Just as the SEPTA blitz was lifted on Aug. 11, artists, organizers, and supporters of the 2025 Philadelphia Fringe Festival traveled to the waterfront Fringe Arts venue to see teasers for six of the 340 plus shows from the festival’s catalogue.
The Philadelphia Fringe Festival runs from Sept. 4-28th this year. The first Philly Fringe was held in 1997 with the intention of providing opportunities for contemporary performing artists to connect with audiences in an exciting social environment. The festival is part of an international circuit born of the historic Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which champions open participation, unconventional venues, experimentation, discovery, and exploration.
At preview nights, five acts get 10 minutes each to give you a taste of their show. The quick turnaround is a testament to how quickly intrigue can be sparked. Host and fringe coordinator Simon Rabinowitz joked in his opening speech, “If you don’t like anything you see tonight, you might be in the wrong building.”
Here are the six pieces I saw at the preview night:
- Circumscribed by Noam Osband/Lester W Productions: A quick witted and to the point show with jokes that were both sharp and loving. Through props and slides, we get a chance to see beyond the central joke of circumcision and into an intimate relationship between father and son.
- You Know I'm No Good by The Bards Theatre Troupe/Pattu LuStoned: This act started the evening off boldly with burlesque and cabaret songs from Amy Winehouse.
- Journeyman by Charles Steele: This piece treaded through childhood traumas with an earnestness and ease that was able to affect the audience in under ten minutes.
- Clowns, Villains, & Lovers: A Half-Mask Show: An improvised evening of mask and commedia dell'arte-inspired scenes.
- The Way the Light Hits the Puddle by Ally Wilson: A wholly immersive dance experience where lighting and sound design underscore the cyclical nature of bodily movement.
- i don't have the right words for it yet by Madeline Shuron: A movement piece featuring captivating visuals that lulled the viewer into a peaceful state of observation before shocking us with a confession of amphibian torture.
For good measure, here are five other shows not previewed last week that I am looking forward to reviewing come September:
- Philadelphia Revolutions by EgoPo Classic Theater: A reading of the first American play published and produced in America, Prince of Parthia (1767) by Thomas Godfrey, along with the highly provocative play of the abolitionist era, Gladiator (1831) by Robert Montgomery Bird. I’m excited by the site specificity of this piece; both shows will take place inside Carpenter's Hall.
- The Guy at that Party by Reshma Meister: A clown, drag, immersive & interactive experience, and solo show. I saw a video of this comedian covered in tape trying to hook a Funyun on their fingers — and was hooked.
- Around the World in 80 Toys by Thaddeus McWhinnie Phillips: A cinematic and theatrical journey into the realm of micro-cinema, classic stage magic, illusions and object puppetry.
- Lions by Lightning Rod Special: Part clown show and part deconstructed eulogy, Lions tries to honor our fathers by not denying them the humanity they could not always offer themselves.
- Kaidan: Night of 100 Spirits by Schreiben the Conjurer: a multi-media and performance evening combining illusions, history, storytelling, bunraku, noh, and more to weave a creepy web of scary stories each paired with a performance or art piece to transport the audience to a time of onmyōji and 10th Century court pastimes.
To peruse the catalogue for yourself, pick up one of their physical guides, which comes with a calendar to write down your own must see shows this year. Find one on their website here and reserve your tickets today.
This was the first of three preview nights, and each night highlights a different set of shows. On Aug. 18th (tonight!) and 25th at 7PM you too can head out to Fringe Arts, grab a drink at the Fringe Bar, and enjoy the company of other fringe fanatics.
