August 19 - September 11, 2010
History

From 1997-2001, the Houston Fringe Festival was  produced by Gerald Labita and TheaterLab Houston,an intimate and historic Houston theater on the outskirts of Montrose.  The festival brought in talent from all over the United States and showcased groundbreaking work such as Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues.

In 2007, FrenetiCore invited Gerald Labita to collaborate on a new Fringe Festival in 2008.  With this new partnership in place and generous funding from the City of Houston Special Initiatives Program through the Houston Arts Alliance, FrenetiCore produced the 2008 Fringe Festival at TheaterLab Houston on August 15-31, 2008. 
The festival included 4 separate programs over 3 weekends showcasing Houston's finest cutting-edge dance, theater, music, and film.  The festival closed with an 'Anything Goes' Night, in which invited artists' performances were limited only by their imaginations a 10-minute time restriction.  Performers in the 2008 festival included BrazosPort Lil' Players, Mildred's Umbrella, Liz Gilbert, Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theater, Elizabeth Seabolt, Visions in Dance, Mary Ellen Whitworth, Keith Reynolds, Lindsey McGill, and many more, totaling over 100 performers in all.  The festival closed on August 31 with a closing night party and awards ceremony.

In 2009, FrenetiCore moved the festival to their newly-renovated theater space, Frenetic Theater in Houston's East End, and increased the number of performance nights and scope of talent.  The Festival was held August 7-23, 2009, and included performances from Loueva Smith, Kinetic Architecture, Massive Improv, Jere Pfister, Toni Valle, Slump, Roy Hamlin, Jim Pirdle, and many more.  2009 marked the festival's first year to bring in a performance group from out of state (Kinetic Architecture--New York), the first year showing international films (Kutiman--Israel), and the first year to exhibit visual arts in Frenetic Theater's 80' exhibit hall.

The greatest success has been the audience response to not only the individual performances, but to the pairing of so many different types of performances in each night of the festival.  Here's an audience comment:
”I've just gotten home from the Fringe, and I just wanted to write to you to say how exciting all of the dance is.  It's just stunning.  I've never seen short plays paired with dance before, and it is an experience that is very compelling.   After it was over I had this feeling that the Houston art community is very lucky to have you here."



2009 Fringe Festival Program

Program 1: August 7-9, 2009

Nearing Velocity                                                               
Playwright:  Liz Gilbert

Beyond The Sphere
Choreographer:  Jacqueline Nalett    

Nevel is the Devil
Writer/Filmmaker:  Peter Craig (aka SpaceManX)  

Bruna Bunny and Baby Girl       Audience Favorite Winner   
Playwright: Loueva Smith

stability sucks
Choreographer: Teresa Chapman in collaboration with Marlow Fleming

Kutiman mixes YouTube--ThruYou         
Music and Video Editing:  Kutiman


Program 2: August 14-16, 2009

There's a Tsunami at Your Door        Audience Favorite Winner    Playwright:  Mary Ellen Whitworth 

Dancing Diana
Choreographer: Lydia Hance
Playwright:  Diana Weeks

Spelling Bee Sluts
Playwright:  Paul Locklear

G. I. Joe PSAs
Filmmaker:  Eric Fensler

Thurmond, W. Va.
Filmmaker:  Laura Harrison

I am Mother, Silent Victim, I Take My Dress Off
Choreographer:  Toni Leago Valle

Program 3: August 21-22, 2009

Alice and the Underground      Audience Favorite Winner
Company: Mildred's Umbrella
Playwright:   Janet Thielke

Tetsujin
Company: FrenetiCore
Filmmaker:  Robert Thoth
Choreographer:  Rebecca French

PAIN, PLEASURE, and a bunny rabbit
Company: Slump
Playwright/Director:  Keith Reynolds

Forever Hold Your Piece (for now)    2009 Producer's Pick
Company: Kinetic Architecture
Choreography:  Rob Davidson

Untitled
Company:  Easy Credit Theater
Choreography:  Richard Hubscher       

What the Storm Brought Home
Playwright: Jere Phister

Hello Kitty
Director/Performer:  Jim Pirtle   


'Anything Goes' Night:  August 23, 2009

"Sara Jo Punctures the Tires of Those Who Don't Laugh, Blue-Hairs"
Performer: Sara Jo Dunstan

