Geva Theatre Unveils 2023 Rochester Fringe Festival Lineup

Geva Theatre will present five incredible shows on the Fielding Stage during the 2023 Rochester Fringe Festival. The performances will run from Wednesday, September 13 to Saturday, September 23 with tickets available online at RochesterFringe.com and by visiting Geva's Box Office. Geva is thrilled to welcome artists and performers from the Rochester community as well as from California, Michigan, and as far away as London, England.

"We are so excited to present the work of powerful emerging artists, international and Broadway performers, and neo-futurists at Geva this year as part of the Rochester Fringe Festival!" says Fiona Kyle, Venue Manager for the Fringe at Geva. This year's Festival features dynamic voices from the community, such as Zoe Walker-Itoh, who recently graced the Wilson Stage as part of Geva Insights for Season 50's Ain't Misbehavin', and Chi TheRealist whose artistry is bold and inspiring. Geva is delighted to share work from the California-based company, Good Vibe Cinema, who were recently awarded the special recognition as a "Stand Out Show" at the 2023 Hi-Desert Fringe Festival, the London-based Garry Roost who's received international accolades for his Fringe performances, and the Michigan-based UnTheatre Co. who will attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes for our Rochester Fringe audiences. Tickets are available for purchased at https://rochesterfringe.com/tickets-and-shows/all-shows?venues=Geva+Theatre+Center

More about each show and their performance dates below:

DESPERATE TO BE SEEN, HORRIFIED OF BEING KNOWN: A GHOST STORY
A Good Vibe Cinema Production, by Vic Terry

Wednesday, September 13 at 6pm

Thursday, September 14 at 8pm

Sunday, September 17 at 3pm and 5pm

Tuesday, September 19 at 8pm

LIGHTS UP ON TWO ETHEREAL BEINGS IN A METAPHYSICAL SPACE - a mattress in the middle of the desert... heaven or hell, depending on who you're sharing it with. This darkly sensual, hilariously heartbreaking, twisted new comedy thrusts two restless spirits into the afterlife - THE GHOST, a man who lived and died by his reputation, who on the surface did everything right, but had a darkness brewing underneath... and THE GHOUL, a young woman who's absurd glamour reeks of tragic desperation, a little girl who always felt small and in death found a chance to become larger than life. As they discuss love, loss, identity, and regret - and coping with the fact that neither one of them have ever really felt alive - these two deeply complicated people reach their breaking point, as they both come to realize things aren't what they seem. This exciting new one act play - voted 'Best Ensemble Show' at the 2023 Tucson Fringe Festival and awarded special recognition as a 'Stand Out Show' at the 2023 Hi-Desert Fringe Festival - stars Michael Simpson as THE GHOST, playwright Vic Terry as THE GHOUL, and features a live original score by Verdell Smith of Soul Ablaze. Tickets available at $15.00.

Good Vibe Cinema is a San Diego based production company in the business of good vibes and good times. Through Super 8 film, live theatrical events, and the Vibe Talkin podcast, Good Vibe Cinema invites audiences to live a life that's more cinematic. In her work, executive producer and playwright Vic Terry explores the inherent theatricality of our existence, the complicated space where staging and raw emotion intersect, and the often blurred line between authenticity and performance. She is inspired by the juxtaposition of glamour and grime - by a twitchy neon sign that stands out against a striking desert skyline - and fascinated with capturing both the humor in grief and the tragic heart of comic characters.

VENTILATION

By Chi TheRealist

Wednesday, September 13 at 8pm

Saturday, September 16 at 6:30pm

Tuesday, September 19 at 6pm

Multifaceted hip-hop soul artist Chi TheRealist debuts his one man show, Ventilation, a compilation of poems, rap, music, and prose that aims to release and inspire others to explore and work through their vulnerability. Born in Chicago and raised entirely in Rochester, Chi began writing as a teen due to the inspiration of his motherless upbringing. and has since used his writings to inspire idealists and influence triumph through turmoil. "I am not a victim," he says, "I'm a victor." Tickets available at $20.00.

WARHOL: BULLET KARMA

By Garry Roost, Directed by Kenneth Hadley

Thursday, September 14 at 6pm

Thursday, September 21 at 8pm

Friday, September 22 at 6:30pm

Saturday, September 23 at 8:30pm

Warhol: Bullet Karma is a comedy drama, solo show stuffed full of characterizations from Warhol's artistic heyday. Take a trip back in time to The Factory and other important figures in pop culture history! A darkly, witty take on the American pop art icon, Andy Warhol, and the woman who shot him, Valerie Solanas. Lou Reed, Capote, Edie Sedgwick, Francis Bacon; see what they have to say about Drella and what he says about them! Warhol: Bullet Karma has been performed at the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as well as Leicester Comedy Festival and Adelaide Fringe Festival to wonderful reviews, with the VoiceMag UK saying that "Warhol: Bullet Karma is a masterclass in bold simplicity." Tickets available at $15.00.

