Philly Fringe 2025: Nick Gillette presents Pennsylvania Semiconscious Liberation Army

Are we as polarized as we think?

An immersive theater experience from veteran Philly performer Nick Gillette and a large ensemble asks the audience pressing ethical questions about our American moment. Alaina Johns reviews.

Alaina Johns

Sep 14, 2025 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Philly Fringe 2025: Clayton Lee presents The Goldberg Variations

Bach meets the WWE in the spirit of the Fringe

Performance artist Clayton Lee defies “model minority” stereotypes with The Goldberg Variations, a funny, vulnerable, interdisciplinary original show that explores the greater meaning within his romantic exploits. Krista Mar reviews.

Krista Mar

Sep 13, 2025 · Reviews · 2 minute read

Philly Fringe 2025: Carne Viva Dance Theatre presents Dame La Receta

Different “American Dreams”

Philadelphia/Miami art collective Carne Viva Dance Theatre brings Dame La Receta to the Philly Fringe, an interdisciplinary performance exploring immigrants’ experience of the American Dream. An Nichols reviews.

An Nichols

Sep 11, 2025 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Philly Fringe 2025: Without a Cue Productions presents And Then They Were Dead

Choose-your-own-murder

Without a Cue’s interactive And Then They Were Dead is more fun than it is good—which is, itself, a good thing. Jill Ivey reviews.

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Sep 09, 2025 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Philly Fringe 2025: Theatre by Development presents Daniel Burgess’s Urinal

Thrilling trials of adolescence

Theatre by Development, a new company founded by UArts grads, presents Urinal, a 2017 high-school period piece that thrills for its verisimilitude, even when it bites off more than it can chew. Kiran Pandey reviews.

Kiran Pandey

Sep 09, 2025 · Reviews · 2 minute read

Philly Fringe 2025: Taahira Teshi presents The Silent Struggle (There, I Said It)

One woman’s mental-health struggle tells an important story for everyone

A new Fringe show by interdisciplinary artist Taahira Teshi mixes monologues, sing-alongs, and bluesy ballads to explore one college student’s mental-health journey and racial inequities in care. A. Lewis reviews.

A. Lewis

Sep 09, 2025 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Philly Fringe 2025: Indecorous Theatre presents The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)(Revised)(Again)

An enjoyable escape, Ren Faire style

Indecorous Theatre brings a mostly successful production of the popular Complete Works to a beautiful historic space with its Fringe production in the backyard of the Elfreth’s Alley Museum. An Nichols reviews.

An Nichols

Sep 09, 2025 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Philly Fringe 2025: Pier Players Theatre Company presents David Lee White’s Etiquette

The moment we all returned to the theater

With an incisive new satirical drama unfolding backstage at a nonprofit regional theater, Pier Players brings us back to the fall of 2021, when theaters were reopening in a whole new world. Stephen Silver reviews.

Stephen Silver

Sep 09, 2025 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Slippery Trout Productions and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company present Dogberry and Verges Are Scared

Clowns in the spotlight

Part Shakespeare, part Stoppard, part Beckett, and part Dumb and Dumber, Philly Fringe offering Dogberry and Verges Are Scared is one of the festival’s must-see shows. Jill Ivey reviews.

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Sep 08, 2025 · Reviews · 2 minute read

Philly Fringe 2025: Rennie Harris presents Beautiful Human Lies: Chapter 4

A truthful partnership of hip-hop and modern dance

North Philly native and street dance pioneer Rennie Harris returns for this year’s Curated Fringe with his Beautiful Human Lies: Chapter 4, fearlessly danced by Megan Bridge. Eileen B. Fisher reviews.

Eileen B. Fisher

Sep 08, 2025 · Reviews · 2 minute read