Thirteen shows down, 12 to go (not including Opera Philadelphia's Il Viaggio a Reims, which I'm seeing on September 28). If you're an avid BSR reader who has also been attending some Fringe shows, it's possible you and I have been in the same room together over the last two weeks without realizing it. Thirteen performances feels like a lot to take in over two weeks, but it's only a fraction of the shows on offer. I'm looking forward to the rest on my schedule (I've been documenting everything as I go on our Instagram account).
Fringe shows can be very hit or miss, which is part of the fun of the fest, but I am finding the work this year to be, for the most part, very strong. This year is also exciting because almost everywhere I go, I am part of a full audience, if not a totally sold-out house. Festival staffers, many of them performing in shows themselves, have their work cut out for them moving large audiences in and out of theaters that are hosting dozens of different shows, sometimes with only 30 minutes between the end of one show and the start of another on the same stage.
Watch the news and America seems more poisonous by the day. But get out from behind your screens to watch Philly's indie artists, and you'll get another picture--one that is brave, hopeful, and compelling. And all the more exciting for the fact that people are crowding to get tickets. Recent data shows that theaters have been on a tougher trajectory for pandemic-era recovery than other cultural institutions, but it looks to me like they're making up a lot of ground.
With the Trump administration promoting harsh new crackdowns on free speech, supporting local artists isn't just the fun thing to do, or the right thing to do. It's necessary. We hope our coverage helps you join in.
Want to connect in person tomorrow? I am joining a panel hosted by the Cannonball Festival called Bringing the Outside Edge In: Philadelphia Artists, Journalists, and Audience in Dialog. It's happening at Asian Arts Initiative at 6:30pm TONIGHT (Sept 17). It's free with no registration required! Just show up and listen in.
Alaina Johns
BSR editor-in-chief
