Orlando Fringe Announces 2024 Show Lineup For Newly Named Winter Mini-Fest FESTN4, January 11 – January 14

Orlando Fringe has announced the all-star lineup for its recurring 4-day winter festival FESTN4 (formerly known as Winter Mini-Fest) returning to Fringe ArtSpace January 11-14, 2024. 

FESTN4 bridges the gap for Orlando Fringe's annual May festival's patrons, offering a reduced, more-contained Fringe experience in one centralized location.  Unlike the May Festival, FESTN4 is curated, featuring more than 20 shows available for patrons over four consecutive days, with many offering two to three performances, including popular works from past festivals, new works from well-received Fringe artists and brand-new creatives scouted from the national and international Fringe circuit. 

 

2024 FESTN4 is proud to present the following shows:

 

LOCAL

·       A One Woman Titanic Parody in 59 Minutes or Less (Bikini Katie Productions): Last year's hit parody is back.  See Fringe favorite Katie Thayer perform James Cameron's 3-hour and 14-minute masterpiece... by herself... in 59 minutes or less.

·       Becoming Grandma Kat (Florida Deaf Theatre Project): Becoming Grandma Kat is about young man who is placed in the witness protection program.  Trapped in his new persona, he faces several scenarios that test his ability to keep his true identity hidden.

·       Rat Man Happy Place (Bruce Ryan Costella): A guided comedy tour through the happiest ruins on Earth using only the power of garbage and imagination - An interactive theme park satire from the creator of MUTTNIK and Spooky & Gay.

·       SAK Presents Lights Up: The Fully Improvised Rock Opera! (SAK): Lights Up is a fully improvised rock opera based on suggestions from the audience and performed by processional SAK improvisers and accompanied by a three-piece band.

·       Shifted (FAV Productions): When three friends discover their apartment stairs have the power to shift between alternate dimensions, they must navigate the perils of parallel universes and face off against their mysterious RA.

·       Stroke of Genius: Pantomime Masturbation Throughout Performing Arts History (Boiled Horse): This professor takes "jacking around" very seriously: His multi-media lecture familiarizes students with historical pantomime masturbation techniques.

·       The City Beautiful, an Original Live Band Burlesque Musical (Cheesy Pizza Productions LLC): The City Beautiful, an Original Live Band Burlesque Musical, is all about the weird, creepy, BIPOC, Queer and sometimes somber - but never boring - history of Orlando.

·       The Complete Works of Stephen Sondheim (Abridged) (Orlando Artist Guild): From SWEENEY TOOD to INTO THE WOODS, COMPANY to FOLLIES, watch four performers irreverently take on the canon of the greatest musical theatre composer of all time.

·       The Vast of Darkness (Whiskey Theatre Factory): Astronauts from enemy countries are orbiting on the dark side of a distant planet when they begin experiencing a terrifying cascade of events.

 

NATIONAL

·       Bent Compass (Dirt Hills Productions): Colin, a student teacher, sees a student punch someone.  As the other teachers react passionately, Colin remains calm.  His perspective is different because he is an Army Medic Combat Veteran.

·       Grabbing the Hammer Lane: A Trucker Narrative (Harbour Workshop LLC): Grabbing the Hammer Lane: A Trucker Narrative is a one-act play featuring a searing tale about prodigal rebellion and fleeting moments for redemption.  The play won Best Solo Drama/Orlando Fringe 2023.

·       Jenny Lind Presents P.T. Barnum (Shelley Cooper): Before Taylor Swift, there was Jenny Lind.  This one-woman opera show fact checks “The Greatest Showman” and the real reason Jenny Lind (also known as the “Swedish Nightingale”) quit the tour.

·       Men of Motown (Independent Artists' Playhouse): This cabaret will pay tribute to musicians like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and more!  Get Ready to hear these timeless melodies performed and in-person.

·       My Grandmother's Eyepatch (Clowns Can Dance): In this off-the-wall comedy, comedian Julia VanderVeen leads the audience through wild stages of grief as she attempts to honor her long dead Grandma.

