Roller Derby Hits the Stage in Tampa Alongside Fringe Documentary

On May 10th, the Tampa International Fringe Festival will host the city-premiere of On the Fringe, a feature-length documentary about the life of performing artists on the Canadian Fringe Festival circuit.

The Fringe Festival phenomenon began in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1947, to offer an accessible, uncensored, and affordable theater-going experience. Since it came to Canada in 1982, Canadian Fringes have developed into a unique circuit that allows artists to travel from one end of the country to the other in order to present their work. Now, the Tampa International Fringe Festival (a new member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals) will celebrate it's inaugural year by screening this film, that offers a deep look down the rabbit hole of touring the Fringe.

"The Canadian circuit is more than a tour, it's an entire culture onto itself," says film director Cory Thibert, who spent the summer of 2014 on the road collecting the stories that form the basis for this film. After 10 cities, over 12,000 miles, countless hours of interviews, the result - On the Fringe, a feature-length documentary that takes you on a fun and poignant road trip through this force in the world-theater scene.

The documentary follows eight individual Fringe artists on their tour in the summer of 2014, including Orlando Fringe regulars Martin Dockery and Jem Rolls, along with Florida-newcomer Nancy Kenny who will also be presenting her one-woman show Roller Derby Saved My Soul at this year's festival.

All the music in the documentary is performed by Fringe artists.

View the trailer for the film: www.onthefringedoc.com

Featuring: Martin Dockery, Vanessa Quesnelle, Jem Rolls, Nancy Kenny, Robert Grier, Graham Kent, Morgan Murray & Danielle Spilchen.

"The Fringe changed my life for the better," says Fringe veteran and Orlando ex-pat Chase Padgett, whose music is prominently featured in the film. "It's a beautiful place where creativity, authenticity, and sheer gumption are actually prized rather than given passing lip service. It's a crazy carnival of weirdos where anything goes on stage and everyone is welcome off stage." Cory Thibert concurs: "Through this film, I hope to share this experience which is nearly impossible to put into words."

On the Fringe will be presented at the CL Space as part of the first annual Tampa International Fringe Festival. Admittance is free, with a suggested donation of $5.