FringeArts Presents THE SINCERITY PROJECT, Now thru 12/13

The seven performers of Philadelphia-based company Team Sunshine Performance Corporation engage in a contemporary ritual of memory and forecasting, tracking time through first-person storytelling, performance art, physical theater, music and dance in the world premiere of The Sincerity Project, directed by Alex Torra. On stage today, December 4-13 at FringeArts' waterfront headquarters (140 N. Columbus Blvd.), The Sincerity Project is the first of 8 planned iterations over 24 years of this "anti-play." It will be presented every three years with the same performers and structure, experiencing in real-time a rising generation grappling with the problems and joys of young people becoming not-so-young people. Tickets to The Sincerity Project are available now by calling 215-413-1318 or visiting FringeArts.com

Developed in part through artistic residencies with FringeArts and First Person Arts, The Sincerity Project presents up-and-coming young (and sometimes nude) performers telling their own real-life tales on themes like Loss, Surrender and Potential. The audience is drawn into a shared, ecstatic experience through movement, dance and heavenly music, supplied by an onstage 10-person choir. The planned iterations of the project every two years over the next 24 years will see the performers shift the stories they tell as they grow and change, illuminating both individuals and the culture over a single generation.

"The show," says director Torra, "was inspired by the question 'How do you create truth onstage? How can you make theater less of a narrative and more of a magical experience?' We're attempting to create something idyllic but authentic, something that is meaningful the way family rituals are meaningful - grounded in togetherness and joy, and using physicality, dance and music to make a separate, experiential space. Knowing we'll be repeating the show over time gives it weight, and we'll see the stories evolve and mark growth and change in the individuals and in the issues they struggle with over time."

The Sincerity Project features Aram Aghazarian, Benjamin Camp, Rachel Camp, Makoto Hirano, Jenna Horton, Melissa Krodman, and Mark McCloughan and is for mature audiences only. The performances will be pay-what-you-wish, with a suggested ticket price of $30.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

The Sincerity Project

Dec. 4, 7 p.m. (preview)

Dec. 5, 7 p.m. (preview)

Dec. 6, 7 p.m. (opening)

Dec. 7, 4 p.m.

Dec. 10, 11, 12, 13, 7 p.m.

Pay-what-you-wish, suggested tickets $30, FringeArts, 140 N. Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19106

To purchase tickets, call 215-413-1318 or visit FringeArts.com