The Eleventh Annual Tucson Fringe Performing Arts Festival includes magic, storytelling, musical comedy, dance, and Unicorns! We will have live shows at four venues as well as virtual performances Live on Zoom. We will also have free pre-recorded content on our YouTube Channel.

Schedule of Events:

Live In-Person Performances:

A Mermaid in Narnia (on LSD) - Seinfeld Warehouse
Created by Ariel Pinkerton
Minneapolis, MN

Ariel Pinkerton started experiencing surreal states of mind long before she started doing drugs, and then continued the tradition with their aid. From fantastical game play as a child to mushroom enhanced sky watching at 13, from fighting predators trying to take advantage of her altered state to visiting Narnia on LSD…get ready to take this strange trip with a master storyteller who came out of the wardrobe stronger, wiser, and with plenty of tales to tell.

Content Warning: 18+, Strong Language, Depictions or Discussions of Violence, Sexual Content.

Dates and Times:

January 20, 2023: 7:30 p.m.
January 21, 2023: 5:00 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 2:00 p.m.

Buy Tickets

A Scar is Born - ATC Cabaret Theater
Created by Lorelei Zarifian
Melbourne, FL

A Scar is Born is the humorous story of one misfit’s hopeful audition. She reviews for the casting director important moments of her life and her journey from France to America. In the face of rejection, she never gives up her passion for performing the music of words and language.

Content Warning: 13+

Dates and Times:

January 20, 2023: 6:00 p.m.
January 21, 2023: 3:30 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 5:00 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Benjamin’s Passion - ATC Cabaret Theater
Created by Elizabeth Du Val
Berkeley, CA

A true story of a very nice Ukrainian ballet director who finds himself in ID dealing with a football loving crowd and an executive director with ideas. And a true story of a not quite young enough dancer who might have just landed her big break. What happens when passion meets disappointment? Things start to break…

Content Warning: 13+, Depictions or Discussions of Violence.

Dates and Times:

January 21, 2023: 8:30 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 2:00 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Big Dad Energy - Steinfeld Warehouse
Created by Jamie Campbell
Kansas City, KS

When Jamie Campbell came to Tucson Fringe in 2019, his solo storytelling show, The Devil on the Wall was named the festival’s “Best Drama.” This year, he’s back, with a hilariously heartfelt comedy called Big Dad Energy.

In a show that combines stand-up, storytelling, and a touch of musical comedy, Campbell leaps into what it’s like to get married in your 40s and realize parenthood isn’t going to happen. Like a proud father, he discusses why he is impressed with the younger generation. He recalls the days when teachers were allowed to spank students, dishes on the time he took acid at Disney World, and reveals how to make women happy (hint: it’s pockets.)

Content Warning: 13+, Sexual Content.

Dates and Times:

January 21, 2023: 2:00 p.m and 8:30 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 3:30 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Desperate to be Seen, Horrified of Being Known: A Ghost Story - ATC Cabaret Theater
Created by Good Vibe Cinema
San Diego, CA

Lights Up On Two Ethereal Beings In A Metaphysical Space – a mattress in the middle of the desert… heaven or hell, depending on who you’re sharing it with. This darkly sensual, hilariously heartbreaking, twisted new comedy thrusts two restless spirits into the afterlife – THE GHOST, a man who lived and died by his reputation, who on the surface did everything right, but had a darkness brewing underneath.. and THE GHOUL, a young woman whose absurd glamour reeks of tragic desperation, a little girl who always felt small and in death found a chance to become larger than life. As they discuss love, loss, identity, and regret – and coping with the fact that neither one of them have ever really felt alive – these two deeply complicated people reach their breaking point, as they both come to realize things aren’t what they seem.

Content Warning: 18+, Strong Language, Depictions or Discussions of Violence, Sexual Content.

Dates and Times:

January 21, 2023: 12:30 p.m and 7:00 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 3:30 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Futakuchi Onna - ATC Cabaret Theater
Created by Kristin Moran
Phoenix, AZ

A woman battles the curse she has inherited from her ancestors – the Futukuchi Onna. This Japanese monster, also known as a yokai,  manifests as a heckling mouth on the back of her head. The Futakuchi Onna impedes the woman’s pursuit of music, destroys her relationships and leads her to despair. And yet, the Futukuchi Onna also has some lessons to teach. With acceptance, one can find balance, understanding and the courage it takes to be yourself.

Content Warning: 13+, Sexual Content.

