FORT WAYNE – Fort Wayne Fringe has announced the first fringe performing arts festival in Fort Wayne. In partnership with Wunderkammer Company, the Fort Wayne Fringe festival will run Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, and will feature performers from Fort Wayne, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Columbus and Atlanta. Fort Wayne Fringe is in its inaugural year, and will bring fresh, edgy performances to the city presented by contemporary artists from the Midwest and beyond. Based on successful festivals around the world, Fringe will provide a collage of performance including contemporary dance, theater and music. Fort Wayne Fringe seeks to give cutting-edge artists a venue in which to perform. One hundred percent of ticket revenue will be returned to the performers. At $5 per show, audience members will have the opportunity to experience any or all of the 20 performances throughout the four-day festival. Explaining the genesis of the festival, Jason Markzon, founder of Fort Wayne Fringe, observed that the performances evolved out of local artists desire to promote the city and region’s creative talent. When not fringing, Markzon is principal percussionist with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. “This is an exciting opportunity for our community to experience a broad range of the region’s creative performing arts all in one long weekend,” he said. Wunderkammer Company, a non-profit whose mission is to revitalize communities through contemporary arts, provided a brand new venue at 3402 Fairfield Avenue, former location of iconic Southside restaurant Casa D’Angelo. What does Fringe mean to Fort Wayne? Dan Swartz, board president of Wunderkammer Company, said, “We see fringe performances as a symbol of a vibrant community, and a sign that we are growing into an arts community the likes of other Fringe cities like Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Cincinnati.” Chicago resident and Fort Wayne Fringe performer Joshua Kent noted “the upcoming Fort Wayne Fringe Festival is proof that exciting and alternative arts programming need not be limited to the traditional art capitals. As an artist and a maker, I’m thrilled to be working with organizers who consider local community, while simultaneously maintaining a perspective beyond.” For more information on performance times, artist lineup, and ticket sales locations, or to make a donation, visit www.fwfringe.org, visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fwfringe and follow it on Twitter @FWFringe
