(KC Fringe)
The KC Fringe Festival kicks off this weekend, with 36 shows ranging from dance to improv to autobiographical dramas. Three dozen productions is a lot—logistically, likely too many for even the most dedicated festival-goer to get to—but that number is fairly trimmed compared to previous festivals.
As Executive Director Audrey Crabtree writes in her program note, this paring down “reflects an intentional evolution for KC Fringe. Rather than focusing on growth for growth’s sake, we’ve focused on creating a more connected festival experience–one with fuller houses, deeper engagement, and more opportunities for you to connect with artists, audiences, and the work itself.”
Here are four shows that caught our attention heading into the festival this weekend.
Terrace Wyatt Jr.’s: HyperActivity
Show Description:
“The third installment from Terrace Wyatt, Jr. is an avant garde experience under 30-60 minutes. Think of it like going to kaleidoscope. HyperActivity is a play that doesn’t explore how ADHD works; it’s a celebration and honoring the mentality of the creative individuals who takes it and owns every brain cell of this joy of living a world where people aren’t going to understand you, underestimate your worth, and certainly viewing you differently. WHO CARES! ADHD is an exhilarating – most dynamic disorder that’s never a dangerous threat. It’s only dangerous when the world is afraid of our capability of intelligence, and living life freely and NEVER hitting the brakes; our worth is WORTH IT!!!”
Why We’re Interested:
After Black Man, MO (which won Best of City Stage in 2024) and last year’s Mel’N E [Melanin & Educated], Terrace Wyatt, Jr. is becoming a festival staple. The concept of exploring ADHD in such a visceral way sounds exceptionally creative and personal.
Man Cave, a One-Man Sci-Fi Climate Change Tragicomedy, Volume II
Show Description:
“While Man Cave Volume I left us with an impossible cliffhanger, the Idiocracy that is US opened the door to a future that you simply won’t see coming. This time, Tim [Mooney] ‘zooms out’ into the only possible vision of that Earth/Hellscape that might still allow us to laugh in the face of the relentless apocalypse! […]
Tim explains, ‘While Man Cave I gave us a microcosm of what might happen in the very short time before everything shuts down, ‘Man Cave II’ (you don’t need to have seen the first to ‘get’ the second) zooms out to a billion mile/billion year vision of a world and a universe that may not have US in it any more. Or, as Molière famously said: ‘We die only once… and for such a long time!'”
Why We’re Interested:
You can’t talk about “festival staples” without mentioning Tim Mooney. His one-man Shakespeare whirlwinds are consistently delightful, and without having seen the first installment, I’m excited to see his vision of our potential future.
Cancer?! I Hardly Know Her!
Show Description:
“Cancer?! I Hardly Know Her! is a solo comedy show about surviving cancer—and using it as a metaphor for the toxicity that divides us. Part personal story, part wake-up call, 100% interactive. You’ll laugh. You might cry. You’ll definitely learn what a Fear Shredder is.
Through personal stories—a diagnosis that changed everything, meeting a drunk wrestling legend, and navigating a world obsessed with being right—comedian Jamie Campbell discovers that the antidote to living in chaos is connection. Come ready to laugh, think, and find common ground with strangers. In a world designed to keep us divided, maybe the most radical thing we can do is be kind to each other.”
Why We’re Interested:
Campbell’s last show, Big Dad Energy, ran at KC Fringe last year after debuting in 2022. I heard rave reviews out of both festivals. It’s not easy to turn personal trauma into comedy, but Cambell has proven himself to have that ability.
Between Breath and Sky
Show Description:
“Between Breath and Sky is a nonstop aerial dance performance by Denver Aerial Dance Collective, created for their 5th Denver Fringe Festival. Presented in DADC’s signature style, this world premiere unfolds as one continuous work with no breaks, no resets, only momentum.
Bodies rise, fall, and suspend in a seamless flow between earth and air. Formations expand, fracture, and re-form, shaping a living composition in real time. Strength and surrender exist side by side, carried by breath, rhythm, and trust.
Both meditation and pulse-pounding motion, this is not a series of pieces but a singular, evolving experience suspended in the in-between.”
Why We’re Interested:
The show’s trailer (above) looks to deliver on the show’s promise of an alternately meditative and exhilarating display of skilled aerial work, and I’m intrigued by the breakless structure of the piece.
The Kansas City Fringe Festival runs through July 26 at various venues city-wide. For more information on these and other shows, visit kcfringe.org.