·       The Chair on the Door (Travis Abels): Growing up in a cult that forbids sex might be a problem for people with a body.  Storyteller Travis Abels learns to laugh and love along roads to self-acceptance, finding beauty in the collision points.

 

INTERNATIONAL

·       Caught (Raise the Stakes Theatre): Chinese dissident artist Lin Bo shares his story of his imprisonment at a notorious detention centre.

·       Malunderstood (KS Presents): A grandmother should spoil you from time to time, no?  Well, not Kenny Streule's grandmother.  Immerse yourself in a collection of memories that explain how Kenny was raised by his Swiss German Grandma.

·       Rat Academy (Bat Rabbit Productions): Hi.  We R the last two rats from EDMANTON.  Together!  WE made a show for U people.  Pls come. Learn how 2 rat with US... U will not hate it.  Pls come.  We hav chese.

·       The Family Crow: A Murder Mystery (The Pucking Fuppet Co.): The award-winning, international Fringe hit THE FAMILY CROW: A Murder Mystery returns to Orlando.

 

“We are thrilled to grow closer to FESTN4 and announce our amazing show lineup that we proudly curate,” says Festival Producer Tempestt Halstead.  "From re-introducing fan favorites and highlighting award-winning performances scouted from other Fringe Festivals to welcoming new voices that embody the true spirit of Fringe, FESTN4 is a great introduction to first-time Fringe-goers to get a taste of the magic of Fringe and get excited for our incredible May Festival.  We look forward to seeing our arts loving community near and far come together next month at Fringe ArtSpace for FESTN4!”

 

FESTN4 will also bring back Fringe favorites: Fringe AfterDark: WTF(ringe) Cabaret, a Fringe produced late night show; FESTN4 KIDS, Orlando Fringe for kids and families that will be performed on Saturday, January 13, 2024.  These shows include; Standley the Lemonade Stand (Vendor Productions), which offers free admission, and El Mago Astronauta (Play and Art Studio), which offers tickets for just $5; and for visual arts lovers, an Arts Market presented by Visual Fringe where patrons can meet the artists, witness them create and purchase items (of which 100% of the sales are returned to the artist).  Plus, the Fringe ArtSpace bar and concessions will be open and available between shows during the mini-festival.

 

Experience FESTN4 from January 11 - January 14, 2024 at Fringe ArtSpace located at 54 W. Church Street, Suite 201, Orlando, Florida 32801.  All shows are 70 minutes or less and are $15 with the exception of FESTN4 KIDS shows that are free - $5, with the one-time purchase of a $3 button.  The Teaser Show where patrons have the opportunity to hear and see the artists pitch their shows in three minutes or less will take place on January 10, 2024 at 7:30pm.  The public is also invited to join FESTN4 Awards Ceremony. 

 

For more on FESTN4, parking information and to purchase tickets, visit orlandofringe.org.  For more on Club Fringe and to become a member, email development@orlandofringe.org.

Are you an artist or volunteer interested in getting involved with Fringe ArtSpace?  Email booking@orlandofringe.org and volunteer@orlandofringe.org.  For general information, updates and what's to come at Orlando Fringe and Fringe ArtSpace, visit orlandofringe.org.

 

The Orlando Fringe produces The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, the longest running Fringe in the United States. It is a member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF), United States Association of Fringe Festivals (USAFF) and the World Fringe Association and follows the CAFF mandate to remain 100% unjuried, 100% uncensored, 100% accessible for artists and audiences alike, with 100% of ticket sales given back to the artists. Fringe ArtSpace creates and fosters a year-round inclusive and collaborative environment that promotes participation and openly recruits diverse stories and performances. It provides opportunities for underrepresented artists and communities through inclusive shows, art, and experiences, and by facilitating opportunities for coaching, mentorship, and scholarships, and offering guidance that might help artists and companies on their artistic journey. Orlando Fringe is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and receives generous funding from the Downtown Development Board, Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program, United Arts of Central Florida, City of Orlando and the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture.

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