The Colon Show                Audience Favorite Winner
Playwright:  Margo Stutts Toombs

Whatever Happened to Peckerwood Kingsnake?
Director: Paul Locklear

Ignorance Is Bliss
Choreographer:  Anjaly Thakkar

Cookie: Impossible / I'd Rather Be Fishing
Mime Artist: Daniel Cossette

Violin/Dance
Violin: K.C. Scharnberg
Dance: Kristen Frankiewicz

Keith Reynolds
As himself

Excerpts from MEN ON THE VERGE OF A HIS-PANIC BREAKDOWN
Playwright:  Guillermo Reyes

Cold Ground
Choreographer:  Rebecca French

Massive Improv
Director:  Michael Garcia


2008 Fringe Festival Program

Program 1: August 15-16, 2008
Bliss
Playwright:  Steven Laing

Looking
Choreographer: Lindsey Mcgill

Shorts
Filmmaker: Rob Smith

Match.Cripple                                                                                 Audience Favorite Winner
Company: Theater LaB Houston
Playwright: Elizabeth Gilbert

Calumet
Choreographer: Ashley Horn

The Penis Chronicles
Playwright: Thomas O. Yewell

Music by Onslaught

Program 2: August 22-23, 2008

Smoke
Company: Mildred's Umbrella
Playwright: Jennifer Decker

Solos
Choreographers: Shanon Adams and Ashley Horn

Knowledge
Playwright: Kay Mcstay

War and Loss
Company: Visions in Dance
Choreographer: Lisha Welling

Interstate 10                                                                                  Audience Favorite Winner
Playwright:Julie Boneau

BLP TV
Company: Brazosport Lil' Players
Filmmaker: Paul Locklear



Program 3: August 29-30, 2008

Nixon's Women
Playwright: Pat Morgan

Catch and Release
Choreographer: Jhon Stronks

Sink Hole
Company: Theater LaB Houston
Playwright: Mary Ellen Whitworth

Zomberina Preview
Company: FrenetiCore
Film: Robert Thoth

Wounded Woman Fashion Show                                              Audience Favorite Winner
Playwright: Loueva Smith

Lost Redemption
Playwright: Joe Watts


'Anything Goes' Night: August 31, 2008

Shanty Clo
Bootown

Donde Viven Los Monstrous
Choreography: Rebecca French

Switzer '08: The dawn of a new era in politics (with trombone)
Playwright: Mike Switzer

A new undisclosed shadow puppet work                              Audience Favorite Winner
Playwright: Joel Orr

Elvis! (that's about it baby...that's all I got ta say)
Choreography: Karina Pal-Montano

Woodchuck Summer
Playwright: Paul Locklear

You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore
Vocalist: Elizabeth Seabolt

Pierrot: Not-Free-Not                                                                    2008 Producer's Pick
Choreographer: Rob Bridges

Interuption
Playwright: Steven Laing

Uh huh huh huh                                                                              Audience Favorite Winner
Choreographers: Ashley Horn and Shanon Adams

Quick Left, Quick Right
Composer: John Edward Ross

Entertainment
Master of Ceremonies: Keith Reynolds

Music by Come See my Dead Person





Houston Fringe Festival
5102 Navigation Blvd.
Houston, TX 77011
832.426.4624
Rob Bridges
'Anything Goes' Night, 2008
Slump, 2008
'Anything Goes' Night, 2008
Tally Isham, Closing Night Party, 2009
Ashley Horn and Shanon Adams
Audience Favorite Winners
'Anything Goes' Night, 2008
Teresa Chapman and Marlow Flemming
Program 1, 2009
Mary Ellen Whitworth
Audience Favorite Winner
Program 2, 2009
Paul Locklear
Program 2, 2009
Richard Hubscher
Program 3, 2009
K. C. Scharnberg and Kristen Frankeiwicz
'Anything Goes' Night, 2009
Keith Reynolds
Program 3, 2009
Michelle Flemming
Program 2, 2009
Chris Rivera
'Anything Goes' Night, 2009
Diana Weeks and Lydia Hance
Program 2, 2009
Daniel Cossette
'Anything Goes' Night, 2009
Massive Improv
'Anything Goes' Night, 2009
Keith Reynolds
'Anything Goes' Night, 2009
Spaceman X
Program 1, 2009
Rebecca French
'Anything Goes' Night, 2009