The 2019 Philly Fringe Festival Curated Programming Announced

FringeArts announced the curated component of the 2019 Fringe Festival today, featuring eleven theater, dance, music, and interdisciplinary engagements at FringeArts' home on the Delaware Waterfront and in venues around the city September 5-22. Tickets are currently on sale to FringeArts Members, and go on sale to the public on Monday.

The festival kicks off with The Wooster Group's original performance based on an LP of work songs, spirituals, and toasts recorded in 1964 in Texas' then-segregated prison farms. Hometown favorites Pig Iron Theatre Company and award-winning designer Mimi Lien present the world premiere of a large-scale visual theater work in a historic wrestling arena. Blanka Zizka and visual artist Rosa Barba collaborate on an adaptation of Etel Adnan's epic poem There: In the Light and the Darkness of the Self and the Other, in a co-presentation with The Wilma Theater. Obie award-winning ensemble Half Straddle returns to the Fringe Festival with a staging of the verbatim transcript from NSA whistleblower Reality Winner's FBI interrogation, co-presented by the Annenberg Center. Kaneza Schaal and Christopher Myers ues storytelling and interactive video technology to map the experiences of five migrants in Cartography, a new work for young audiences.

Crafting this festival, we were inspired by works that engage with the pressing social questions of our time, said Zach Blackwood, Artistic Producer. It's our sincere desire that these pieces prompt stimulating conversation with regard to the power of the collective public body and each individual therein.

Dance offerings include choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker's seminal piece Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich, performed by new dancers for the first time. Charismatic Argentine duo Un Poyo Rojo brings its internationally acclaimed, delightfully physical work to Philadelphia for its US Premiere. Slovenian dance troupe EN-KNAP Group and Nature Theater of Oklahoma take on the myth and legacy of the American Dream in an endlessly morphing folk tale. Mexican choreographer Mariana Arteaga leads a community-authored and -performed nomadic dance work through the streets of South Philadelphia.

While assembling the 2019 festival program, we were interested in supporting projects that promote civic exchange through scaled modes of engagement for audiences, said Katy Dammers, Artistic Producer.

FringeArts is partnering with Opera Philadelphia on two presentations that are part of both the 2019 Fringe Festival and the Opera's Festival O19. Joseph Keckler presents the world premiere of Let Me Die, a collage of operatic death scenes, and cabaret connoisseurs The Bearded Ladies reprise last year's Late Night Snacks, a series of after-hours performances in a refitted East Passyunk industrial space.

2019 sees the return of the Fringe Festival Bookstore, presented in partnership with Head House Books. Located at Cherry Street Pier, this outpost will serve as a site for live podcast recordings, community conversations, and panel discussions to accompany and enhance the curated lineup. FringeArts will also host opening and closing night parties in La Peg Brasserie, as well as additional late night programming to be announced.

The full Fringe Festival lineup, including the independently produced shows, will be announced in August.

Tickets to FringeArts Curated programming are available at FringeArts.com or via phone at 215-413-1318.