Dates and Times:

January 20, 2023: 9:00 p.m.
January 21, 2023: 10:00 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 6:30 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Good Actors - The Screening Room
Created by Sommer Browning
Denver, CO

Good Actors is a one-woman performance of the poet Sommer Browning’s third poetry collection, Good Actors. The performance turns the often funny, sometimes heartbreaking, irreverent book into a boundary-pushing and culturally relevant play. The text is grounded in everyday life and centers subjects such as divorce, motherhood, loss, and alternative sex and sexuality but filtered through popular culture and a wry sense of humor. Conceptually, the play is a staged, lived embodiment of the text, and explores the lines between life and performance, role and responsibility, art and life. How do we transition between these things? Where are theedges? Do we ever know what the hell we’re doing? The performance is directed by Aaron Angello and incorporates animated projections by Kelly Sears.

Content Warning: 18+, Strong Language, Sexual Content.

Dates and Times:

January 20, 2023: 9:00 p.m.
January 21, 2023: 10:00 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 6:30 p.m.

Buy Tickets

He-Man is the Devil: A Satanic Panic Tale - The Screening Room
Created by Kyle B. Dekker
St. Paul, MN

Written and performed by Kyle B. Dekker. Evangelical Christians and the general public were afraid of and went to war with a ton of things in the 1980s. What happens if you are a kid and some of those things are the books, games, and movies you love? A true autobiographical story of childhood in right-wing Christianity. Tales of the survival, trauma, and lessons learned in a journey out of indoctrination and extremism.

Content Warning: 13+, Strong Language, Depictions or Discussions of Violence, Sexual Content.

Dates and Times:

January 20, 2023: 7:30 p.m.
January 21, 2023: 3:30 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 5:00 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Jeanette Rankin: Champion of Persistence - The Screening Room
Created by J Emily Peabody
Minneapolis, MN

Jeannette Rankin’s name should be one we all know, after all she was the first woman elected to US Congress! But since we don’t, I didn’t anyway, JEANNETTE RANKIN: CHAMPION OF PERSISTENCE offers us a snapshot of her life from her youth to her maturity. It includes her battle for suffrage, her election to US Congress, the painful vote to oppose Woodrow Wilson’s War to keep the world safe for Democracy. Our story includes her brave alignment with the copper miners after the 1917 explosion in the Speculator mine near Butte, MT and in 1941, after a second successful election, her lonely vote to keep the US out of WWII. Finally after her world travels, Jeannette’s last  battle, to bring the US troops home from Vietnam. The story of Jeannette’s long life offers us a unique slice of US History, and is a lesson in how our Democracy does or doesn’t work. You decide.

Content Warning: All Ages, Loud Noises, Bright or Flashing Lights, Depictions or Discussions of Violence, Strong Political Content.

Dates and Times:

January 20, 2023: 6:00 p.m.
January 21, 2023: 5:00 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 2:00 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Knifeslingin'! - ATC Cabaret Theater
Created by Paper Soul
Minneapolis, MN

Ted “Critter” Montana knows the streets & will teach YOU how to survive: no guns, no karate chops, just KNIVES. Think you got what it takes to be the next Knifeslinger, hotshot?

1989 A.D. The Streets, USA. Crime runs rampant. Nowhere is safe. Fear is winning. And the world is about to be rocked by “KNIFESLINGIN’! Ted “Critter” Montana Teaches YOU to Survive the Streets”. Critter walks The Warrior’s Path. Critter is not afraid to stand his ground. And Critter carries more knives than you can even count, tough guy. If you think you got what it takes, pop KNIFESLINGIN’! into your VCR, strap up your switchblades, and pay attention. It just might save your life.

Cut to: 2017. The Warrior’s Path has lead Critter to a Grand Jury hearing in Minneapolis. Can he knifesling his way out of this?

Content Warning: 13+, Loud Noises, Bright or Flashing Lights, Strong Language, Depictions or Discussions of Violence.

Dates and Times:

January 20, 2023: 7:30 p.m.
January 21, 2023: 2:00 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 12:30 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Late Bloomer - Steinfeld Warehouse
Created by Chris Hathaway
Costa Mesa, CA

Late Bloomer is a one-person show that deals with big regrets, petty grievances, and lessons learned late. Chris Hathaway is an amateur adult and professional disappointment, and it took her forever to even get this far. From grief to gratitude to Cap’n Crunch binges, Chris is the expert on never becoming an expert. It’s confession time.

Content Warning: 13+, Depictions or Discussions of Violence, Strong Political Content.

Dates and Times:

January 20, 2023: 6:00 p.m.
January 21, 2023: 3:30 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 12:30 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Let Me Say This About That - Steinfeld Warehouse
Created by Danna Sheridan
Minneapolis, MN

Whenever Danna’s mother needs to interject an opinion on a topic, she starts with, “Let me say this about that—”. Based on the belief that everyone has something to say about SOMEthing, improvisers Danna Sheridan and Heather Meyer will take audience suggestions and use them to create a one-of-a-kind podcast episode. What will the podcast be about? What kind of character will be the host? Are there going to be ads? That’s for the audience to decide!

