FringeArts’ Winter-Spring 2026 Season to Kick Off With WE COME TO COLLECT

For the first time since before the pandemic and building on the success of the 2025 Philadelphia Fringe Festival under the new leadership of Producing Director and CEO Nell Bang-Jensen, FringeArts has launched a Winter-Spring 2026 Season at its home on the Delaware Riverfront. To kick off the programming, the organization will proudly present The Flea's production of we come to collect: a flirtation, with capitalism, written and co-directed by Jenn Kidwell and starring Kidwell and Brandon Kazen-Maddox. The production will run January 22-24, 2026 at FringeArts, 140 N Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia.

OBIE Award-winning artist Jenn Kidwell and ASL artist Brandon Kazen-Maddox invite you to roll in the pigsty of American consumerism. Dark, funny, incisive, and just a little bit misbehaved, Kidwell's interrogation of capitalism and her place within it is an unforgettable, all-inclusive trip into the heart of darkness. Brandon Kazen-Maddox acts as Kidwell's accomplice; their expressive performance in ASL weaves Sign Language seamlessly into the narrative and choreography of the piece.

Part performance art, part theater, and part stand-up comedy, this carnivalesque experience holds a mirror up to the present moment and the audience (literally). Beneath the laugh-out-loud humor is a proposition: f*ck work, chase your dreams-believe that you are a miracle. Come ready to laugh, and leave seeing your worth in a new light.

"FringeArts is a home for bold artists, projects, and experiments; a place where Philly can come together to celebrate the arts, each other, and the power of community," said Bang-Jensen. "With this new Winter/Spring season, FringeArts aims to bolster the vibrant artistic ecosystem already existing in Philly and introduce Philly artists and audiences to works that push the boundary of what's possible in the performing arts.

The new Winter-Spring Season seeks to bring audiences to FringeArts' home on the Delaware Riverfront more consistently year-round. This new model moves away from the organization's previous mini-festival model, which featured weekend-length programs Blue Heaven Comedy Festival and Hand to Hand Circus Festival. Audiences can expect to encounter different types of art and artists experimenting across disciplines. The season model will allow FringeArts to prioritize depth of support for artists and their works, meeting each individual featured project on its own terms.

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