D.C. Theater Artists Launch New Fringe Festival

A coalition of D.C.-based theater artists are joining forces to produce a new independent theater festival, District Fringe, to be held in the summer of 2025. The festival is intended to fill a gap left by the abrupt shuttering of the Capital Fringe Festival, which was announced earlier this year. 

“For so many years, Capital Fringe was truly the only place where a nascent company or independent producer could put their work in front of an audience for less than $1,000 with all tech and space included,” said Karen Lange, artistic director of Pinky Swear Productions and one of the artists pioneering the District Fringe effort. “It is a huge loss for the next generation of D.C. performing artists, which is why we decided to come together and work on a new event that will fill that void: District Fringe.” 

District Fringe has already received a $20,000 seed donation, and fundraising efforts are underway to bring this new concept to life this summer. 

With the arts community under threat by the Trump administration, Lange and fellow festival producers—which include Theater Prometheus artistic director Tracey Erbacher, and Nu Sass Productions co-founder, co-producer and artistic director Aubri O’Connor—intend District Fringe to stand as a reminder that artists remain uninhibited, unafraid and unstoppable in the face of the current political climate. 

“The festival will be small but mighty. By necessity, this will be a juried festival, which marks a departure from the previous festivals. Additionally, we’ll focus only on local artists. District Fringe is theater by the people, for the people,” said Lange. “We will not be seeking federal government grants from an administration determined to quash freedom of expression. In these times, art is more important than ever and we need to elevate rather than and suppress the voices of artists. Our festival is excited to welcome shows that showcase the incredible diversity of artists in this region. Ultimately, we want the art to reflect the city we live in.” 

More information regarding venue, festival dates, and artist submissions will be forthcoming. Please follow Instagram: @district_fringe or Facebook: facebook.com/districtfringe.