Rochester Fringe Festival

Over the last three years we have gone to a variety of FF shows from the free events on opening night at Manhattan Square Park to the Circus in the tent, Dashboard dramas, Estrofest, etc. Overall it has been a great experience. Some shows are much better than others but that is part of the experience, part of the risk you take. And certainly some shows are «fringier» than others and that is part of what you sign up for when attending this 10 day long event. Keep up the good work because this has become a nice addition to the Rochester scene.

Went to Silent Disco on 9÷26÷15 because we loved it so much last year. Last year, it was hard to decide between the 2 stations because both were playing great music. Tonight however, one station had techo music until about 30 minutes before the end of the night and the other one had 70s music that you couldn’t dance to. Again, both stations got better toward the end of the evening. Disappointed in the music choices. Everyone that went last year (and even last week) said the same thing.

The best advice for the Fringe Fest is if you are even remotely interested in a show, GO! I have been blown away by the performances this year and have been adding more and more shows to go see before the festival ends. Cabinet of Wonders is as good as they have all said and worth the money. Attending anything at the Fringe Festival will put you in the heart of the East End– while there are food trucks and vendors around all the shows, I would suggest eating at a restaurant before or after — this will save you time and help avoid long lines that occur before and after shows, and during intermissions.
If you don’t have time to see a show, at least find time to visit the Spiegelgarden, a neat urban space filled with amazing artwork and places to sit and relax.

We have seen 2 events or shows so far. We ventured downtown to watch the Aerial act perform. This was an excellent show. We’ll definitely be prepared next time with chairs or blankets. They ask that no one bring in food or drink though. There were food trucks present but the lines were insane and prices can be high when you need food & drink for 5 – 6 people. I hope they consider rescinding this rule in the future seeing as this event is held outdoors, in a public park.
My oldest and I just returned from the «Cabinet of Wonders» show. Part circus, part Cirque Du, Soleil, and part Vaudeville style comedy. Definitely worth seeing! The evening shows are listed as 13 and up which is definitely something to keep in mind! There are definitely some adult comedy moments. Luckily, my 13 year old wasn’t phased at all.
You’ll definitely want a front row seat for this one. And seating is first come, first served!

Enjoyed the world première of the Cabinet of Wonders at the Spiegeltent tonight — an hour and a half of laughs, acrobatics, tricks, music and pure entertainment!
Get there early for a front-​row seat, but actually any seat in the house is great, and there are booths where you can enjoy drinks in a little more comfort. There’s also a bar right inside for your convenience!
We opted for front row and got to be part of the show when one of the players flew off the stage and right onto my husband — and if you want to be on the stage, there are chances for that too as they ask audience members to participate.
Only thing missing was snacks inside the tent, but I might have choked if I had tried to eat and watch as I was either hysterically laughing or aghast at the mesmerizing feats.
If you have seen and enjoyed Cirque du Soleil, and you like circuses/​carnivals, interesting music and laughing, you will love Cabinet of Wonder!

Love the Fringe! So impressed with how well organized and marketed it is. Remote Rochester was amazing! Love the Spiegletent! And the variety of different shows makes it a perfect festival for everyone of all ages. It’s great that the Fringe happens in September when the weather’s still great and there is no other festival going on. Can’t wait to go next year!

Saw Jamie Lissow bring his whit to the stage in the Spiegeltent for the 9:30 Saturday showing. He was great. He still has it. As a Rochesterian it has been great to witness his evolution as a comedian.

*Remote Rochester*
It’s hard to review this event without giving anything away. So I will just say that the footage on the promotional video (
) is only a fraction of the fun and challenge.
Additional things to consider if you are interested. This is not an educational walking tour of Rochester. It lives up to the description of «an interactive, street theatre experience». Be bold, be brave, and most importantly, be open minded. Leave your bashful self at home. Or stuff and lock it in the trunk. Wear walking shoes, this can not be more implied. Sunscreen is highly recommended. Bring your own water bottle if you an over heater like me. Also, do not forget your Unilocal!shades — sadly I did. And probably my biggest mistake was not bringing anti-​bac! One thing I will give away is that all the places we visited did NOT have hand sanitizers. I was really freaked out to discover that a particular high traffic area in downtown Rochester was lacking the wall sprays/​foam units. Consider the suggestion signed and sent!
The 2 hours are well worth it!

