Happy Hour On The Fringe

In this episode, Community Engagement Manager Tenara Calem speaks with Lauren Rile Smith about the upcoming presentation of The Way Out by her contemporary circus organization, Tangle Movement Arts. The Way Out is an outdoor, socially-distanced circus piece at the Laurel Hill Cemetery in the 2020 Fringe Festival. Carloads of audience members will flow along Laurel Hill's gently winding roads to experience the show at a series of separate performance stations located across the historic cemetery, including dancers, live flame working, and aerial artists. Participants will encounter these storytellers along the way, and navigate the cemetery as if through a maze, finding answers in unexpected places.  To learn more about The Way Out visit the event page here. To find out more about the Tangle Arts Movement visit their website here. Meet the guest artists who will be performing in The Way Out! Evalina “Wally” Carbonell and Weiwei Ma are dance artists and prominent choreographic voices locally and along the

In this episode, Artistic Producer Zach Blackwood speaks with James Allister Sprang about Sprang’s upcoming performance, Aquifer of the Ducts, which will run in this fall’s Fringe Festival. During performances, Sprang will guide listeners through a soundscape composed of field recordings and synthesizers. Blackwood and Sprang anticipate this performance in the context of a digital festival, and discuss how Aquifer of the Ducts will allow for a shared experience through a digital platform. Sprang describes his creative process of walking around the world with his Panasonic cassette tape player, and how for him this interaction with sound allows him to be more present in “the moment that just passed”. For more information on Aquifer of the Ducts and to find free tickets visit our website: https://fringearts.com/event/aquifer-of-the-ducts/, performances will run from September 29th to October 1st. To learn more about James Allister Sprang you can visit his website here: https://jamesallistersprang.com/About-1

In this episode we talk to Suso Phizer, who will be presenting and facilitating Zoom Reality TV in this fall's Fringe Festival. The event explores frustration and loneliness in the COVID era, as participants are invited to explore these emotions through Live Action Role Play.  Join Raina and Suso as they discuss Nordic LARP, how group dynamics have shaped Suso's work, and Love Island! To learn more about Zoom Reality TV and how to Participate, visit this link: https://fringearts.com/event/zoom-reality-tv/ To learn more about Suso and how to support, visit her website: https://www.susopomorphizer.org/ 

Artistic Producers Katy Dammers and Zach Blackwood sit down with the team behind the Elephant Room 2, a sequel to FringeArts' previous presentation of Geoff Sobelle, Trey Lyford, and Steve Cuiffo's magical clown show. From the artists that brought you Festival favorites like HOME and The Accountant, Elephant Room 2: Dust from the Stars puts magicians Daryl Hannah, Dennis Diamond, and Louie Magic out in space! Listen up as Geoff, Trey, and Steve talk about what audiences can expect in this second installment, and how they might experience Elephant Room 2 on Zoom! For more information about Elephant Room 2: Dust from the Stars, visit our website www.fringearts.com/2020-fringe-festival/ on Monday, August 10th! Tickets available August 14th.

In this episode we talk to Nichole Canuso, Artistic Director of the Nichole Canuso Dance Company, who will be presenting her piece Being/With:HOME in this fall's Fringe Festival.  The performance experience is a meditation on separation and connection as two solo audience members, separated by venue, are connected in virtual space.  Join Nichole and Zach for this happy hour as the two of them discuss the importance of connection in these times, the evolving state of performance, and their favorite places in Philly! to find out more about Nichole, visit the NCDC website here http://nicholecanusodance.org/

On this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Jacob Colker, the podcast production intern, takes over the epsiode to interview Dan Kamin, a magician and performer from the Pittsburgh area. Dan and Jacob discuss how Dan got his start performing magic, the influence that silent film has had on his work, as well as how he as been able to get back to performing magic during the Pandemic. You can find out more about Dan and reach out to him at http://dankamin.com/

