KC Fringe Festival claims to be all about artistic expression, accessibility and community development. The original fringe festival in Edinburgh sprang up on the outer edges of an “official” festival, and was put on by those not invited to perform. Such festivals are now held around the world to allow both established and unknown artists to produce whatever they like.
That might be theater, dance, spoken word, performance art, fashion, burlesque – or almost anything else.
The event has been growing annually in Kansas City since it was established eight years ago. This year, from July 19 to July 29, 168 artists will present 459 performances at 20 different locations from the Crossroads to UMKC. Midtown venues include:
- Metropolitan Ensemble Theater, 3614 Main
- Unicorn Theater, 3828 Main
- Vulcan’s Forge, 3937 Broadway
- Westport Coffee House, 4010 Pennsylvania
- Plaza Library, 4801 Main
- Uptown Arts Bar, 3611 Broadway
- Just Off Broadway Theater, 3051 Penn Valley Drive
Who’s talking