Fort Collins Fringe Fest

Additional Information

Decidedly un-mainstream theatre is springing up in Fort Collins. The first-ever Fort Collins Fringe Fest will be held at Bas Bleu Theatre on Friday, August 16. The event features seven original works by Northern Colorado playwrights and performers.

Fringe festivals abound in Europe, with the largest and most famous being the Edinburgh Festival Fringe founded in 1947. The concept has been a little slower to catch in in the U.S., but it’s growing. Most are based on the participation of anyone who has new material they want to showcase, regardless of how experimental, unusual, or edgy. Fringe productions are technically simple, and usually shorter. Fringe festivals have an open-door policy on what is considered theatre, as long as it involves performance and art, and is original.

The Fort Collins Fringe Fest features works by local playwrights performed by local actors, including short “car plays,” which are performed in actual cars in the parking lot, with audiences standing nearby or even in the back seat. Other performances include experimental long-form improve, premiere presentations by Fort Collins artists and original works by students.

The Fort Collins Fringe is a grassroots event organized and produced by Heather Ostberg Johnson, with support from La De Da School for the Performing Arts and Horsetooth Productions, producers of the TriMedia Film Festival. The event begins at 5:00 p.m., and tickets are $5 at the door. Bas Bleu Theatre is located at 401 Pine Street in Fort Collins. Details on the performances and the schedule are available on the event’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/FortCollinsFringeFest.