Second Oahu Fringe Festival set for November

The second annual Oahu Fringe Festival is set to hit the stages of Honolulu’s Chinatown November 8-10, 2012. After a successful premiere in 2011, Oahu Fringe Festival returns as a Fringe Festival destination, offering more innovative new works related, but not limited to, theatre, music, dance, improv and comedy.

Based in Chinatown, the Oahu Fringe Festival offers local, U.S. and international artists a place to showcase their work in an atmosphere of community and creativity. Shows will run at various venues in Chinatown including Kumu Kahua Theatre, The ARTS at Marks Garage, Ong King Arts Centre and The Loading Zone.

The United States Association of Fringe Festivals describes a Fringe Festival as:

• Focused on the performing arts: Theater, dance, puppetry, spoken word and the like make up the Fringe core, but festivals often may include film and visual arts elements. Fringes don’t have a focus on a single discipline or genre, but are a performing-arts smorgasbord
• Uncensored: No one gets too fussy about swears or nudity but squeaky-clean content isn’t marginal or discouraged, either
• Easy to participate in: Ticket prices are low for audiences and production fees are low for artists.
• Festivals: They last from just a few days to a few weeks and involve boatloads of people at multiple venues
• Original: Fringes feature a huge array of original material—sometimes by design, but usually because that’s what Fringes naturally do well
• Rapid-fire: Typically, tech is minimal and time is a factor at our festivals. Shows are often kept brief (Fringes most frequently have shows right around 60 minutes in length) and technical requirements kept simple (minor sets, streamlined cues, nothing elaborate).

In addition, Oahu Fringe offers a place where new and exciting local artists can showcase their unique, multicultural work.

“Oahu Fringe was a very positive experience,” said actor andactivist Joy Nash. “We felt both artistically challenged and welcomed from the moment [our team] arrived at Fringe… I hope to return.”

Nash brought her Best of Hollywood Fringe 2011 solo show, My Mobster, to the Oahu Fringe.

“The Fringe was such a fabulous opportunity to share my work with the arts community and folks that would not normally see it,” said local artist Pamela Poles of 2000 Leagues Under the Sea. “The Fringe also provided a space for me to collaborate with other artists. It truly jump started a series of performances for me and the crew.”

Kelly Wadlegger Director of Identities in Motion an Evening of Theatre and Dance, added:”Being in the first Oahu Fringe Festival at Ong King Art Center was extremely satisfying… the connection with the intimate and packed audience was exhilarating and palpable.”

The Oahu Fringe Mission is to promote the development of original work in the performing arts in theatre, music, dance and all performance related art by emerging and professional artists, and to present a provocative multicultural arts festival unique to Hawaii.

Interested performers and acts are welcome to pay an entrance fee and submit an application. Applying is simple and easy. Go to OahuFringe.com for the application and pertinent information. Or, visit the Oahu Fringe Festival page on Facebook.