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Marketing Manager Raina Searles talks with LaNeshe Miller-White, the Executive Director and one of the founders of Theatre in the X.  Raina and LaNeshe discuss what things were like for the theatre in the early days of the pandemic, the the changes made to the West Philadelphia Play, as well as some of the online theatre that LaNeshe now is focusing on.  To learn more about the Theatre in the X you can visit their website here: http://www.theatreinthex.com/

As promised, a bonus episode with BlackStar Film Festival's Artistic Director & CEO, Maori Karmael Holmes. Due to technical difficulties, some of Maori's audio cut out during the conversation we had in the previous episode with Danny Orendorff and Anne Ishii, and so we set out to have a deeper and more intimate conversation about white supremacy, the arts, and Black Lives Matter. You can read more about BlackStar Film Festival here, and can find out more information about Philly Artists for Black Lives here.

In this episode, Community Engagement Manager Tenara Calem sits down with Anne Ishii (Executive Director of Asian Arts Initiative), Danny Orendorff (Executive Director of Vox Populi), and Maori Karmael Holmes (Artistic Director and CEO of BlackStar Film Festival), the leaders of a new coalition called Philly Arts for Black Lives Matter. Philly Arts for BLM emerged following the proposed city budget cuts to Philadelphia's municipal arts funding. Though the budget has already been voted on (and with it, restored the Philadelphia Cultural Fund), this important conversation demonstrates all the ways in which arts organizations can illuminate the path ahead for racial and economic justice in the city of Philadelphia. To learn more about this work, visit: http://phlartsforblacklives.com/

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Marketing Manager Raina Searles chats with Philadelphia City Councilperson Derek Green. The two of them discuss Green's efforts to provide more funding for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund despite budget gaps, his optimism for the future of the Black Lives Matter movement, interacting with his constituents on Facebook live, and what he thinks the green phase should look like in Philadelphia. To learn more  Councilperson Green and the Philadelphia City Council visit https://www.phila.gov/

In this episode of Happy Hour on the Fringe, Marketing Manager Raina Searles and Community Engagement Manager Tenara Calem chat with Rebecca Dhondt, the Director of Visitor Programs and Fun at Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse, an inclusive space for unstructured free play for children. The three of them discuss how Smith has had to pivot their focus during coronavirus, why children (and adults) need to play now more than ever, and what the future of Smith will look like amidst a global pandemic. To learn more about Smith you can visit their website at http://smithplayground.org/

During the global pandemic, FringeArts is pivoting the focus of our podcast to checking in with our artists, our audiences, and our community partners during these unprecedented times. Since we can’t gather, we’ll chat remotely about how we respond to this crisis, and how the role of art during the pandemic shifts. In this episode, FringeArts Marketing Manager Raina Searles and Artistic Producer Katy Dammers chat with Kitsie O'Neill, Executive Director of the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts.  The three discuss how PSCA is continuing to teach classes amid the pandemic, why being connected during this time is so important, and tightrope walking with chalk! To learn more about PSCA and how to take classes, visit their website at http://phillycircus.com/

In this episode, Marketing Manager Raina Searles chats with three incredible advocates and activists from the Institute on Disabilities: Jamie Ray-Leonetti, Kim Singleton, and Lisa Sonneborn. The Institute on Disabilities was last working with FringeArts in early 2019 for the presentation of their show A Fierce Kind of Love in the inaugural High Pressure Fire Service festival. Listen in on this smart and incisive conversation about the way the Institute has had to pivot their work in the time of the coronavirus, and how the pandemic has intersected with the experience of those living with disabilities. If you're interested in learning more about policy initiatives at the Institute, visit their website here. To learn more about their Personal Directed Services: Stories project, visit the page here.

During the global coronavirus pandemic, FringeArts is pivoting the focus of our podcast to checking in with our artists, our audiences, and our community partners during these unprecedented times. Since we can't gather, we'll chat remotely about how we respond to this crisis, and how the role of art during a pandemic shifts. In this episode, FringeArts Marketing Manager Raina Searles and Artistic Producer Katy Dammers chat with Anne White, dancer and Education/Community Relations Specialist at BalletX, Philadelphia's premiere contemporary ballet company founded in 2005. The three discuss what it takes to keep dancing during lockdown, the essential nature of the arts, and how hope for a brighter future is instilled through togetherness and creativity. 

