Fisher Continues Sponsorship of Rochester Fringe Festival

St. John Fisher University is once again serving as a higher education sponsor for the Rochester Fringe Festival, which brings more than 500 performances to dozens of venues in downtown Rochester each September.

Running through Saturday, Sept. 20, the Rochester Fringe Festival promises to be a thrilling place to watch the arts in action – with everything from musical performances and spoken word to comedy, art, and more.

The festival lineup of more than 600 performances over 11 days includes returning favorites, Rochester Fringe debuts, and U.S. and world premieres. The festival expects to see tens of thousands of people attend its events; with many taking place at Parcel 5 (near One East Avenue) and at the Spiegelgarden at One Fringe Place, at the corner of Main and Gibbs Streets across from the Eastman Theatre.

Several of Fisher’s current and past professors are featured in this year’s Fringe Fest.

Jeremy Sarachan, associate professor in the Department of Media and Communication, serves as director of the Theater Apparatus production, “Protest.” Written by Václav Havel in 1978, the drama focuses on Vaněk, a dissident writer just out of prison, and Staněk, a former collaborator who has achieved success through aligning with the regime in power. Vaněk needs Staněk's support on an upcoming protest, and the play explores the complexity of acquiescence and culpability. “Protest” serves as both a historical document of resistance and a contemporary warning about the dangers of political conformity.

The performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at MuCCC (142 Atlantic Ave.). This performance marks the Theater Apparatus’ fifth appearance at the festival.

Professor Greg Cunningham, and recently retired professor Dr. Jeff Liles, appear in “A Biscuit Brothers Slightly Crooked, Big-Hearted Salute to the Erie Canal,” running at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the School of the Arts Ensemble Theatre. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal, the show follows to time-traveling buskers as they use music to tell the stories of the canal that are “100 percent accurate in the most inaccurate way!”

Tickets for Fringe Festival events are available online or via phone at (585) 957-9837 (additional fees may apply). They can also be purchased in person during the festival; at the door of the venue, or at the One Fringe Place Box Office, corner of Main and Gibbs Streets.