This is an awesome, amazing, something-you’ve-never-seen-before festival. The only thing that stops me from giving it a full five stars is the inconsistency in the acts.
In 2014, I attended 6 shows /​events. I realize the same shows and events will not be there in the future, but this should give you a taste of the options.
Circus Orange (weekend 1 giant crowd outdoor activity) — I thought this was a total bomb, but Mike loved it. The idea was that there were these actors on a GIANT tricycle (where the action was). You were encouraged to follow the tricycle as it moved around the park. There was only one problem … it was a beautiful night and the park was shoulder-​to-​shoulder packed. Being 5’4″ my experience consistent entirely of listening to actors (non-​verbal … it was all just sounds) and seeing the sky light up from time to time (turns out, there was a flame-​thrower-​type-​thing on the tricycle). People tried to leave and were absolutely desperate because there was nowhere to go. It was not great. Mike at 5’10″ saw the entire thing and thought it was spectacular.
Silent Disco — if this comes back in later years, DO THIS DEFINITELY. One of the most fun things, ever. Just trust me.
Dashboard Dramas — the actors sat in the front of the cars, the audience sat in the back. It was uncomfortable at first, then amazing as I got used to it. So much action in such a little space! A very different experience; I am so happy I went.
Push — Push is a local dance group that does Cirque de Soleil climbing all over each other type stuff. Again, amazing. Two thumbs up, would go again.
Cirque du Fringe — Perhaps it was because we preceded this with Push, perhaps it was because we had the wrong expectations, perhaps it was because we went on a Monday (the crowd was awfully quiet, then gave the actors a standing ovation) … totally disappointed and not worth the money. It was essentially a series of street performers.
Spoon River (weekend 2 giant crowd outdoor activity) — 300ish local people got themselves all black-​and-​white zombied up memorized a short bit then spread out around the area in groups of 8 or so and recited their bits in turn. You could move from group to group to get different parts of the story. Would have been great if you could have heard everyone, but amateur actors have their drawbacks. Looked like great fun for the performers nonetheless.

Third Festival. My favorite was the first one because it was shorter. Only 5 days.
Now is about 10 days and it too diluted.
I was able to catch some acts today.
The Futurpointe Dance troupe that ran out of light… true. The lights died toward the end and the performers had to improvised with flashlights and no music. One of the dancer brought out a drum and he had pretty good rhythm so he played some percussion while his colleagues danced. There was a photographer, Carrie Mateosian taken photos while the dancing was going on. Her images were projected on a large screen.
Then, we poured out onto the street stage and witnessed a very nice group playing, The Campbell Brothers. The crowd had a good time.
Tomorrow is the last day. I’ll try to go. Keep you posted.

This is such an awesome festival. I got to check out the bandaloop act last year, and just recently the Circus Orange act.
Let me just say, Circus Orange was amazing. Imagine a steampunk themed circus with lots of pyrotechnics and you have circus orange.
The park can get super crowded during the first night of the fest, but it was manageable. People were respectful for the most part, and there didn’t seem to be any issues that I saw. Pretty kid friendly.
There’s so many cool events during this festival, from burlesque to cirque du soleil type shows. Some of the shows are a little «out there», but that’s what makes it so great.

I enjoyed every part of the Fringe Festival I experienced. I managed to see Bandaloop rehearse on the side of the HSBC building (but missed their full show), Biodance perform in the Planetarium, and PUSH physical theatre literally push the limits of movement.
I also was lucky enough to perform in the Day of Dance show at RAPA, which was a great experience. It was really great exposure and gave us a chance to set goals and achieve them.
Next year I’m going to make sure I see Bandaloop and also something in the spiegeltent, preferably Cirque Du Fringe.

Cool beer garden on a warm summer evening. My only complaint, the lanterns are absolutely beautiful but the smell of kerosene was sickening. However don’t let that scare you away from this comfy beer garden.