Interview: Various Artists of HARRISBURG FRINGE FESTIVAL at Various Harrisburg Venues

Harrisburg’s Fringe Festival starts Thursday! It will be a weekend to remember with something for everyone! From musical performances to theatrical shows to multimedia productions to films and more, check out the full list of performances at www.hbgfringe.com and see our previous Fringe articles on BroadwayWorld.com to hear from some of the artists. Keep reading for some final artist profiles and stay tuned for a “How to Fringe” article coming soon!

Chris Krahulec (She/Her) and the 60 Something Mormonts Company brings Drowning Girls, an avant-garde one-act with true crime tie ins to the courtyard at Narçisse Theatre Thursday, July 6th at 8pm, Friday, July 7th at 7:30pm and 9:30pm, Saturday, July 8th at 7:30pm and 9:30pm, and Sunday, July 9th at 6:15pm.

This acclaimed Canadian play by Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson, and Daniela Vlaskalic originally premiered at the Toronto Fringe in 2008. We meet Bessie, Alice, and Margaret in an otherworldly holding pattern inside a bath, where they recount the events of their lives. As the similarities in their stories start to emerge, the audience is led through a series of accusations and recollections to a startling conclusion. Three brides, three bathtubs, three crimes, one mystery.

Krahulec explains, “I have tried to pitch this show locally for eleven years, to no success because of the physical requirements—the elements of water and the bathtubs themselves. But the very things that made this show impossible for regular theatre seasons are the things that made the Narçisse Courtyard and Fringe the perfect placement! I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity!” When asked why people should attend Fringe, Krahulec commented, “You will see exciting, different and new works you will not see during the rest of the year.” Not only that, but you can support an event “that puts earnings directly into the hands of the artists, and you should come out this year to say you were part of the first ever Harrisburg Fringe Festival!”

Nicholas Werner (He/Him) presents One: An Opera Scene for 2 Sopranos, Piano, and Vibraphone at Gamut Theatre Friday, July 7th at 7:10pm, and Saturday, July 8th at 3:30pm.

One was originally written in 2007/8 for Peabody Conservatory’s biennial new opera program. The theme for that year was ‘Epiphany’. A woman meets her counterpart—her repressed emotions. I chose to write my ‘epiphany’ in the form of someone finally coming to terms with their abuse—and inevitably dealing with it in catastrophe. *Mild trigger warning of spousal abuse and fantastically portrayed suicide*

Werner encourages everyone to come to Fringe and “see as many shows as you can!”

David Ramón Zayas (He/Him) and Phillip Mann (He/Him) present Curse of the Werewolf, a Choose Your Own Play, at Gamut Theatre Friday, July 7th at 6pm, Saturday, July 8th at 11am, and Sunday, July 9th at 5:20pm.

Curse of the Werewolf features live audience voting in the midst of the action to tell a fully interactive story with 8 possible endings. Audiences are encouraged to attend more than one performance to try to get the BEST ending! This is an original piece from the same team that previously put together Space Vampire and Hijacked! Equal parts game and theatre, Curse of the Werewolf invites audiences to not just enjoy the play but also to beat it! You are one of three young triplets in a fantasy Victorian London, charged with saving your sister from succumbing to The Curse of the Werewolf, which was place on your family by a vindictive witch. Seek help from a renowned Doctor with medical prowess and an open mind; a rival Witch with an axe to grind and intimate knowledge of counter-curses; and a mysterious, old Soldier who helped your parents fight this curse when you were mere infants. Every choice you make affects your odds of success, with each triplet facing one final choice that determines whether they were successful in gathering assistance. This Pivotal Choice determines who lives and dies in each of the possible Finales, so choose wisely on your path for the best hope of saving your sister and breaking the curse once and for all!