Content Warning: 13+, Strong Language.

Dates and Times:

January 21, 2023: 12:30 p.m and 7:00 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 5:00 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Soul Searching in Sin City - The Screening Room
Created by AnnaRose Einarsen
Las Vegas, NV

In her fringe festival debut, award-winning Las Vegas magician and hypnotist, AnnaRose Einarsen, presents the multimedia odyssey, Soul Searching in Sin City. AnnaRose combines performative storytelling, magical theater, and archival footage as she reflects on the human condition and her quest for truth as a deception artist in Las Vegas. The magic tricks are the cherry on top of the truly magical tales of characters and occurrences so wild that they couldn’t be made up. What happens in Las Vegas, doesn’t stay there, it goes on stage in Tucson.

Content Warning: 13+

Dates and Times:

January 21, 2023: 12:30 p.m and 8:30 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 12:30 p.m.

Buy Tickets

The Singularity of the Machine - The Circus Academy of Tucson
Created by The Spider Silk Circus
Tucson, AZ

A group of travelers finds themselves trapped in a mysterious machine. They become increasingly intertwined with the processes of the machine as they get deeper and deeper into its inner workings. The aerialists and acrobats will use their feats of grace and strength to interact with mechanics, create and ultimately become, the machine.

Content Warning: All Ages, Loud Noises, Bright or Flashing Lights, Depictions or Discussions of Violence.

Dates and Times:

January 21, 2023: 7:00 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 6:30 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Reverend Matt’s Monster Science - Unicorns: Are They Pretty? - The Screening Room
Created by Matthew Kessen
Minneapolis, MN

Two-time Tucson Fringe “Best Solo Show” winner “Reverend Matt’s Monster Science” returns to Arizona, with the information you need on the legend of the unicorn! The prettiest (spoiler alert!) and most magical of all fabulous creatures! But was it always this way? Is it this way in every culture! No and no (spoiler alert!) Learn about the amazingly varied history of the horse with one horn. Plus jokes! And PowerPoint!

Content Warning: 13+, Depictions and Discussions of Violence, Strong Political Content, Sexual Content.

Dates and Times:

January 21, 2023: 2:00 p.m and 7:00 p.m.
January 22, 2023: 3:30 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Unknown - ATC Cabaret Theater
Created by Griffin Sciarra
Chicago, IL

Prepare yourself for some good, ole whimsy. Griffin will bring an audience together through absurdity, observation, honesty, and most of all–jokes! Griffin has evolved his perspective through living in rural Indiana, Italy, and Chicago! Look, you know I hate writing in third-person. My show contains stories about my whacky year. You’ll have fun at my show, probably. I plan on exploring if comedy is an artform, and by extension, if I’m an artist. We’ll see. A little serious, a little silly, a lot of fun!

Content Warning: 13+, Strong Language, Sexual Content.

Date and Time:

January 21, 2023: 5:00 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Live Zoom Performances:

Mafia Anonymous: The Women Speak - Live on Zoom
Created by PINA
Phoenix, AZ

Nella is the leader of a WOMEN’S Mafia Anonymous group. It is rumored that Nella’s dad did business with the Mafia. Each woman at this meeting is connected to somebody in the Mob.
The piece is dedicated to Laura Peralta, Laura was Murdered in 2012 in AZ. The piece examines the murder case through the character voice of Diana, a Ghost.

The piece is also dedicated to the Artist’s Father (Romano) and examines their complex relationship. The piece serves to Promote Women Voices.

Content Warning: 13+, Strong Language, Depictions or Discussions of Violence, Sexual Content.

Date and Time:

January 19, 2023: 7:00 p.m.

Buy Tickets

Free on YouTube:

Are You F**King Kidding Me - Tucson Fringe YouTube Channel
Created by Billy Clause
Kansas City, MO

Using monologue, song parody and storytelling, this hilarious comedy asks the serious questions: Why is the word “f**k” considered vulgar? What would Freud say about the Washington Memorial?

PLUS: The Greatest Country Song Ever Written. This show has been compared to George Carlin, Arlo Guthrie and Andy Rooney.

Content Warning: 18+, Strong Language, Sexual Content.

Video Link Available January 19, 2023

Date: January 19, 2022

Dates: January 19 - 22, 2023

Locations:

The Screening Room, 127 East Congress Street, Tucson, AZ 85701.
ATC Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Theater, 330 South Scott Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701.
Steinfeld Warehouse, 101 West 6th Street, Tucson, AZ 85701.
The Circus Academy of Tucson, 400 West Speedway Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85705.

Click here for more information.