A plethora of performance art and experimental theatre.
It’s the 14th annual Asheville Fringe Arts Festival! This true Asheville oddity offers more than 30 local and imported performing artists the opportunity to create and showcase new work. The Asheville Fringe is one of the few places for culturally adventurous audiences to see a range of performance art. But what is this performance art thing anyway?
Performance art is traditionally interdisciplinary. It can be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or planned; with or without audience participation. Any situation that involves the basic elements of time, space, the performer’s presence in a medium, and a relationship between performer and audience can be performance art. It can happen anywhere, in any type of setting and for any length of time. (Adapted from Wikipedia)
To really understand what it is, you’ve got to experience it! The 2016 Asheville Fringe Arts Festival will give you plenty of opportunity with a variety of performance art events that defy genre categories, as well as being just plain weird. The LaZoom Bus Fringe Tour, one of our most popular venues, features several site specific performance art pieces, like Grayson Morris’ art house and Caroline Williford’s wonderful installation (you might remember her mirrored ceiling dance from last year’s tour). On the bus you can catch performances by Polly Panic, who defies the music genre with her cello, and as host, everyone’s favorite pointy-hatted local performance artist and puppeteer, Keith Shubert.
Several theatre-based pieces in the festival also fall into the performance art category. Anam Cara will be pushing the boundaries as usual with A Tonguey Kiss for Samuel Davidson at Magentic 375. Also at Magnetic 375, Caroline Rau, aka the PBR swilling high priestess Winnifred Coombe, appears in a Fringe double feature: The Séance Show and La Lune de Femme. At the Altamont, Ruts: The Oregon Trail Experience will engage you with history, comedy, and a fantastical video game!
All of the free Random Acts of Fringe this year are also best described as performance art. Susan and Giles Collard from ACDT explore the question ‘What do we consider important in our lives?’ in Zugar Refinido, with dark humor, dance, and some contagious affection. Brianna Gardner will be performing Sacraments of Saga: The Healing Mead of Poetry. The Accidentals, Asheville’s creative collective of improvisational dancers, will be performing in the hair salon, Realta Salon on Wall Street.
The times and exact locations of all three Random Acts of Fringe will be announced January 1, when the official guide comes out. These are non-ticketed shows and free to the general public. Curious audiences will want to watch the Fringe website for details.
The dates for the 2016 Asheville Fringe Arts Festival are Thursday, January 21 through Sunday, January 24, 2016. With 15 different Fringe shows to choose from, it is essential to plan ahead. Visit www.ashevillefringe.org for tickets and more details.
Bold and brave audiences should go to as many shows as possible to experience the full Fringe effect. Audiences will have many choices this year at venues across the city: the Bebe Theatre, the Altamont Theatre, the Mothlight, the Magnetic 375, the LaZoom bus, and the Toy Boat Community Art Space.
Show times are generally at 7 & 9 p.m., slightly earlier on Sunday. Each show runs about an hour, encouraging festival goers to see two shows a night. Committed Fringe fans can purchase an all access Fringe Freak Pass.
If You Go: Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, Thursday, January 21 through Sunday, January 24, 2016. For more details, please contact info@ashevillefringe.org and visit www.AshevilleFringe.org.