Art, music, theater, and more – that’s what you’ll find at the Milwaukee Fringe Festival. The festival is being held Saturday August 19 at the Marcus Performing Arts Center and along the Riverwalk outside it. Shows will be held at the Todd Wehr Theater and the Peck Pavilion Stage, as well as roving artists on the Riverwalk
Co-founder and co-producer Katie Rhyme tells WTMJ there’s a large variety of acts to see at the festival.
“We have music, dance, theater – we have live shows, we have ticketed shows, and we have roving artists that will be out on the streets in between our vendors,” she said.
The Milwaukee Fringe Festival has been running since 2016 in the tradition of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. That dates back to1947 when eight theatre companies arrived at the Edinburgh International Festival hoping to put on their shows. When they were turned down, they decided to put on their own festival, performing on the fringes of the larger festival.
Karen Raymond is also a co-producer of the Fringe Festival, and she told WTMJ one of the major appeals of the festival is the low cost.
“”We’re also excited to be able to offer everything outside for free,” she said.
Ticketed shows are $15 and there is also a $50 pass that gets you into all ticketed shows.
Performers will include local musical artists like Xposed 4heads and Hour 22, theatrical plays like Katie Lindgren’s Beautiful Ruins, as well as dance performances by Dance Circus and the Casey Ott Dance Collective. The Milwaukee Rep’s 2023 Youth Summer Ensemble will also be part of the roving performers on the Riverwalk
“It’ll just be a really fun time to be able to broaden your horizons, for example if you like one type of art, you’ll be able to see something else and just get a little exposure to it,” Rhyme said.
It’s the Festival’s first year run as its own nonprofit, and co-producers Rhyme and Raymond are excited about continuing the mission of the Fringe Festival.
“You can really get a sense of what local artists are doing in Milwaukee that are kind of on the cusp of creating something bigger for themselves,” she said.
The Milwaukee Fringe Festival is Saturday, August 19. The first show starts at 1 p.m. with the last show starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are available online here.
