteringly funny...a MUST-SEE." From the creators of The Famous Haydell Sisters.

Artist/Company Biography: Sadie Bowman and Donna Kay Yarborough are known together as the creators of last year's CityBeat Critic's Pick The Famous Haydell Sisters Comeback Tour. Cincy Fringe audiences also remember Sadie Bowman as the original anchor of Channel Fringe Hard-Hitting Action News Update and a creator of the 2007 sensation Calculus: The Musical! The duo live and work in Portland, OR and are trying something new this year after a successful US/Canadian Fringe tour in 2015. SHEnatra! premiered at the 2016 Rogue Festival to sold-out houses and rave reviews. They are now presenting as a trio, joined on the keys by Fresno, CA celebrity Nate Butler, who Kings River Life Magazine calls "a one-man Nelson Riddle orchestra." Yarborough's interpretation of Sinatra has been called "uncanny" and "simply amazing."

Primary Contact Name: Sadie Bowman

From: Portland, OR

Show Title: Shit Men Have Said or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Patriarchy

Group Name: ReVamp Collective

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Dramedy, Women's Themes, Interactive

Brief Description: Shit Men Have Said or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Patriarchy examines ingrained societal gender roles while shining a light on the consequences of staying in the status quo. We want to foster societal discourse through audience participation before, during and after the performance. This devised show is set as a series of audience interactive vignettes which examine what was, what is and what can be in our society regarding gender.

Artist/Company Biography: ReVamp Collective was developed out of the need to have women driving the conversation. Not only do we see a lack of women represented on the stage but also behind the scenes, and we wanted to change this statistic. Founded in 2014 by Carly Bodnar, a 2007 Temple University alum, and Erin Carr, a 2009 graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, the Philadelphia-based company works toward gender equality in theatre. From debunking stereotypical female characters to providing opportunities to write plays, the company cultivates opportunities for women in all realms of theatre. Though creating a space for women to create is an integral part of ReVamp, ultimately, the company's mission is fueled by community inclusiveness.

One goal of 'resetting the woman default' is to remind ourselves and society that we are stronger working together as a community. We have been working to bring the stories of gender equality and the conversation of how to achieve this, into the community throughout our first couple years since inception. Most of our projects are influenced by our goal to take theatre out of the traditional playing space in order to expand our reach and make theatre more accessible. In 2015 we established a relationship with the local business Philadelphia Style Guide to provide costumed actors during fundraising events. That same year we produced our first one woman show, In the Terminus, which was performed in a residential home as a production in the Philadelphia SoLow Fest. And most recently we have developed ReVamp Reads, which is a reading series that takes place in various woman-owned businesses using local playwrights, directors and actors. All of these projects have provided us with the opportunity to include the community in our desired conversations. ReVamp wants to create a world where women and men can come together and appreciate their individuality, rather than be diminished by it. Through devised interactive productions, by fostering local artists, re-imagining established pieces, and even through workshops and collaborations in our community, we are opening up a conversation to push the boundaries of how we view each other and theatre.

Primary Contact Name: Erin Carr

From: Philadelphia, PA

Show Title: Squeeze It From the Middle: A Love Story

Group Name: Donkey and Unicorn Productions

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Musical, Variety

Brief Description: Squeeze It From the Middle: A Love Story is an intimate musical adventure. It is a collection of story scenes that are interspersed with original songs, weaving a unique tapestry of theatrical evolution! One Woman, One Man, armed with only a chair, a table, a bottle of bourbon, and some instruments, Squeeze It From the Middle is a journey of (mostly) humorous stories are (practically) true tales worth repeating. Give it a juicy squeeze!

Artist/Company Biography: Donkey and Unicorn Productions is a production company dedicated to bringing unique, music-centric theatre to the people!

