The Tampa International Fringe Festival is an Ybor staple, formed in 2016 to promote the importance of the independent performing arts scene and ensure it remains accessible to all.
It’s only grown in the six years since, adapting as needed to serve artists and audiences alike – even through the pandemic. This year’s 10-day celebration, which will once again give 100% of ticket sales back to entertainers, will return stronger than ever July 28 – Aug. 7 in the Hillsborough Community College Ybor Performing Arts Building.
The 2022 festival features nearly 100 shows from more than 20 companies, produced by local favorites and acts from afar. Artists were chosen by chance in Tampa Fringe’s lottery system or from the festival’s waiting list beginning last April.
As in years past, applicants were able to enter three diversity categories in addition to Tampa Fringe’s general lottery: differently abled, ethnic and LGBTQ. The festival has a longtime commitment to elevating marginalized voices both on and off its stages.
“We can all benefit from expanded perspectives and artistic developments,” Tampa Fringe announced its sixth season June 21. This year’s theme is “Peace. Love. Fringe!” to promote some much-needed levity in the world.
Entering the organization’s sixth year “definitely makes me feel a bit old,” Tampa Fringe Producer Trish Parry muses. “But seriously, I feel like at this point we’re really becoming an institution of the arts scene here in Tampa.”
Matthew Belopavlovich agrees. He currently serves as the theater department artistic director of the Straz Center’s Patel Conservatory and is the playwright and director of “Going to the Top,” one of this year’s LGBTQ-focused productions.
“Tampa Fringe has intentionally designed an inclusive platform for new work and LGBTQ+ theatre artists,” he says. The show features a cast of LGBTQ and ally performers.
Belopavlovich drew inspiration from Disneyland’s discriminatory policy that prohibited gay men and women from dancing together in its Magic Kingdom until the 1980s. It was reversed in response to high-profile court cases and growing public pressure from patrons of the park’s dance club.
“Many of those removed from the dance floor were friends, so I decided to write a fictional love story about two boys who stood up to ‘The Mouse,’” he says. The show also includes a call to action.
Citing Florida’s recently enacted “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law and “some of the controversy surrounding corporations and their two-faced support of the LGBTQ+ community,” Belopavlovich explains, “it is a message that needs to be heard throughout Florida.”
Orlando’s “Spooky & Gay Cabaret,” first performed as a Halloween event in 2019, will also examine LGBTQ life.
“I love using horror as a vehicle for exploring the queer experience, as reality as a queer person can often be quite scary,” BC Theatricals’ Bruce Ryan Costella says. “So I try to subvert horror tropes to tell stories of queer triumph.”
Costella has performed solo since 2018. He drew praise for the work at the 31st annual Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival earlier this year and is now touring the show across North America.
The Ashland, North Carolina-based Skysail Theatre will present “Tithonia: A Lesbian Space Opera,” connecting queer identity through space and time. The company “brings a dash of outer space, a splash of humor, a little bit of gay, a lot a bit of silliness and whole lotta love.”
“Tithonia” drew widespread praise from its sold-out debut at the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival in March. Its creators say that’s because “any audience member, LGBTQ+ or not, can find the show relatable and accessible through its humor.”
“We didn’t set out to create a queer story,” playwright Terran Wanderer explains. “We set out to tell a good story in a queer space.”
Tampa Fringe favorite Vulva Va-Voom also returns this year. The pansexual, transmasculine, nonbinary cabaret comedian presented an examination of their gender to great fanfare last year.
This year, they will perform “Vulva Va-Voom: Hollywood Psychic of the Golden Age” in the artist’s “very much R-Rated” style. Audiences can expect “sexy seances, cerebral historical minutiae and highly inappropriate song-and-dance numbers.”
“It’s spooky, nerdy, risqué and wholly unconcerned with the audience’s lack of knowledge about the 1930s studio contract system,” Va-Voom explains. “Is this show just a gimmick to put hilariously problematic statements into the mouths of long-dead starlets? No, it’s a screwball cavalcade of glam-meets-goth jackassery!
“Come for the bad impressions of celebrities you vaguely remember your grandmother mentioning,” they add, “stay for the outrageous hip-to-waist ratio.”
Scott Swenson is also back, having led one-person shows during the last two in-person Tampa Fringe festivals. The entertainer once again promises his unique brand of solo improv.
Swenson will create five characters whose lives connect in one storyline, with stories ranging from funny to filthy. Performances will begin with audience interaction to ensure each show is unique.
“Although I don’t know exactly the kinds of characters that will emerge, as a gay man, I’m pretty sure that the LGBTQ+ community will be represented,” Swenson says. “I’m not afraid to play characters who represent different points along the gender identification and sexual orientation continuums. I’m not afraid to tell a wonderful ‘coming out story.’ I’m also not afraid to play characters who oppose our community – and make them look foolish.”
“Lockdown” from Lakeland’s Terry Gianotsos is topical and timely. The show “is about being LGBTQIA, disabled and getting arrested during the pandemic,” Gianotsos explains. It stems from Mad Madame Productions, his original production company.
“When this story came along I was just kind of in my own world,” he says. “Elizabeth Nidever who is the other storyteller in this show is also bisexual. Our stories just intertwined.”
He hopes audiences leave with an open mind. “That’s it,” Gianotsos says. “I just want the same rights as you. I don’t want to be looked down upon because I’ve been arrested – once.”
Mikaela Duffy’s “StarSweeper” will also wow audiences, a one-person show which enjoyed an award-winning Off-Broadway run. It intentionally avoids most pronouns and features no romantic interests in its plot.
