January 19-22, 2012
The Asheville Fringe Arts festival is the annual multi-day and multiple venue performing extravaganza that ask artists of all types of genres and media (theatre, movement, music, spoken word, puppetry, spectacle, whatever!) to push their own boundaries and presents original and innovative performance art to a culturally adventurous audience. They have been "Keeping Asheville weird for 10 years."
The 2012 festival promises unique performances from local artists, as well as out-of-town guest artists, such as the Lonely Goat Dance Company from Brooklyn, New York and Viscera Dance Theatre from Charlotte, NC. The Asheville Fringe Arts Festival has featured artists from Chicago to Lexington, KY to Boston. But the festival’s main goal is to develop and showcase emerging and experienced local artists who are exploring new medias and forms of expressions that are often overlooked in the main stream of performance in Asheville. They celebrate those adventurous souls and minds.
Started by Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre’s directors, Susan and Giles Collard, their ambition was to create a festival that would allow all kinds of artists to collaborate and discover new work and to present that work in a setting as interesting as the performances. Many established Asheville performers got their start with the Fringe.
There are three featured venues for the Fringe Arts Festival shows, the BeBe Theatre on Commerce Street, The Black Mountain College Museum +Arts Center on Broadway and the beloved purple LaZoom Comedy Tour Bus. Artists featured in the BeBe shows will be the ritual theatre collective, Wicked Geisha, and the local favorite puppet group, Red Herring Puppets, among many others. At the BMCM+AC shows, some of the featured artists will be tap dance artist, Joe Mohar, the popular, local Eternity Elite Dance Crew, along with Whimzik, a unique puppet experience. The LaZoom Bus will making stops at the Flood Gallery Fine Art Center and the Lift Gallery in the River Arts District. Performances will include a circuit-bending toy orchestra, aerialists, butoh movement, experimental and quirky music and many other art forms.
The festival will also feature a closing party at Bobo Gallery for the participating artists, Fringe Freak pass holders, volunteers, staff and festival sponsors. The Asheville Fringe Arts Festival is an annual presentation of the Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre and is recommended for mature audiences only.
Tickets for the individual shows at the Fringe venues are $12, $10 students/seniors. An all-access Fringe Freak Pass are available for $25.
Individual show Tickets and Fringe Freak All Access Passes will be available in January, 2011 at the BeBe Theatre, 20 Commerce St. Asheville, NC Box Office Phone; 828 254-2621
