Arts-Entertainment
This month the Livingston Fringe Festival (LFF) makes its debut. From September 22nd through September 28th twelve original plays will be performed at nine different locations around Livingston, and with over forty performers participating. Fringe theater festivals have their roots in the Edinburgh Fringe Fest in Scotland, established in 1947, where the city comes alive with the performing arts. The Livingston Fringe Festival will showcase the abilities of local theater artists, as well as giving venues and audiences a meaningful opportunity to participate in the arts.
Playwrights and show creators include: Aaron Murtagh, Jenna Ciralli, Rebecca Schankula, Jack Wickum, Isabel Shaida, Naomi Shafer, Jennifer Jane, Sarah Kelly, Carolyn Peavy, John Henry Hasel, Bex Fruct, Annie & Levin O’Connor, Emma Rathe, and Cora Roseberry, a twelve-year-old who wrote Ducks in a Row.
LFF was born out of a desire for Co-Directors Tessa Welsch and Kate Britton to create an event for new work to be produced. Welsch mentions, “It turns out there are many secret playwrights in Livingston and Bozeman. It’s been an honor to provide a platform for these artists, and to hear what they say. I’m eager to see audiences engage with artists.” Britton agrees, “We live in an area rich with theater artists, there’s a lot of talent packed into this area! However, even with numerous theaters and performing arts companies, there isn’t a lot of opportunity to showcase new work.”
Britton and Welsch have been active in the theater community here, with Welsch directing numerous plays in Montana, and Britton acting in, directing, and producing theater at various theaters in Livingston and Bozeman. Both are drawing heavily on their experiences producing original work in New York. Welsch holds a degree in directing from Marymount College and spent much of her time in the city producing original plays. Britton did the same through the New York Fringe Festival as well as the MT + NYC Collaborative. They are eager to bring this festival to life in a community that already holds a love of the arts, and a long history of supporting artists.
They have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the community for this project, “We had more offers of spaces than we had productions to put in them!” Britton exclaims. Venues for the Livingston Fringe Festival include Sacagawea Park, The Blue Slipper Theatre, Elk River Books, Wheatgrass Books, The Old Lumberyard, The Shane Center, and The Empire Movie Theatre. Tessa is excited about what this festival means for Livingston, “By showcasing and celebrating art made by our own community members, we uplift each other. We acknowledge each other’s struggles, triumphs, heartbreaks and dreams. We take time to gather. We grow together, we build community and we feel less alone.”
Audiences can expect plays that last from fifteen to 90 minutes, from comedy to serious drama, from one-person shows to a cast of ten actors in one show. Tickets can be purchased for individual shows for $15, or an all-access pass for $75 gives the purchaser the ability to book tickets for every event over the entire week. Tickets and full schedule available at www.livingstonfringefestival.com/, and at the door.