Guilt & Mirrors Debuts New Show BROADLY SPEAKING At 2023 Rochester Fringe Festival

Guilt & Mirrors, the five-woman improv troupe that won three consecutive Battle Royale improvisation competitions in 2023, brings its joyous new romp BROADl Speaking to the 12th annual Rochester Fringe Festival on Saturday, September 16 at 7:30 pm and Wednesday, September 20 at 6:00 pm, at The Focus Theater, 260 E. Main Street (Sibley Square), 3rd floor.

In a time when isolation kept most of us apart, the pandemic actually brought seasoned comediennes Margaret Buchanan, Adele Fico, Mona Isler, M.K. Killen, and Deborah White together, linking them virtually in a monthly online improv class offered by The Rochester Brainery. When the world began to open up again in late 2022, their improv coach and mentor Megan Mack, suggested they work together and see what develops. They launched in-person rehearsals in fall 2022.

Their name was chosen from one member's description of the former Sibley's department store: “It was all gilt and mirrors.” Today, that same building houses The Focus Theater, where Guilt & Mirrors won the audience's best-in-show vote three months in a row.

Loaded with absurd set-ups, wild surprises, impossible situations, gut-busting laughs, and moments of sheer panic, Guilt & Mirrors takes comedy to a new place, with humor that resonates with both young and older audiences—but especially with mature women. “None of us is new on this planet,” said ensemble member Adele Fico. “So, we all know what makes being a citizen of the universe funny, and most importantly, we all know how to laugh at ourselves.” 

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.