“I am most looking forward to the rush of seeing so many new and established artists sharing their work in one area, hour by hour,” Zayas shares. “The whole Choose Your Own Play team is thrilled to be part of the inaugural Harrisburg Fringe Festival! Fringe Festivals are so, so fun to attend, and having one right here in Central PA, organized by passionate and skilled artists who have worked non-stop for almost two years getting this off the ground, means that this Festival is going to be uniquely Harrisburg. With so many different artists, low ticket prices, and a communal beer garden where you can meet your favorite Fringe artists—it’s just going to be a great time for all!”

Maria James-Thiaw brings HairStory: Reclaiming our Crown, a choreopoem, to Midtown Cinema Friday, July 7th at 6:20, Saturday, July 8th at 8pm, and Sunday, July 9th at 3:45pm.

HairStory is a play written in poetic form based on interviews conducted with real individuals about their experience with naturally textured hair. The play incorporates music, dance, and poetry in a beautiful and thought-provoking way. A digital version of the play is presented at Midtown Cinema for Harrisburg’s Fringe Festival.

James-Thiaw exclaims, “I love the Fringe Festival because it opens up opportunities for new audiences to see our work. It is diverse and inclusive with many BIPOC and LGBTQ writers and actors. It makes me feel like an accepted and important part of Harrisburg’s theatre community. People should come out to have fun and see how many great and talented people they have living among them. They should come to experience something new, to support their friends and loved ones, and to kill the myth that there is nothing to do in Harrisburg!”

Liz Curtis performs elizalphabeth, an interactive experiment in performative vulnerability featuring elements of everything at Narçisse Theatre Friday, July 7th at 6:50pm and Saturday, July 8th at 1:20pm.

elizalphabeth is, at its core, about the human condition and how the baggage we all have takes many forms. The alphabet is involved, too.

When asked what excites her the most and why people should attend Fringe, Curtis exclaims, “Four days of creatives and attendees alike being implored to ‘Do something weird’—what more could one ask for!”

Legs Akimbo (They/Them) presents Pelt Room Peep Show, a burlesque cabaret, at Narçisse Theatre Company Friday, July 7th at 10:10pm and Saturday, July 8th at 10:45pm.

Pelt Room Peep Show is a steaming hot varietease experience, featuring burlesque, drag, and sideshow! Hosted by Legs Akimbo, this nightlife showcase features performances by Frankie Debonaire, Seija Syren, Nebula Nova, Harlow Wyntour, and Mia Action. There’s a special kind of magic in the air at the cabaret, an electric energy in live tease between the performer and the audience that really can’t be experienced anywhere else…The Peep Show features queer performance artists from all over the state, with different acts both nights, so each show is truly one of a kind. Following in the long tradition of burlesque, audience interaction (and tipping the performers!) is encouraged. Guaranteed to have you laughing, blushing, and begging for more! Please note, this show is only suitable for audiences 18+.

“It’s truly exciting to see so many different types of artists uniting under one banner to showcase all that our area has to offer! As a nightlife performer and producer, I adore talent that is typically seen on less traditional stages, so I’m thrilled that there’s such a range of work being presented for audiences to experience and explore.”

Cierra Woods (She/Her) brings Until the Real Thing Comes Along, a dance show, at Gamut Theatre on Thursday, July 6th at 9:30pm, Saturday, July 8th at 12:30pm, and Sunday, July 9th at 6:50pm.

This dance show incorporates black music and cinema to access the histories of matriarchs of the past and present. It explores the 4D realms, including the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual, allowing us to take back the narrative of protecting and honoring what Mary J. Blige calls that REAL LOVE!

Woods explains, “I’m so excited to take my body on a solo ride during these evening performances, but holding room for dialogue in my post-show talkbacks is what has me! I love hearing what resonated with the audiences…Hearing what connections were made to your personal life is a humbling yet grounding experience…Being part of this Fringe Festival is truly a privilege because I’m not too sure I would have ever dreamed of having the space to produce a One Wom(b)an Show anywhere else! Having support from my community as I venture into collaging physical and musical mediums energizes me.”

Visit www.hbgfringe.com to purchase your Fringe button and join all of these fabulous artists in doing something weird, July 6th through July 9th. Find out how to Fringe with our final article before the event on Wednesday!

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