In theater, the most interesting things happen on the fringes.
And now, Las Vegas celebrates that part of the stage world with not one, but two fringe festivals.
Historically, these events have celebrated stage artistry outside conventional theater. They also lower the barrier of entry for both participant and audience member by keeping production spare and costs low.
Las Vegas Little Theatre is set to produce its 14th Vegas Fringe Festival starting June 6th in its longtime Chinatown theater. And three days earlier, a new event, Fallout Fringe Festival, debuts, taking over Downtown Las Vegas. Both events aim to present works that Vegas audiences might not otherwise get to see, at run times shorter than typical plays/musicals, and at a much lower ticket price.
So what sets the two apart?
Vegas Fringe is the more (though not entirely) traditional event of the two. It features more familiar fare, such as a play by Edward Albee (A Zoo Story) and a musical (Matched: The Online Dating Musical) — a total of four locally-produced works that will be staged multiple times throughout the 10-day festival, all at LVLT.
It also adheres to a strict schedule. "You have 10 minutes to load in, 10 minutes to have your audience get seated, and then 10 minutes to load out," says LVLT board member Jacob Moore, who also will act and co-direct in a Vegas Fringe production, (Abridged) Lives of the Saints (Returns). "And the shows we typically want them to be less than an hour as well. We're open to anything and everything, just you [have] to meet those criteria."
Fallout Fringe emphasizes an experimental slate of productions set to challenge traditional theater; it actually calls itself a performance art festival. Even the title, besides being very Southern Nevada, is indicative of something reckless. "It alludes to this danger, this explosion, something completely taking over the entire area," says festival co-founder Breon Jenay, who will also co-star in a Fallout feature, The Hummingbirds.
Fallout will take place over five different Arts District and Fremont-located venues, boasting 115 performances — produced by both local and visiting theater professionals — over its three weeks. It will also feature four ticketed workshops on various aspects of performance.
Breon Jenay, co-founder, Fallout Fringe Festival; Jacob Moore, board member, Las Vegas Little Theatre.
