PRESS KIT

O‘AHU FRINGE FESTIVAL a performing arts extravaganza

January 12 – 15, 2017 Chinatown Honolulu

info@oahufringe.com 808 721- 6942 www.oahufringe.com

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Press Release

A Performing Arts Extravaganza Date: December 17, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HONOLULU. The much anticipated performing arts event, O’ahu Fringe Festival, is coming soon to Chinatown Honolulu on January 12 – 15, 2017. After four exciting and successful years, O’ahu Fringe Festival is happy to be back to celebrate reaching a wonderful milestone, its 5th year! The O’ahu Fringe Festival is open to any and all performing artists; this gives all involved a place to showcase their work in an atmosphere of community and creativity. Similar to other Fringe festivals around the world, O’ahu Fringe feature performances in a variety of genres. This year there is shadow puppetry, theatre, dance, solo work, video installations, and a live podcast show brought to you by a diverse range of artists. We welcome first timers to Honolulu, Nicol Cabe, Malcolm Crissom and The Really Spicy Opera. From Hawai’i we are joined by Stef Mariani, David Jones and Chad Wago, Jeff Gere, Peiling Kao and Kara Miller, and we are also excitedd to welcome back Spatial Sculptors, Bonnie Kim, Sheenru Yong with Spencer Agoston. These artists presents shows that are suitable for all ages, and we have dedicated Sunday February 15 as our Family Fringe Day. This year shows will run at: The ARTS at Marks Garage, Ong King Arts Centre, NextDoor and Studio 114. This proximity encourages audiences to venture out to other venues and see other acts they may not necessarily see at these venues. Tickets for each show are set at $10.00. On Sunday there is an $8.00 charge for 12 year olds and under. Applicable fees apply. Affordable tickets prices provides an incentive for the adventurous audience to see more than one show on a single night, or to return the next night and do it all over again. Or take the plunge with our amazing Fringe Pass deal and see unlimited shows. Be adventurous – the Fringe encourages and welcomes such audiences, and why not make it a fringey New Year celebrating this January 2017. Come and celebrate with us. It is our 5th birthday! For more information, please contact: Misa Tupou Festival Organiser info@oahufringe.com www.oahufringe.com 808 721 6942

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The Info Name: O’ahu Fringe Festival. Also known as Fringe.

When: January 2017: Thursday 12, Friday 13, Saturday 14, Sunday 15.

Where: Chinatown

Ong King Arts Centre 184 N. King Street

Studio 114 114 N. King Street

NextDoor 43 Hotel Street

The ARTS at Marks Garage 1159 Nu’uanu Ave

To view a breakdown of the shows at each venue, please visit www.oahufringe.com/fringe-2017/show-by-venue.

Shows: 11 Productions 24 Performances (see page 4). Shows run anywhere between 40mins – 60mins.

Tickets: Available at www.oahufringe.com (applicable fees apply).

$10 single ticket for Thursday – Saturday shows. $ 8 for 12 years and under for the Sunday Family Friendly show

$100 Fringe Pass (unlimited shows).

Door sales available on the night of each show.

About: O’ahu Fringe Festival is an open-access performing arts event where we welcome new or established artists to showcase their work in whatever artform they choose. The Fringe does not judge or curate, but creates a platform where artists can express their artform and celebrate the arts with the community.

Contact: Please email the Fringe at info@oahufringe.com or call 808 721 6942. Or visit our website for more information: www.oahufringe.com.

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A Brief Overview The O’ahu Fringe Festival is an all volunteered run festival, which premiered November 10-12, 2011 bringing artists, audiences and the community together to Chinatown, Honolulu. This was followed by events in 2012, 2013 and 2015 over a festive weekend of performances for our community. So far the Fringe has welcomed artists from O’ahu, Kaua’i, Hilo, New York, California, Chicago and Seattle with shows in theatre, dance, music, improv, cabaret, acrobatic art, circus art, aerial and film & puppetry. By providing this performance platform, artists have the opportunity to test new works or revisit an older production giving it a new lease on life. This opportunity is a great way for artists to develp their entrepreneurial skills in producing their work. This ties in with the Fringe mission: To promote emerging and professional artists in all performing arts with a focus on highlighting original work by local and international artists in Hawai’i. The Fringe also strives to contribute to the artistic landscape and to make Hawai’i a Fringe Festival destination, where the community and artists celebrate the arts together. 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 swearing 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 are kept simple (minor sets, streamlined cues, nothing elaborate).

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Fringe Bites Fringe 2017 Artists – who are they? There are a variety of acts this year which cover a number of performing art genres. The Fringe is all about inclusivity, and whatever the experience the artist wants to provide for their audiences, we welcome them. Here is a Fringe Bite look at their shows. More info at www.oahufringe.com/fringe-2017. Boy Who Loved Puppets

Follow your dreams no matter what. Believe in yourself and your work. Puppetry from different traditions and cultures.

Game of Thrones: The Musical

Sesame Street meets Game of Thrones in this children’s show for adults. Come for the dragons and puppet-on-puppet violence, stay for the hilarious songs and vocabulary lessons. Winner of the Twin Cities Arts Reader’s 2016 Best of Fringe and Critic’s Pick awards.

Haunted Hawaii

True Contemporary Supernatural Tales of Hawaii. For thirty years, local people have told storyteller Jeff Gere their bizarre, true, supernatural experiences. In this show, Jeff shares his favorites. Come on, don't be afraid - but don't come alone.

