FringePVD Taking Place in July - Includes Hit "50 Shades of Gay" and "Family Fringe Day"
GoLocalProv Lifestyle Team
FringePVD Taking Place in July - Includes Hit "50 Shades of Gay" and "Family Fringe Day"
Presented by The Wilbury Theatre Group in collaboration with WaterFire Providence, the Festival this year includes award-winning comedian Ike Avelli's hit show, 50 Shades of Gay -- and more.
FringePVD brings together more than three hundred individual theatre, music, dance, multimedia and performing artists for two weeks of performances in and around WaterFire Arts Center, as well as online. It was founded in 2014 by The Wilbury Theatre Group and presented since 2017 by The Wilbury Group in collaboration with WaterFire Providence,
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“FringePVD has always been an important place for the artistic community to come together, but this year it’s especially paramount after being apart for so long,” said Wilbury’s Artistic Director Josh Short. “Now that we’ve announced WaterFire Arts Center as our new home, we look forward to this expanded Fringe Festival and the future ahead.”
Single tickets and Fringe Passes, which grant entry to any in-person/online show, are available here.
About 2021 FringePVD
This year’s FringePVD features 25 in-person performances and 22 online performances at ten stages, including a mobile flatbed stage.
Stages include multiple sites on WaterFire Art Center’s Campus, as well as performance spaces at the Steelyard, The Nicholson File, the new Farm Fresh building on Valley Street, and businesses along The Greenway. In addition to stages for the in-person performances, FringePVD will also feature a streaming studio, on-site, for audience members to view the online performances from WaterFire Arts Center.
FringePVD kicks-off this year on Monday, July 19 with an Opening Night Party from 7:00 – 9:00 pm, sponsored by TROOP and featuring performances by the Rhode Island Ukulele Armada and The Providence Drum Troupe.
FringePVD will continue its community focus with free events throughout the festival including a Family Fringe Day (July 26), live performances of Capture the Block (July 30 and July 31) and a free humanities discussion; “What is fringe?” (July 26).
Family Fringe will feature special performances by Moonshadow Puppet Theatre, PVD World Music, Manton Avenue Project and Woonasquatucket River Rangers. Capture the Block is a community-centered storytelling piece developed by journalist Ana Gonzalez with support from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities’ Culture is Key initiative, showcasing stories from Providence locals about the ways COVID has impacted their lives. Capture the Block, which had a virtual performance last February, will be collecting new stories from community members during FringePVD to showcase at the end of the festival.
The Humanities discussion, “What is fringe?” is moderated by Dr. Micah Salkind (City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism), public programming experts Christina Bevilacqua and Janaya Kizzie (Providence Public Library), performance studies scholar Avishek Ganguly (RISD) and multi-media performer and curator Shey Rivera Ríos. Together they will discuss what “fringe” means today, as artists have had to adapt the ways they create and share work with audiences.
For a full performance roster, schedule and ticket information visit FRINGEPVD.org
50 Shades of Gay
After selling out venues around the country, Avelli brings his hit show, 50 Shades of Gay to the 2021 FringePVD on Thursday, July 22 at 7:00 p.m.; Friday July 23 at 7:00 p.m.; and Saturday July 24 at 8:30 p.m.
Back in 2015, Avelli decided to create an adult variety show for Gay Pride in NYC, and “50 Shades of Gay” was born. According to Avelli, the day before the show, Friday, June 26, the Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage a right nationwide -- and the next night, the theater in NYC was sold out and "everyone was ready to celebrate."
Since its debut, Ike has been selling out venues all over the U.S. and continues to do so four years later. Along with Avelli, the cast for the 2021 FringePVD will include recording artist Tym Moss and NYC drag superstar Viki Villainess.