During the global coronavirus pandemic, FringeArts is pivoting the focus of our podcast to checking in with our artists, our audiences, and our community partners during these unprecedented times. Since we can't gather, we'll chat remotely about how we respond to this crisis, and how the role of art during a pandemic shifts. In this episode, FringeArts Marketing Manager Raina Searles and Artistic Producer Zach Blackwood chat with Greg Maughan, founder and Executive Director of Philly Improv Theater. Hear about how PHIT made the switch to a weekly roster of Zoom comedy shows, adjusting to a virtual comedy festival, and using the shift to digital to allow for creativity in show design. Learn more at https://phillyimprovtheater.com/.

During the global coronavirus pandemic, FringeArts is pivoting the focus of our podcast to checking in with our artists, our audiences, and our community partners during these unprecedented times. Since we can't gather, we'll chat remotely about how we respond to this crisis, and how the role of art during a pandemic shifts. In this episode, FringeArts Marketing Manager Raina Searles and Artistic Producer Zach Blackwood chat with Hugh Wilikofsky and Kevin McKinney about their quarantine creation, Real Deep Radio. The group talks about how Real Deep Radio came to be, how it has organically grown throughout quarantine, why radio is experiencing a renaissance, how memes can exist in the audio sphere, and the ways in which passion keeps us together in times of isolation. Subscribe to Real Deep Radio's newsletter for updates on their programming.  

During the global coronavirus pandemic, FringeArts is pivoting the focus of our podcast to checking in with our artists, our audiences, and our community partners during these unprecedented times. Since we can't gather, we'll chat remotely about how we respond to this crisis, and how the role of art during a pandemic shifts. In this episode, FringeArts Marketing Manager Raina Searles and Artistic Producers Zach Blackwood and Katy Dammers chat with FringeArts Ambassadors Tobie and David about the ways in which they are staying connected to the arts and their communities during this time. 

During the global coronavirus pandemic, FringeArts is pivoting the focus of our podcast to checking in with our artists, our audiences, and our community partners during these unprecedented times. Since we can't gather, we'll chat remotely about how we respond to this crisis, and how the role of art during a pandemic shifts. In this episode, FringeArts Marketing Manager Raina Searles chats with Keila Perez-Vega, Marketing Associate for Kun-Yang Lin Dancers. They discuss KYLD's recently streamed, previously archived show, SANTUARIO, and how the decision to stream it came to be. They also delve into what it means to be in a dance company during the pandemic, and ways to stay connected to your body during this time of isolation. 

During the global coronavirus pandemic, FringeArts is pivoting the focus of our podcast to checking in with our artists, our audiences, and our community partners during these unprecedented times. Since we can't gather, we'll chat remotely about how we respond to this crisis, and how the role of art during a pandemic shifts. In this episode, FringeArts Community Engagement Manager Tenara Calem chats with Elicia Gonzales, Executive Director of the Women's Medical Fund. They discuss the nuanced ways in which abortion needs and access are impacted by the pandemic, and what our community can do to help.  Check out their website, Twitter and Facebook to learn more, and take a look at the Women’s Medical Fund’s upcoming events here.

During the global coronavirus pandemic, FringeArts is pivoting the focus of our podcast to checking in with our artists, our audiences, and our community partners during these unprecedented times. Since we can't gather, we'll chat remotely about how we respond to this crisis, and how the role of art during a pandemic shifts.  In this episode, FringeArts Community Engagement Manager Tenara Calem chats with Christina Gesualdi of the Philadelphia Tenants Union.  They explore the priorities of the Philadelphia Tenants Union during this time, the importance of organizing your neighbors on a foundation of trust, and how Christina's experience as a dancer intersects with her work in the union.  As mentioned in the episode, here are some additional resources: PTU's Tenant Organizing guide for guidance during the pandemic Information on the illegality of evictions (until May 31st)  Article on the housing crisis/waves of eviction Threat of forced evictions  A bill to cancel rent and mortg