The show introduces a character named Riley, who falls under the Asexual umbrella, as they travel across the galaxy to rescue stranded travelers. That includes Riley’s nonbinary sibling.
“‘StarSweeper’ is about a human – not a man, woman, or otherwise – that is propelled forward by nothing else but their undying love for their sibling, absolute strangers and the humanity they refuse to let go of in the face of every adversity,” Duffy explains. “This show is a show of science, love and determination, but also a great way to showcase a lesser-advertised part of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.”
“The Discomfort Zone” which includes comics Jeff Klein and Natasha Samreny round out this year’s productions by or about members of the LGBTQ community. Instead of telling jokes, six standup comedians will tell stories.
“We will spend our show taking turns and telling our individual experiences and stories; whether they relate to what we call home, privilege or our first night club shooting we witnessed,” Klein says. It was conceptualized by Clark Brooks, who in addition to Klein and Samreny will be joined by Kaiti McCoy, Elijah Hernandez and Cara Millburg.
“I’m excited every time I get to tell a personal story on stage,” Samreny says. “While I feature as a stand-up comedian, I actually got my start in live storytelling years ago. Although it can feel pretty vulnerable up there sometimes, it’s where I feel most myself.”
“We are performing at multiple times throughout the festival and I think, albeit bias as I am, that this show will be a do not miss,” Klein stresses. “We’re out of our comfort zone and being as real as we can be. What’s not to love?”
Tampa Fringe promises that this year will be its most accessible yet, with “everything Fringe” on the first floor of HCC Ybor’s Performing Arts Building.
There will also be a dedicated Fringe Central room with “hippie dippy beverages and snacks, a bigger and more accessible Kids Fringe than ever before and snow cones!”
Parry says organizers are eager to welcome audiences. Tickets are now on sale and include an Eliminator Pass for $250, which allows audiences to see all 23 shows; a ticket 5-pack which saves attendees 20% on admission to five different productions and a 3-pack that saves 10%.
“This year’s theme is ‘Peace. Love. Fringe!’ because there is a lot of discord in the country and the world today,” Parry notes. “We want to be one place at least this year that folks can go to harmonize with each other.”
The sixth annual Tampa Fringe will be held July 28 – Aug. 7 at the HCC Ybor Performing Arts Building, located at 1411 E 11th Ave. in Tampa. Free preview shows will be held July 27 and Aug. 3 from 7-8:30 p.m.
Times and ticket prices vary. Read more about this year’s shows by or for the LGBTQ community below. View a full schedule, make purchase and read more about each production at TampaFringe.org.
“Going to the Top”
30 Mins. | $10
July 28, 9:45 p.m.; July 29, 9 p.m.; July 31, 3:30 p.m.; Aug. 3, 8:15 p.m.; Aug. 7, 3:30 p.m.
A fast-paced love story inspired by real events and infused with sounds of the awesome ‘80s. This new one act explores coming out, discrimination and the power of community.
“Spooky & Gay Cabaret”
60 Mins. | $13
Aug. 5, 7:15 p.m.; Aug. 6, 10 p.m.; Aug. 7, 6:15 p.m.
A queer, horror storytelling cabaret written and performed by Orlando’s Bruce Ryan Costella. Featuring original scary stories, songs and standup perfect for fans of “Goosebumps” and Halloween candy.
“Tithonia: A Lesbian Space Opera”
60 Mins. | $10
Aug. 4, 7 p.m.; Aug. 6, 8:30 p.m.; Aug. 7, 1:45 p.m.
In this musical, two crew members’ survival skills and budding relationship are put to the ultimate test as they traverse the galaxy aboard the Starship Tithonia.
“The Discomfort Zone”
60 Mins. | $13
July 29, 7:15 p.m.; July 30, 7:15 p.m.; July 31, 12 a.m.; Aug. 3, 8:30 p.m.; Aug. 6, 4:30 p.m.
Stand-up comedy is weird and difficult. “The Discomfort Zone” is where stand-up comedians go to be even weirder and more difficult, telling stories instead of jokes.
“ONE FIVE ONE”
45 Mins. | $10
July 29, 7:30 p.m.; July 30, 10:30 p.m.; July 31, 6:30 p.m.; Aug. 5, 8:45 p.m.; Aug. 7, 6:30 p.m.
ONE performer improvises FIVE characters who all connect in ONE storyline. The audience selects the costumes and props and after a short chat, Scott Swenson makes up the rest.
“StarSweeper”
60 Mins. | $12
Aug. 4, 7 p.m.; Aug. 6, 2:45 p.m.; Aug. 7, 8 p.m.
A heart-warming and breaking adventure using discussions of humanity and existence to flash a new light into the darkness of today’s reality over the course of a five-year solo mission.
“Lockdown”
60 Mins. | $13
July 29, 9 p.m.; July 30, 5:30 p.m.; Aug. 5, 9 p.m.; Aug. 6, 8:15 p.m.; Aug. 7, 4:30 p.m.
My mother got me arrested, I was attacked by a motherf@cking ghost, my friend turned out to be my cousin and other heartwarming tales from the pandemic.
“Vulva Va-Voom: Hollywood Psychic of the Golden Age”
60 Mins. | $10
July 29, 10:15 p.m.; July 30, 8:45 p.m.; July 31, 4:45 p.m.; Aug. 3, 9:45 p.m.; Aug. 6, 6:45 p.m.
Gritty cabaret comedian Vulva Va-Voom has a mysterious new gift – or perhaps “grift?” This nightclub ne’er-do-well’s usual burlesque schtick has been replaced with seances targeting midcentury celebrities.
You must be logged in to post a comment.