2023 DENVER FRINGE FESTIVAL Will Present History With A Twist

The Denver Fringe Festival is a hub of creativity and innovation where artists from all around the world come together to showcase their talent. This year, the festival has taken a unique turn, with several shows focusing on history and its impact on our present-day lives. From plays that delve into the annals of pop culture history to a musical that explore the origins of immunization science, the festival promises to be an immersive experience for anyone interested in the performing arts.

One of the most exciting aspects of live stage productions is their unique ability to bring history to life. Through the medium of theater, audiences can witness firsthand the events and people that have shaped our world. Whether it's a comedy, tragedy, or a fringe-worthy combination of both, these shows allow us to see history in a new light and gain a deeper understanding of our collective experience.

Pricks! The Vaccine Musical

If you're looking for a unique and entertaining way to learn about the historical impact of science, then look no further than Pricks! The Vaccine Musical. Premiering this June in the Denver Fringe Festival, this one-of-a-kind musical covers the history of vaccines, from smallpox to cowpox, influenza, and beyond. Featuring a cast of four talented actors, Pricks! The Vaccine Musical will have you laughing, tapping your feet, and learning a thing or two about vaccination science. Like other popular musicals like Schoolhouse Rock Live!, Six, and Hamilton, Pricks! The Vaccine Musical uses theatrical settings to bring history to life in an exciting and engaging way.

"There is a staggering amount of misinformation about so many things online. It's quite overwhelming to think about just how many lies are available for people to read and see," said the show's creator, Rodney Brazil. "During the first year of the pandemic, I started reading about the history of vaccination and discovered that there have been skeptics since the beginning. And many of the fears people expressed in the 1700s are similar to what you still hear today."

But rather than write a propaganda play trying to set the record straight, Brazil decided on another route. "I'm not a doctor, and I didn't want to do a preachy script about public health. But I felt like these vaccine origin stories were rather theatrical," Brazil explained. "I have fond memories of Sesame Street and those cartoon shorts with pop-sounding songs that teach you a lesson. When you mix infectious disease with infectious tunes, the results are pretty entertaining."

Tryptich: A Shifting History of Inherent Femininity

Gender identity is another area of history getting the fringe treatment this year. Grace Olinski and Amelia Corrada are bringing their original play, Tryptich: A Shifting History of Inherent Femininity, to Denver Fringe. The play follows three stories, beginning with Young and Old grieving at the foot of a mysterious grave at the beginning of time. The two are questioning what they've been told about womanhood and what they have actually experienced in their lives. The second story sees two friends meeting for brunch, one of them searching for the truth while the other seemingly has all the answers. In the third story, two friends wander the halls of a famous institutional art gallery as they reconcile with the reality of sex, love, gender, and life.

Olinski and Corrada's production provides an important and timely exploration of the human condition and how it intersects with gender and identity. For the two creators, it is a cathartic and informative experience, one which they hope will resonate with audiences.

"We love to pick apart media together, and we believe it's an important thing for people to do. So many cultural beliefs about life (gender, sexuality, relationships, etc.) are in the subtext of the media we see and listen to every day from the moment we're born," Olinsky observed. "It becomes our roadmap for building our own lives and forming our own identities. If you never question those images, who knows what parts of yourself you could be denying or leaving behind?"

The creators agree that knowing where we came from and, sometimes more importantly, where the images, archetypes, and beliefs of our current culture came from give us a sense of place meaning. "No matter where we come from, we're still free to shape the future we desire and become the people we want to be," Orlinsky elaborated. "Learning about the past can help us parse out what is actually a part of ourselves, what is something we want, and what is something we took on because we thought we had to."

Catch these and 53 other shows at this year's Denver Fringe Festival, playing 12 different venues in Rino/Five Points June 8-11, 2023. This year's lineup brings a lot of non-historical fare, as well, including burlesque, one-person comedy shows, and immersive experiences. Tickets to all shows are just $15 and can be purchased on the festival's website.

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