Don’t look now, but Las Vegas audiences may be wanting something different.
In 2025, Fallout Fringe Festival debuted in Downtown Las Vegas with 35 edgier, more experimental stage productions, rounding out some 135 total performances.
This year, it’s not only returning — it’s grown. There are more venues, more productions, more performances — and more collaborators.
"Now that we were a proven thing, and we actually existed, it was easier this year," Fallout Fringe artistic director and co-founder Breon Jenay told State of Nevada. "Not to say that it was too difficult last year; I think the Las Vegas community was really hungry for something like this. So, once we put our feelers out, people came in droves ... and I think the word got out amongst artists that — you know, all fringe festivals are artist-focused, but we like to be especially artist-focused. We don't charge any submission fees for artists, and I think that was especially compelling."
New Arts District live spots Bizarre Bar and the second iteration of Swan Dive — along with the new arts incubator Third Street — join Vegas Theatre Company, Majestic Repertory Theatre and Cornish Pasty as performance venues.
The monthlong event (June 3-25) encourages its participants to showcase boundary-pushing works that challenge traditional theater; last year, Jenay called Fallout a performance art festival. Dentata (June 12-13) is based on a misogynistic myth about women, and features an outrageous puppet and language associated with witches. And speaking of witches Hysterics (June 10-14) incorporates the infamous witch trials of late 17th century Salem as both a setting and a mirror to the current sociopolitical environment.
"It's historical fiction, so the play is based on real historical figures," said Allison Martone, a frequent local actor and improv performer, who wrote and directed Hysterics. "Largely, this play is meant to kind of give a message about systems that say that they purport safety and care, but are actually executing a biased agenda, and are looking to organize, condemn, and kill, [to] which there's a direct parallel right to what's happening in the United States today."
Guests: Breon Jenay artistic director and co-founder, Fallout Fringe Festival; Allison Martone playwright and director
