Presenting the 2022 Cincy Fringe Festival Primary Lineup
Know Theatre has announced the 19th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival – said to be the region’s largest and longest-running annual performing arts festival – June 3-18. Known as Cincy Fringe, the 14-day celebration features hundreds of live performances by independent local, national and international artists.
Cincy Fringe by the numbers:
- 33 Primary Lineup Productions (30 in-person, 3 streaming online)
- 40+ Productions (including 2 FringeDevelopment projects and several Special Events) at 8 venues across Over-the-Rhine: Know Theatre, Art Academy of Cincinnati and Gabriel’s Corner
- Outdoor Stage and Beer Garden with free programming, (All-ages friendly on the weekends)
- Free After-Hours Events every night outside and in the Know Theatre Underground Bar
- Pay-What-You-Wish “No Experience Necessary” Workshops
- Closing of Jackson Street to facilitate art-making and for block parties
On Monday, April 25, from 6-11 p.m., Know is throwing a “Cincy Fringe Fauxpening Day Kickoff Tailgate Party” in the ArtsWave parking lot, with BBQ, local brews, and the unveiling of the official Cincinnati Fringe Festival 2022 schedule.
Ticketing info
- 50% of all Box Office revenue is given to the Performance Fringe artists.
- Single tickets to the 2022 Cincy Fringe are on a sliding scale of $16-$20.
- All-Access Pass ($275) is good for one entry into as many productions as one person can see.
- 6-ticket Voyeur Pass ($80) can be used in any combination of shows or individuals.
All passes are currently on sale at www.cincyfringe.com
Primary Lineup
This year’s Primary Lineup features new works from 12 local creators, 20 productions from across the country, and one international participant from Adelaide, Australia. With 12 world premieres, 16 regional premieres and 18 producing companies new to Cincinnati, audiences are “guaranteed to experience something brand new.”
- Sadec 1965: A Love Story, from Flora Le, Washington, D.C. “Motorcycle Diaries” meets “Eat, Pray, Love” set in Vietnam.
- Out of Character, from Honour Hook, Cincinnati. One-woman sketch comedy monologues and pre-recorded shorts.
- The Real Black Swann, Confessions of America’s First Black Drag Queen, from Les Kurkendaal-Barrett, Los Angeles. A true story: former slave becomes the Queen of Drag.
- Laertes Word, from James Word and Prison Performing Arts, St Louis. Crime is easy. Hamlet is hard. My reformation through Shakespeare.
- Changing My Major to Joan, from Boris Dansberry, Philadelphia. A queer musical powerpoint presentation exploring Joan of Arc’s legacy.
- meSSeS, from Janoah Bailin, Peaks Island, ME. Precarious unicycling, shimmering puppetry, jaw-dropping juggling, learning and labor.
- Wuthering: a musical on the moors, from Hannah Gregory, Cincinnati. Cathy Earnshaw and Heathcliff romp through moors in this moody musical.
- Junkmail Oracle, from Fallen Players, Cincinnati. A 1960’s Cleveland poet’s obscenity trial ends in tragedy.
- Charlotte Van Helsing Befriends a Vampire, a Crow, and (Possibly) Her Father, from Emily Borst, Cincinnati, OH. Growing up bites.
- Keeping My Torch, from Pones, Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky. What is love? Who knows… we might.
- Sexy Sexy Mattress Time, from Kelly Morton, Cincinnati. Disillusioned artist Annie falls in lust with a mattress store.
- A Morgue of the Forgotten, from Performance Gallery and Solasta Theatre Lab, Cincinnati. Just forget it. Shall we? Should we? Can we?
- Jinkies! from Queen City Flash, Cincinnati. If the Hardy Boys felt like burning this shit down.
- Banned from Heaven, Barred from Hell, from Autumn Kaleidoscope, Cincinnati. Four immortals are presented with a bargain from Death.
- Sally Salem and the Spooktacular Birthday Extravaganza, from Zoë Peterson, Cincinnati. It’s Pee Wee’s Playhouse – but with demons!
- The Barn Identity, from Erika Kate MacDonald, Covington. A lush dark comedy about falling-down barns. Yep. Enjoy!
- Texas Annie: The Legend of the Moan Ranger, from Jennifer Howd and Maggie Perrino, Cincinnati. The campy musical adventures of a renegade dildo runner in Texas.
- UPLINE: It’s Not a Show, It’s an Opportunity, from Megan Stern, New York City. Welcome to the party! (It’s definitely not a pyramid scheme.)
- Rosegold, from Donna Kay Yarborough, Portland, OR. A woman reveals the literal dark specter behind her addiction.
- Father, Daughter and Holy Toast, from Barbara Brady, San Francisco. Dad brought you into this world and now you’re seeing him out.
- The Sex Lives of Butterflies, from Martin Dockery, Brooklyn. A comedic, ridiculous, and deeply personal story about love, death, and butterflies.
- Bent Compass, from Neil Brookshire, Egg Harbor, WI. The journey of an Iraq War Army Medic combat veteran.
- Make A F*ckin’ Show, You P.O.S., from Bradley Kristian Wrenn and Sarah Knittel, Philadelphia. Unhinged clown is live directed and creates a masterpiece from nothing.
- Destiny, USA, from Laura Anne Harris, Vancouver, WA. Can Laura discover the hidden humanity of the American people?
- BE MY THIEF, from Gideon Productions, Astoria. A man believes his wife was replaced by a duplicate.
- Jon Bennett: Fire in the Meth Lab, from Jon Bennett, Adelaide, Australia. Dear Brother, How’s jail? I’ve written a show about you.HEDY!
- The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, from Heather Massie, New York City. Celebrating actress/inventor Hedy Lamarr as a woman of science!
- Soft, from Paper Soul, Minneapolis. A “nice guy” endures bloody experiments from a dating app.
- Help Me Help You Help Yourself, from Daniel Wightkin, Chicago. A silent clown show that everyone gets to participate in.
- ExperiMENTAL – An Evening of Mind Reading with Steven Nicholas, from Steven Nicholas, Los Angeles. Your reality will be twisted in the most delightful way.
- The Definition Association, from Maatology Productions, Los Angeles. Two neighboring couples’ secrets are revealed from a random meeting. ONLINE
- Take A Chance with Toybox, from Toybox Theatre, Asheville, NC. Absurd online interactive game show hosted by America’s Favorite Cartoon Witch. ONLINE
- The Gorgeousity, by The Gorgeousity, Limited, Philadelphia. An irreverent, audience-activated, art-making party and collaborative adventure. ONLINE
As Cincinnati’s self-proclaimed “Theatrical Playground,” The Know showcases unexpected voices, new works, and plays that embrace the inherent theatricality of the live experience. Know Theatre seeks to be a place where artists and audiences feel welcome to take artistic risks, creating work that is cutting edge and accessible.
The 19th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival is made possible by a generous partnership with the Art Academy of Cincinnati.