Living in Greater Cincinnati we are so fortunate to have so many opportunities to introduce our children to live theater. Seeing kids get excited for the arts is magical and this year the Cincinnati Fringe Festival will have family-friendly and teen-friendly options. The 9th annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival takes place from May 29 to June 9, 2012 and will host 35 productions and special events. Wow! Tickets are on sale now ($12/single performance ticket, $200 for an all access pass or $60 for six shows). Many of the shows will be performed at the Know Theatre of Cincinnati or close by in locations throughout Over-the-Rhine such as the Art Academy, Emery Theatre, and others. Click here to see all the shows offered this year.
To make your life easier,Cincy Fringe has sent us a listing of the shows that they have categorized as family-friendly or teen-friendly. We have not had a chance to see any of the shows so please read the show descriptions to see if a show is appropriate for your family. Here they are:
Family Friendly: Show Title: Bombus and Berrylinne, or the Bumblebee and the Hummingbird
From Four Humors Theater
Show Description: Follow the adventures of a hummingbird and a bumblebee named Bombus and Berrylinne. A show created by mashing together stories brought to Four Humors by people of all ages. People as young as two saw pictures of the characters and wrote stories that will then inspire the show. What crazy adventures will these characters find themselves in? Can you tell which parts were written by a two year old? When we are playing, does it really matter how old we are?
Family Friendly: Show Title: On Her Pillow: From Honour Pillow
Show Description: In 1977 it was cool to be a multi-racial family if you lived in San Francisco, or New York…but we lived in Addyston, Oh. Not cool…and NOT O.K. Then my parents gave me the name Honour Pillow because I wasn’t going to stand out enough as the only curly headed, biracial giant at my school. Now I was a curly headed, biracial giant named Honour Pillow. Geesh. No ordinary life could follow this beginning. I would become a Model in New York, a Comedienne in Chicago, and aCancer Patient in Las Vegas. Being biracial was the least of my worries.
Family Friendly and Teen Friendly: Show Title: Delicious
From Psophonia Dance Company
Show Description: Splashy and charming seasoned Fringers, Psophonia Dance Company, return bearing treats for the eyes and the ears in their latest production, Delicious. In true Psophonia style, directors Noreiga and Torres unwrap a series of mini dances inspired by an eclectic collection of pictures, sound bites, text, props and musical interludes. What is delicious? In Psophonapolis it is a smorgasbord of colorful dancing characters serving your senses with strong neon visuals, luscious poetry, witty wordplay, and amusing songs, like Peter Percival’s Pet Pig Named Porky. Come take a taste of Delicious, a delectable delight ready to bite!
Family Friendly and Teen Friendly: Show Title: Love Knots
From Essex Theatre Arts Studio
Show Description: What love makes us do! We all know how love ties us up. To tie or untie. That is the question! How many love knots can you name? Romantic. Platonic. Self love. Unrequited. Brotherly…? Love Knots is five short comedy/dramas–OMG, it’s.a short play fest, a mini-play festival within a Festival! Love Knots stand alone — and together — Whistle Stop Romance. Happy Family at Lui’s Golden Dragon. The Next Table. Holey Swiss Duet. Sunny Side Up. Short plays about the ties that bind. Each short is ten to fifteen minutes long.
Teen Friendly: Show Title: Dances For a Recession
From Pas De Monkéy Dance
Show Description: What should dances be in a recession? Intimate, cozy, conversational, with a profound payoff to remind you that dance matters. No fluff, no frills, no additives: just dance that is stripped down and vital. What’s left? — the magic and vigor of human bodies and human stories. These dances will warmly invite you in, leave you gasping with laughter and sorrow, and will sneak in a little philosophical epiphany along the way. This show fully embraces its own contradictions: it is risky, yet warm and inviting; lighthearted, yet sorrowful; hilarious, yet intellectually challenging.
Scrappy dance for a gutsy hereafter.
Teen Friendly: Show Title: Female Desires
From Eliza Martin
Show Description: What’s behind the female facade? This dramatic collection of monologues attempts to uncover the truth of the complex female mind. Witness women grapple with modern day issues of love, lust, sexuality, religion and immigration as they give voice to their deepest insecurities and boldest desires. Every story is as intricate and unique as the woman behind it.
Teen Friendly: Show Title: Nothing
From Unity Productions
Show Description: Inspired by a true story, Nothing is a multi-media play about Ben, a young man with autism who is struggling through the social grind that is high school. He retreats to a world of technology (MP3, video cameras, online gaming) in order to escape the tragic reality of constant bullying. When Ben meets Barbie in a divine online connection, he builds up the courage to venture out of his comfort zone and visit her in the flesh. This overwhelming escapade leads Ben into a dangerous situation, putting his own life at risk.
Teen Friendly: Show Title: Rodney Rumple’s Random Reality
From Performance Gallery
Show Description: Meet Rodney Rumple, everyhuman. Really, you will want to meet him. Experience his life, his unflappable spirit, his daily grind — his dreams. This physical theatre modern fable, created by the ensemble cast, explores human existence through the story of one boy — he sallies forth — life, in all its joy and horror, ensues. He sallies forth again. A story told with love, pain and laughter.
Teen Friendly: Show Title: Third Quarter Moon: A Complex Derivative Love Story
From Ornamental Messiah
Show Description: When a shockingly self obsessed girl moves to a small town, a wealthy vampire and an often shirtless Mummy vie for her attention. Unsure of what draws them to her, they soon learn that she is a “Job Creator” — A rare breed of human that, through sheer random circumstance, has stumbled into having enough wealth to set her aside from the common rabble of ninety-nine percent of humanity. But as the shallow love triangle churns to an angst ridden eventuality, a powerful secret cabal of hedge-fund managers seeks to wreak havoc on her funds.
Teen Friendly: Show Title: You Will Have Twenty-Five Minutes to Complete This Essay From The 25ers
FringeNext Artists
Show Description: In a world of every teenage stereotype ever written, ten brave and mildly bizarre children dare to battle the forceful! The cruel! The dreaded SCHOLASTIC ASSESSMENT TEST!!! Hilarity and delight guaranteed. No number two pencils required.
Note: Picture of the Know Theatre used in the slideshow image is by Jeff Burkle.
When not blogging for Family Friendly Cincinnati, you can find Kristin writing on her personal blog, MasonMetu (from me to you).
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