Garry Roost (Writer and Performer) has been touring his solo shows for over a decade now throughout the UK, Europe and Australia. Many major fringe festivals from Edinburgh to Adelaide, and Montenegro. A highlight playing MONA, Tasmania, for Brian Ritchie - Bassist - Violent Femmes 2019. He is best known as the Irish Jockey Mickey Doolan in the 'At The Races' Sketch (The Day Today) with Steve Coogan, Creepy Guy (he's at the water cooler) in Black Books, Claude in Eric The Viking, and Alan Daniels in EastEnders. Other theatre credits include Citizens Theatre Glasgow, Hull Truck-Bouncers West End run, Birmingham Rep, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Inaugural production of Leeds (West Yorkshire) Playhouse. www.garryroost.co.uk

Kenneth Hadley (Director) made his directorial debut with Warhol: Bullet Karma. He brings great experience to the show with an impressive career as an actor. Ken has worked extensively across all areas working in both comedy and drama - Film, TV, Theatre, Radio, Television comedy sketch shows, most recently as Chris in the Coronation Street 2022 Christmas Special. He has done quite a few films including those of Mike Leigh (Ken features in Peterloo as Mr Golightly), Ben Wheatley and Les Blair to name but three, as well as a lot of work utilizing his penchant for improvisation.

TOO MUCH LIGHT MAKES THE BABY GO BLIND

An UnTheatre Co. Production, Created and Performed by the UnSemble

Friday, September 15 at 6pm

Saturday, September 16 at 4pm

Originally conceived and produced by creator Greg Allen, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind:an ever-changing attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes begat the movement now referred to as Neo-Futurism. UnSemble members write, direct, and perform their own original plays. Each play is delineated by a simple "Go" to begin and "Curtain" to end it, and the audience chooses the order of the plays based on a menu of numbered titles. The plays are interactive and the audience is in charge of the order of the menu ensuring that audiences will never see the same show twice. As neo-futurism dictates there is no suspension of disbelief. The location is here, the time is now and all of the performers play themselves. The short plays vary in length, content, and format and can include silent pieces, songs, audience participation, and more. UnTheatre Co. founder Christina Killmar is thrilled to be bringing Detroit's unique brand of neo-futurism to New York. Tickets available at $15.00.

The "UnSemble" features Amy Johnson (Ypsilanti, MI), Carson Killmar (Mt. Clemens, MI), Josh Thompson (North Hollywood, CA), Anna Marck (Royal Oak, MI), and Emilio Rodriguez (Detroit, MI), each playing themselves. Additional company members include Amber Brenton (North Hollywood, CA) and founder Christina Killmar (New Baltimore). Additional cast members may be added closer to the performance date.

MOTHA HAS LIVED: ALMOST A MEMOIR

Conceived, Directed, and Performed by Zoe Walker-Itoh

Wednesday, September 20 at 6pm

Thursday, September 21 at 6pm

Friday, September 22 at 8:30pm

Saturday, September 23 at 6:30pm

Motha Has Lived: Almost a Memoir is a delightfully delicious character created by actor/director/writer Zoe Walker-Itoh. Set in New York City in the early 1980s, Motha takes us on a journey through her love and life of acting and falling in love.This is a love letter to youth, disco and New York City. Tickets available at $15.00.

Zoe Walker-Itoh (actor, director, educator, and writer) is a transplant from New York City to Rochester. She performed in the original Broadway Ain't Misbehavin' production, replacing original member, Nell Carter. She has acted and directed several productions of the show often using original research and choreography used to create the original production. She is a former Director of Theatre at St. Bonaventure University. Zoe holds a B.A. from City University of New York and M.Ed. degrees from both St. John Fisher College and City University of New York. She has appeared professionally as an actor in New York as well as internationally. Currently, she spends her time traveling, directing local theatre, and writing new works.

About Rochester Fringe Festival

The 12-day Rochester Fringe Festival is the largest multidisciplinary performing arts event in New York State. Since the festival's inception in 2012, nearly 670,000 people have attended more than 4,500 performances by regional, national, and International Artists, from emerging to superstar. From drama to dance, comedy to children's entertainment, music to magic, and so much more, this internationally-known powerhouse encourages creative expression while nurturing the artistic process, all while supplying new audiences to established and emerging arts venues. The Rochester Fringe Festival strives to be diverse and inclusive, and to stimulate downtown Rochester both culturally and economically.

About Geva Theatre Center

Founded in 1972, Geva Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional theatre company dedicated to creating and producing singular theatre productions and programs that serve the Rochester region and beyond, by illuminating the fullness of our many human experiences.

The 516-seat Elaine P. Wilson Stage is home to a wide variety of performances, from musicals to American and world classics. The 180-seat Ron & Donna Fielding Stage is home to Geva's series of contemporary drama, comedy, musical theatre, and new play development programs. In addition, the Fielding Stage hosts visiting companies of both local and international renown.

Geva offers a wide variety of educational, engagement, and literary programs, nurturing audiences and artists alike. Geva Theatre Center sits on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Onödowáʼga, or "the people of the Great Hill." In English, they are known as the Seneca people, "the keeper of the western door." They have stewarded this land through generations, and Geva pays respect and gives thanks to their elders, past and present.

Geva is under the leadership of Artistic Director Elizabeth Williamson and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli.

Find out more about Geva Theatre Center at GevaTheatre.org.

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