Primary Contact Name: Allison Bishop

From: Cincinnati, OH

Show Title: Tesla Ex Machina

Group Name: Ricky Coates

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Dramedy, Interdisciplinary, Solo

Brief Description: In 1892, the famed inventor Nikola Tesla awoke with partial amnesia. Using his incredible willpower, he pieced his life back, memory by memory. In this one-man biopic, Ricky Coates examines humanity and science using his trademark theatrical prowess. Featuring: tap dance, robots, historical figures Thomas Edison and Mark Twain, and live electrical wonders! "Ricky Coates is a bit of genius in a slick and muscled body" - Edmonton Journal

Artist/Company Biography: Born and raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Ricky received his BFA from the University of Arizona and has been working as a professional actor for over 15 years. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington and tours the world with his original plays. Ricky strives to break the conventional approach to solo-work and touring shows. He loves creating physical, intelligent, and entertaining theatrical productions, usually with "nerdy" themes.

Primary Contact Name: Ricky Coates

From: Seattle, WA

Show Title: The Biscuiteater

Group Name: Jim Loucks

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Drama, Solo

Brief Description: Jim Loucks returns to the Cincy Fringe with his new rollicking solo performance. Based loosely on his childhood, The Biscuiteater is told in Loucks' distinctive Southern storytelling style with songs and humor. Granddaddy was his hero, a big man with a bigger personality, haunted by demons from his days as Chief of Police in small-town Georgia. A moving tribute to an imperfect hero. Loucks' previous show Cemetery Golf was a "Critic's Pick" by the Cincinnati CityBeat.

Artist/Company Biography: Solo performer and playwright Jim Loucks began his theatre career in summer stock at the Highlands Playhouse in North Carolina. After earning an MFA in Acting at the University of Georgia, Jim moved to Los Angeles where he has appeared in several plays and independent films. He has performed his first solo show Cemetery Golf at the United Solo Theatre Festival, The Drilling Company, and 78th Street Theatre Lab in New York City; Beyond Baroque and The Electric Lodge in Venice, CA; the Hudson Opera House in Hudson, NY; the SoloFest at the Filling Station in Albuquerque, NM and the FronteraFest in Austin, TX. He has also taken the show to the Fringe Festivals in Boulder, Oahu, Hollywood, San Francisco, Orlando, San Diego, and Cincinnati (where he received a Citybeat "Critic's Pick"). The Biscuiteater is his second solo show, and he has performed it at FronteraFest (Austin, TX), the Oahu Fringe, the Solo Performance Festival at theatre off jackson (Seattle, WA), SoloFest at the Whitefire Theatre (Sherman Oaks, CA), the Electric Lodge (Venice, CA) and the United Solo Theatre Festival (NYC).

Primary Contact Name: Deb Loucks

From: Venice, CA

Show Title: The Fainting Room

Group Name: Kiss of Whimsy

Status: New Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Solo, Variety

Brief Description: Treat yourself to an explosive release of physical comedy, music, and candid confession by entering The Fainting Room. This raucous show explores the ideas behind the historical phenomenon of "female hysteria," celebrating self love and vibrators and rejecting the idea that it is better to be unhappy with someone or something that doesn't fit than to be alone.

Artist/Company Biography: Becca Bernard is a NYC based professional idiot who blends physical comedy, clown, story-telling, music and dance to communicate her ferociously optimistic perspective of the world. She is a resident clown for the Zany Umbrella Circus, the hospital organization Lev Leytzan and The Amazing Max Off-Broadway.

Primary Contact Name: Becca Bernard

From: Brooklyn, NY

Show Title: The Gospel of Fat Kathy

Group Name: #theatrecompany

Status: Returning Participant

Genre/Tags: Comedy, Play w/ Music, Variety

Brief Description: In this play, God checks in on Earth disguised as a high school student. A girl spreads cooties with a nudie. A suicide is contemplated. Myths are performed. Lessons are learned. You'll cry, you'll LOL- your grandmother's not gonna get it. #gofk

Artist/Company Biography: #theatrecompany is an artistic agreement between young theater-makers dedicated to creating new work that excites young audiences and pushes the boundaries of what theatre can be with absurdism, magic and innovative storytelling. #theatrecompany is ecstatic to be back at the Cincinnati Fringe after last year's METH: a love story (City Beat Critic's Pick) and sharing this very special show with a Cincinnati audience after T