The Cincinnati Fringe Festival announced it was going all-digital for this year’s event in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 Cincy Fringe will be “an all-digital, totally online, 100% at-a-safe-distance, for 2020-only” affair with the same date range that had been previously announced — May 29-June 13. Performances will be available via online streaming, accessible by anyone with a computer, tablet, smartphone or smart TV.
Tickets will still be required to view shows. All-access passes cost $200 and cover all performances; individual show tickets can be purchased for $11 a piece. If you can show additional support for performers, you can also buy a “Love Your Artist” ticket for $16 per show.
“Because one of the best parts of Fringe is the sense of community that arises between audiences, staff and artists,” the Know Team stated in its announcement, the goal for 2020 is “creating ways for people to connect at a distance.” There will still be voting for the “Pick of the Fringe” awards, using online polls instead of paper ballots. Fringe-hosted digital hangouts and streaming segments will replace the popular nightly Bar Series events, still featuring the zany Fringe newscast.
See the full Primary lineup here.
In addition to those Fringe favorites, the fest has just announced a slew of special associated livestreaming events:
- Family-Friendly Fringe DRAGON UP! // 1 p.m. May 30: “Oro the Dragon and Meetra the Meerkat Knight embark on a quest and learn about cooperation, conflict resolution, and how to talk about your feelings in this social-emotional learning fairy tale.”
- Family-Friendly Fringe: Storytime with Sparkle! // 11 a.m. May 30 and June 6: “This family-friendly show has been described as a hybrid of Mr. Rogers and Pee-Wee’s Playhouse with a Muppet garnish. Sparkle Leigh is the lovechild of Roger and Jessica Rabbit, and is often mistaken for a drag queen. Let’s read a book, not each other!”
- Family-Friendly Fringe KNOW Your Body // noon May 30 and 11 a.m. June 7: “Join us for a movement and physical education class! We’ll learn some fun new ways to stretch our bodies, and then healthcare professionals will answer real questions from real kids about how bodies work.”
- ComedySportz LIVE!, from ComedySportz Cincinnati // 11 a.m. May 31: “Two teams of trained ComedySportz improvisers go head to head in a family friendly match akin to Whose Line Is It Anyway, but for the whole family and this time the points DO matter!”
- Desperately Seeking the Exit: Online Live, from Peter Michael Marino // 7 p.m. May 31: “American actor/writer Peter Michael Marino wrote a musical based on the Madonna film Desperately Seeking Susan, featuring the hit songs of Blondie. It opened on London’s West End…and closed a month later. Whoops! Attend the internationally acclaimed tale – LIVE on your device.”
- OTRimprov Open Jam, from OTRimprov // 9 p.m. June 1: “Join our own local improv team for a round-up of consistently interesting and frequently funny scenes, and get a chance to get in on the inventive action! This is a free event.”
- Virtual Fringe CUSS from Travis McElroy and the Cincinnati Underground Secret Society // 9 p.m. June 5: “Can you keep a secret, Cincy? Travis McElroy and the Cincinnati Underground Secret Society bring local guests together to chat all things art, Fringe, and life!”
- Family-Friendly Fringe Alice in Neverland // 1 p.m. June 6: “Peter Pan has gone missing! Families at home will use their critical-thinking skills alongside Alice (of Wonderland fame) to crack the case.”
- trueFRINGE 2020, from True Theatre // 7 p.m. June 11: “trueFRINGE 2020 is True Theatre’s 10th consecutive appearance at Cincy Fringe. The show features artists tied to the Festival, sharing their true stories about their lives as artists (it’s not as easy as they make it look!). See their shows then hear their stories at this one-night-only Fringe tradition!”
In addition to these newly scheduled livestreams, you can check out the Visual Fringe gallery online for free at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival website under the “Visual Fringe” tab during the run of the fest.
The Fringe has also scheduled 19 “talkbalks,” or free, live conversations with Fringe artists so audiences can go behind the curtain with host Kate Coley. Learn how Fringe shows are made and ask questions. Convos will be hosted on Facebook and YouTube.
And, as mentioned above, the free Bar Series is going digital to replace the in-human hangs. According to a release from Fringe, “We’ll be livestreaming nightly Hard-Hitting Channel Fringe Action News Updates, just like you’ve seen in the Underground in years past, and we’re also bringing you some of the same wacky events in digital format. Join us for activities like Fringe Olympics, where audiences compete for gold and glory (well, maybe just glory) from the comfort of home, and Mix Your Own Craft Cocktail, when local mixologists will talk you through creating custom cocktails from what you’ve got around the house!”
Fringe is also offering curbside pick-up from Karrikin Spirits Co, Revel OTR Urban Winery and Grainworks Brewing Company from May 25 to June 5. Order from any of those boozy beverage providers and select “Kinda Weird Fringe Curbside Pickup” at check-out and you’ll be able to pick-up your order from Know Theatre between noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday May 30 or Saturday June 6. A percentage of these orders will be donated to Know.
Get a full schedule of events and tickets at cincyfringe.com.
And see our CityBeat recommended list of shows to catch at this year’s Fringe Fest at citybeat.com. We’ll also be posting our annual review hub online at citybeat.com, featuring our critic’s takes on different digital performances.
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This article appears in May 6 – Jun 14, 2020.
