Three Musicals Set for Inaugural Paris Fringe This May

The first edition of Paris Fringe, a festival of international theatre in English, takes place from Monday, May 23 to Sunday, May 29, 2016 in Paris, France.

The festival features both international work and France-based companies, and artists are travelling to Paris for the festival from Belgium, Canada, the UK and the USA. English is the main language for performances and other events.

The programme includes dramatic plays, stand-up comedy, musicals, immersive theatre, improvisation and solo shows, representing a wide range of theatrical styles, with a focus on innovative approaches to theatre and an emphasis on contemporary themes. Shows are scheduled every evening throughout the festival week as well as afternoon performances over the weekend, with workshops and events open to the public.

The 16 following companies and their shows have been selected out of almost one hundred applications:

New - "New Musical Comedy" (France/Germany) - Improvised musical comedy;
Bruno Banon - "Luv" (France) - Absurdist and traditional Broadway comedy about friendship; Flabbergast - "Tatterdemalion" (UK) - One-man show featuring puppetry, physical comedy and mime; Petar Miloshevski - "AMOUR" (UK) - Post-dramatic solo theatre - poetic, tragic, physical and visual; Bric a? Brac - "Ash" (UK) - Devised musical comedy on a life-long love affair with smoking;
Leeds Studio - "9 Lives" (UK) - One-man show on the theme of being a refugee;
Two Tongue - "Twisted and Tongue Tied" (France/UK) - Cabaret and dark comedy on gender equality; Comedy French Fried - "French Fried" (France/USA) - Stand-up comedy - multiple acts;
Sarah Tullamore - "London - Paris - Roam!" (France/UK) - One-woman musical show;
Oortocht - "iplay" (Belgium) - Interactive street performance with music;
Broadway au Carre? - "Seasons" (France/USA) - Prize-winning musical on the theme of love;
Apuka Theatre - "Encore" (Canada/France) - Improvised, interactive site-specific drama;
Peter Vickers - "Gonzo" (UK/France) - Dark comedy on friendship and betrayal;
Jennifer Cole - "Quasar Blues" (France) - Re-enactment;
Bremner Sings - "33 Kabaret" & "Whiskey Bars" (USA) - Two one-man musical shows;
Mutinerie Collective - "Superdiscount" (France) - Bilingual, physical ensemble theatre exploring consumer society.

Paris Fringe is organised in partnership with the theatre Les Feux de la Rampe where many of the shows will be performed, and which will host a public Opening Ceremony on Monday, May 23, providing audiences with a glimpse of the variety of companies that will be showcased during the week, with artists and acts taking the stage.

Other partners include Théâtre Trévise , where a special FIEALD in franglais night will be held on Sunday, May 29, and Theatre in Paris a cultural tourism startup which provides multilingual surtitling on augmented reality glasses.

Paris Fringe takes place in traditional and alternative venues in the 9th arrondissement in Paris (theatres, YMCA, cafés and bars, a private apartment, a laundrette...). Alongside the shows, audiences and theatre professionals will interact and exchange at an open platform debate, and at a series of workshops on improvisation, devising theatre and musical theatre.

Paris Fringe is organized by a team of international theatremakers based in France, led by artistic directors Dom Douglas and Reka Polonyi. "Paris Fringe is a theatre festival about bringing people together," notes Polonyi, "with artists coming from around the world, it is an occasion for a diverse group of local and international writers, directors, performers and choreographers to learn from each other and share new ways of working."

The concept of Fringe, a globally recognized type of theatre festival, had its beginnings in Edinburgh in the late 1940s. Throughout the twentieth century, the format developed into a carnival of arts and performance before inspiring others around the world. "There are now fringe festivals in major cities such as New York, Sydney, Amsterdam and Prague," says Douglas, "but Paris had yet to establish a festival of its own."

For more information, visit the Paris Fringe website and follow on Twitter and Facebook.