Previewing the 2024 Rochester Fringe Festival

By Evan Dawson,

Megan Mack, Julie Williams

Published August 27, 2024 at 3:01 PM EDT

Two smiling people wearing headphones sit in front of microphones at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left has blonde hair and is wearing a short-sleeved dress with a black, green, and yellow floral pattern; a man at right has short dark hair and is wearing a blue and white plaid long-sleeved button-down shirt; he is holding up a booklet with a pink cover that says "Rochester Fringe Festival."

1 of 9 — Erica Fee on "Connections"

Erica Fee on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, August 27, 2024

David Griffin / WXXI News

An action shot of four people outside a car: A woman with short dark hair, a colorful striped sweater, a maroon skirt, and black boots has her back to the camera and holds a black cord; a man with short blonde hair is wearing a long-sleeved button-down shirt and dark pants runs toward the car; a woman with blonde hair, an orange dress, black shoes, and a blue scarf looks frightened; a man with a red and white plaid shirt with a white veil over his head looks at the car

2 of 9 — Dashboard Dramas.jpg

Dashboard Dramas

Rochester Fringe Festival

A woman with a blonde wig and clown-like makeup, and a woman with a long brown wig and a black bowler at who is wearing clown-like make-up look at the camera

3 of 9 — Bushwhacked.png

Bushwhacked

Rochester Fringe Festival

A man with long curly dark hair and a dark beard who is wearing a black plaid cap, a dark jacket, and yellow shiny pants holds large playing cards. Behind him is the text "GAMESHOW! GAMESHOW! GAMESHOW!"

4 of 9 — Game Show.png

Game Show! Game Show! Game Show!: A Games Show

Rochester Fringe Festival

5 of 9 — Urban Boys.jpg

"The Urban Boys US Return"

Rochester Fringe Festival

6 of 9 — Aerial 51.jpg

Aerial 51

Rochester Fringe Festival

Parcel 5: a greenspace with tables and chairs, a flag pole with lights, and buildings in the background

7 of 9 — Unluckiest Corner.jpg

The Unluckiest Corner

Rochester Fringe Festival

A group of people pose for a photo: dancers in colorful dresses, a man wearing a suit and tie and holding a proclamation, and a man wearing a polo shirt

8 of 9 — Hispanic Heritage Month.jpg

Kickoff for Hispanic Heritage Month and Fringe Festival

Rochester Fringe Festival

A man with short dark hair wearing a light blue blazer, dark pants, and a white button-down shirt. An image of a puzzle is superimposed over his face.

9 of 9 — David Kwong.jpeg

The Enigmatist: Magic and Puzzles with David Kwong

Rochester Fringe Festival

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.

It’s our annual preview of the Rochester Fringe Festival. This year’s event includes more than 600 performances at more than 30 venues across the city.

From comedy, to music, dance, spoken word, and more, we talk with Fringe organizers and performers about what to expect.

Our guests:

Erica Fee, producer and CEO of the Rochester Fringe Festival
Kerry Young, theater artist with “Dashboard Dramas” and “Bushwhacked”
Joe Pisanzio, performer with “Game Show! Game Show! Game Show!: A Games Show”
Popping Freshh, performer with “The Urban Boys US Return”
William Dovidio, performer with “Aerial 51”
Matt Rogers, storyteller with “The Unluckiest Corner”
Jason Barber, site manager for the International Plaza, which is the venue for “Kickoff for Hispanic Heritage Month and Fringe Festival”
David Kwong, performer with “The Enigmatist: Magic and Puzzles with David Kwong”

Help fund essential coverage this fall

Previewing the 2024 Rochester Fringe Festival