The Theatre Times: The Philadelphia Fringe Festival, now in its twenty-first year, has been gentrified. What began in 1997 as a loose network of scrappy local arts groups presenting sixty-odd pieces in Philadelphia’s Old City district over five days has grown into a seventeen-day affair that imports international avant-garde superstars like Romeo Castellucci and Ivo van Hove to present curated productions in state-of-the-art, higher-capacity venues, while over a thousand uncurated performances now take place in basements and bars from Fishtown to Manayunk to Queen Village.
4 comments:
I’ve never heard of this festival despite living so close to Philadelphia, but it sounds absolutely amazing. The Pig Iron Theater Company really caught my eye immediately. The “Humans” section in the piece A Period of Animate Existence sounds ingenious, and reminds me somewhat of Jet of Blood. It seems sporratic and natural, almost unrehearsed, and personifies all of the different thoughts and arguments on environmental issues and saving the earth. I think movement based and experimental theater should dive head first into “charting authentically new emotional territory,” as the author of the article says. It should shock and resonate and make audiences really think, not just watch a charming production with a smile on their face. The other piece that really interested me was HOME. The show sounds like an absolute masterpiece, and I can only imagine what it’s like to be in that audience during a show. The theater becomes truly immersive, real entertainment and enjoyment, that makes people feel vulnerable and emotional.
I think one of the most frustrating things about entering theater as a career is the fact that a lot of times people trust people because of the networking that they have done, not because of talent. People who have been successful in the past have a higher success rate than those who have never been given a chance to direct or perform. I completely agree that artistic safety should not be a priority of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Especially because they pride themselves on being alternative, avant garde, and different. Theatre is expensive, however it should be an equal opportunity space - especially with a festival that prides itself on its unique nature. The fact that gentrification still occurs in the world frustrates me to no end, I hope that we can continue to become more civically aware of theatre’s role in the world. It should be an all inclusive art form meant for everyone to participate in.
I find it very strange that the Philadelphia Fringe Festival is constructed it such a way that "world class" talent is given better venues and is preferred more than lower budget shows. I absolutely love the original concept of the Fringe Festival since it allows people who would otherwise not have a way to perform, perform. I go to the Orlando Fringe Festival every year and it has been such an amazing experience that's kind of like gambling. You have no idea what you're going to get and whether its going to be good or not but that is literally the best part. Its such a good way to discover unknown work and fall in love with small artists. It is sad to me that the Philadelphia Festival doesn't allow for exploration of both the viewer and the artist. I am glad that there are still shows at this festival that are being recognized but come from the fringes. These are the shows that invoke innovation and new ideas within the industry.
This festival sounds like a really fascinating thing to be a part of. It is such a shame the negative ways in which it may have lost its initial intention to be a sort of local conglomeration of artists and that it might be financially inaccessible; however, I think it is really great that it seems to have become an event in which talent from all over the world can contribute. I wish that, since this festival revolves around being different, they had actively tried to fight gentrification from overtaking the experience, which may be unreasonable, but I feel as though there should at least be an active effort to do so. From looking at the art presented in this article, I am really in love with the unconventional and innovative pieces that have been presented. Geoff Sobelle’s piece Home really caught my eye. I love how the audience is welcome to empathize more with the piece because it is in silhouette and none of the actors are truly given identities.
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