Fifth Annual Indy Theatre Fringe Festival - August 2009

It’s the fifth year of the Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival on Mass Ave, when the street turns into a 10-day long festival of “splashy spectacle, provocative pageantry and outrageous outbursts of off-beat theatrical fun.”

Although I was never much of a theatre goer, I attended my first Indianapolis Fringe Theatre Festival last year, as a blogger for Smaller Indiana, and was introduced to some of the coolest, weirdest, funnest entertainment I’ve ever seen.

And this year promises to be a lot better. “The Fringe” — it’s what the cool people call it; “are you going to ‘The Fringe’ this year?” they ask — promises to be even better than last year. Fringe-goers have a chance to see 53 performers and 270 shows on six stages.

The Fringe begins on August 21st, and will turn the Massachusetts Avenue Arts District into a veritable theatrial circus: dance, theatre, music, improv, visual arts, all written and performed by local, national, and international artists.

There is literally something for everyone, whether you’ve got kids looking for family fun, want some good soul-stirring, emotion-churning drama, or you just love a good sex joke.

This year, IndyFringe has added a 6th stage in five venues

• Earth House at Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church
• the IndyFringe HQ Building on East St. Clair
• Theatre on the Square (Main Stage and Stage 2)
• ComedySportz Indianapolis
• the Phoenix Theatre

But there will also be shows in the streets with street buskers, performances, visual arts exhibitions, and the occasional band. Last year, I was introduced to both Vermillion Lies, a thriftshop cabaret band from San Francisco, and Indy’s own Grandpall Jukabox.

Who knows, you might find a great new artist, comedy troupe, or life-changing performance that will make you a lifelong Fringer.