Think Fast Improv

One stage, a cast of players, no script.

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Shadow Puppets

Jeff Gere shares folktales through the art of shadow puppetry that will be projected on the wall using an overhead projector, and on a 'laptop' (Shadow theater that sits on Jeff's lap). This is a rare form of story animation, and Jeff is delighted to share his tales with kids of any age.

Stef Mariani

Stef Mariani delivers sensitive melodies and driven lyrics that come together to form a passionate sound straight from the heart. Born to Northern California based folk singer songwriter Carolyn Haley-Murray, her biggest musical influence comes from her family.

Tidal Surge

The waters will rise, the tides will turn. Three generations of women struggle to survive changes in climate as the world sinks into the sea.

Me, My Songs & I

The key to Aloha is finding your song and singing it. “Me, My Songs & I’ is an exploration of the ups and downs and twists and unusual turns in life.

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Mutter Sprache

The New Mama Ensemble are drawn together by one commonality, motherhood. Here we reflect through dance and text on the mortifying, overwhelming, and yet somehow still terrific insider truths of mothers. From pregnancy to birth, family life to nursing, cries to laughter.

thin skin

If skin could talk, what kind of journey would it take us on? Replete with techno, waltz, lullabies and superheroes, thin skin is an exploration of the layers we put on and take off over the course of a lifetime. What do we allow to be seen?

Tiny Seismic

Tiny Seismic is a shared dance and new media program with dance artists Peiling Kao, Kara Miller, and Friends. This event includes improvisation and video dance installations with live and digital performers.

What's Up That Bro: Live Podcast Recording

Hawaii's only podcast dedicated to watching Lost backwards, with special guests and lots of confusion.

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Fringe History

The origin of the Fringe concept began in 1947 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Birthed by a group of artists who upon hearing that they were not invited to the International Arts Festival, decided to create their own festival around the fringe of Edinburgh city. This entrepreneurial attitude gave life to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the concept started to spread globally with new fringes sprouting in cities such as New York, Minnesota, Orlando, Vancouver, Amsterdam, Prague, Adelaide and Auckland to name a few. O’ahu Fringe Festival is part of this exciting history and linked to this global family via the world wide festival map at World Festival Network. Fringe Festivals all over the world are about supporting the artist with a platform that allows them to create and perform in whatever medium they may choose. For more information on the rich history of Fringe, please visit www.edfringe.com or www.worldfestivalnet.com.

How To Fringe During the festival season, shows will start at the same time in various venues. Therefore planning ahead will give you the best chance to see the performances you want. Check out the shows now at www.oahufringe.com/fringe-2017. At the end of a show, there is a 30-minute break before the next show goes up – during this time shows will strike and the next one will set up. While they change over you will have enough time to get yourself to the next venue, or remain at your current location and see the next show. Shows run between 40mins to 60mins.

Our venues are located in the arts district of Chinatown Honolulu. The closeness of the venues is an important element to Fringe as it allows our audiences to easily travel from one show to another.

Shows: 10 Productions. 24 Performances Shows run anywhere between 40mins – 60mins Tickets: Available at www.oahufringe.com (plus fees) $10 single ticket for Thursday – Saturday $8 for 12 years and under for the Sunday show $100 Fringe Pass (unlimited shows) Door sales available on the night of each show. With 10 shows it pays to plan ahead so go now to our schedule to lock down your dates and the shows you definitely cannot miss. Join us and enjoy a fabulous buffet of fringey art.

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Artist Comments

“The Fringe was such a fabulous opportunity to share my work with the arts community and folks that would not normally see it. 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.” Pamela Poles of 2000 Leagues Under the Sea, Fringe 2011.

“I think O’ahu Fringe is on the right track, the most important thing now is to persevere”. Becky McGarvery of Coin Operated Boys and Other Tales, Fringe 2012.

“It was great to be part of Honolulu's Fringe 2013 Festival. My favorite part was seeing the amazing and challenging work presented by the other artists”. Katy Rydell, The Other “F” Word, Fringe 2013. “I love performing, testing new work, developing my craft, I was encouraged to do it, I love a new challenge, I love to create”. Fringe 2015 Artist

Audience Comments

“I love this Fringe Festival. One time, I checked out Willow Chang's belly dancing troupe and human beat box prodigy Jason Tom at the Venue (Fringe 2011). It was lots of fun”. Kevin Oshiro via Honolulu Weekly website, 2012.

“We wanna go back”, (Fringe 2012). Kevin Patterson of the San Diego Fringe Festival, via O’ahu Fringe Festival Facebook, 2012.

“The O’ahu Fringe Festival is awesome. Its one of the most fun and interesting arts events going on in O’ahu. My husband and I had a blast”. Cordelia Edison, 2012.

“WELL, to speak my mind, it is such a joy to see what creative people do. I don't love everything, but I love being able to SEE what they do, Fringe allows me to see and talk to and about shows, LOTS of shows, with a community of other engaged viewers, for a packed glorious cacophonous, exhilarating, challenging weekend of unique shows. It is an aerobic exercise for the imagination, a stay-cation for the voyaging artist, a sassy mirthy mix of input, mulch for the creative mind. What else could you possibly want to do with so many bright people for a whole weekend? It's amazing it is legal”. Jeff Gere, 2013. “Fringe is an absolute necessity to the Honolulu community if we are serious about bringing it up to the status of a worldwide cultural center…” Audience member, 2015.