Courtesy of St Lou Fringe
Last June, a 1920s cartoon came to life, complete with scratchy Victrola ukulele music: Joshua Cook’s Osgood Rex, performed by St. Louis’ Project Wonder Meant (above). “That show was our fan favorite,” says St. Lou Fringe executive director Em Piro. “The playwright had this idea, ‘I want to do a retelling of the origins of Mickey Mouse as a Greek tragedy.’”
St. Lou Fringe’s model, she says, emulates those of other fringe fests: Artists pay a small fee and are provided with a venue, technical staff, and lighting. They set ticket prices and keep all proceeds. Though last year was the fest’s first, it attracted about 1,000 attendees, and when this year’s submission period for artists opened, slots for locals filled up in literally 2 seconds. Within an hour, there was a waiting list for national performers, as well. Though most of the lucky out-of-towners, like comedy troupe Phat Beethoven, hail from Chicago, this year’s lineup also includes a cabaret singer from Ontario, Heather Dale. Locals include Leverage Dance Theater, burlesque troupe Thunder Kittens, and Highly Distracted Productions, which will stage the much-buzzed-about Asperger’s: A High-Functioning Musical.
But the Fringe is not strictly theater or dance—it’s also spoken word, taiko drumming, and anything else you can put on a stage. It’s about being able to take a risk. That, as Piro observes, is what keeps the culture moving forward. “The show was really successful,” Piro says of Osgood Rex. “It could have been something that wasn’t well-received. But at least they were able to try to contribute to the anthology of local art.”
St. Lou Fringe runs June 20 through 24 in venues throughout Midtown. $5 badge includes admission, after parties, and workshops; call for individual show prices, 314-643-7853, or visit stlfringe.com.
