Meet District Fringe, D.C.’s New Indie Theater Festival
Three local theater companies launch District Fringe to carry on Capital Fringe’s legacy — with queer artists, community energy, and summer stage magic.
When Capital Fringe announced in January that it was doing away with its signature annual festival, “it felt like a piece of my heart broke,” says Aubri O’Connor. “Because my theater company was formed for Capital Fringe, and we grew within Capital Fringe.”
Indeed, O’Connor’s Nu Sass Productions launched with its debut show in the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival. “I still remember how excited I was when we were accepted,” O’Connor says. “It was the biggest thing that had ever happened to me in my life.”
O’Connor emphasizes the importance of preserving Capital Fringe, noting that for a young artist, being accepted into the festival can be a pivotal moment. It often marks the beginning of a meaningful artistic journey, as many performers have launched successful careers after getting their start at Fringe.
Several professional theater companies that originated at the festival are still thriving today, and two such companies, Pinky Swear Productions, led by Karen Lange, and Theatre Promotheus, led by Tracey Erbacher, have joined forces with Nu Sass to carry on the tradition in D.C. with the new District Fringe.
This year’s inaugural festival, taking place over the next three weekends on the UDC campus in Van Ness, is a notably more modest affair than in years past and is officially billed as “showcasing locally grown theatre hand-picked to entertain you, make you think, and make you feel.” All of it is the result of having only a few months to do proper planning.
“Everything came together in four months, which is a very short period of time for one play, let alone an entire festival,” says O’Connor. “It’s been amazing how many people have really put their full selves into bringing this festival to life. There hasn’t been a single leader — not me, not Karen, not Tracey — none of us is the reason the festival is happening. The reason the festival is happening is that three dozen people came together and offered their skills to make it possible.”
To keep this year’s debut event manageable, organizers intentionally limited the scope of the programming. With over 60 submissions, the founders opted to make it a juried festival, selecting a smaller number of shows to present. The final lineup includes seven main productions, each with four to six performances, along with eight additional shows labeled as “one-nighters,” though a few of those will run twice.
In addition to those 15 ticketed productions, all scheduled for UDC’s roughly 85-seat Phoenix Theatre, there will be nearly two dozen free performances at UDC’s outdoor Firefly Amphitheater — everything from Disney sing-alongs to “Shakespeare in the Pub” and karaoke. Performers include Avant Bard Theatre, The Artless Bards Improvised Shakespeare, movie art performer Rob Parrish, the Breakfast Schnitzel improv troupe, singer/showtune artist Anastasia Lee, and the bands Boy Meets Pearl and Ari Voxx & The Sad Lads.
Roughly half of the ticketed productions feature LGBTQ artists or themes. The queer lineup includes:
- A Guide to Modern Possession by queer nonbinary theater artist Caro Dubberly, a dark (musical) comedy with a 10-person cast described as “[investigating] trauma while also paying homage to musical theatre magic” (7/11, 7/13, 7/20, 7/24, 7/27).
- Go by Rodin Alcerro and Pablo Guillen, a “wordless tale” of physical theater presented by a gay couple playing two clowns “drawn together by something unspoken” (7/13, 7/17, 7/23, 7/24, 7/27).
- Now to Ashes by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz, a historical drama profiling four abolitionist women, presented by Theatre51 with a 10-person cast (7/19).
- “Be Good” with Paulette by Daniel Maseda, a one-person “character comedy” (7/19, 7/25).
- The Hardest Words to Say by Ché Navin Arrington, a work-in-progress drama examining how the human body processes trauma and performed by a six-person cast (7/26).
- The Pit by Lenox Kamara and presented by the Confetti Collective, an experimental work about a queer Black teenage drag artist described as offering a “night of nonsense and nostalgia” (7/26).
- Matt & Lily Get Together, an hour of stand-up from queer, polyamorous comedian Lily Kerrigan alongside “her self-proclaimed himbo boyfriend,” Matthew Marcus (7/26).
Jurors were intentional in striving for a broad diversity of artists and themes. Says O’Connor, “We did weight shows that featured BIPOC artists or stories, shows that featured queer artists or stories, and shows that featured drag or other — I’m gonna call them endangered — artforms under attack. Because those communities need support right now.”
District Fringe opens Friday, July 11, and runs for three weekends through Sunday, July 27, at the UDC Campus in Van Ness. Tickets are $15 per show, with multi-show passes available as a 4-Pack for $56, a 10-Pack for $120, or an All Access pass for $166. Visit www.districtfringe.com.
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