Providence to Celebrate National, Local Artistic Oddities at Annual FringePVD Festival

Family Fringe. Photography by Erin X. Smithers

It’s time to seize your strange side! The Wilbury Theatre Group will host the eleventh annual FringePVD festival, emphasizing new pioneers of artwork from across the country. The Wilbury Group, founded in 2010, is a nonprofit theatre company which aims to engage communities through adventurous, progressive storytelling and playmaking.  

“We are idealistic, ambitious and stubborn in our resolve to create theatre that entertains, enlightens and inspires,” says Niki Healy, publicity manager for The Wilbury Group. 

At the festival itself, a diverse array of events will be held across ten venues in the Valley Arts District. FringePVD offers theater, music, dance, multimedia and performing art exhibitions, each set to showcase why Providence is a New England cultural destination. With destinations such as the WaterFire Arts Center and The Steel Yard on tap, more than 300 performances will be squeezed into two weeks of excitement! 

moments by Ali Kenner Brodsky. Photography by Here and There Photography.

According to their website, FringePVD audience members can “attend performances that you wouldn’t normally attend, see things you wouldn’t otherwise see.” 

Last year’s spectacle turned the heads of hundreds of attendees. “A touch a well,” curated by Elisa Osborne and Yidan Zeng, explores the theme of vulnerability through dance and physical connection. Tackling topics of gender, trust and the subliminal, two artists’ movements merge and become a collective body for all to witness. 

Additional thought-provoking events include “Continuing Fluctuations,” a movement exploration looking at the effects of Cystic Fibrosis, as well as “Artemisia’s Intent,” which delves into seventeenth-century artwork and the intersection of the Me Too movement.  

Similar intense, emotional topics are set to be covered at this year’s festival as well, especially with “The Evolution of Consciousness,” a fantasy and realism experience curated by Rya, an international multi-dimensional artist, performer and composer  

Looking for more of a family affair? FringePVD has plenty of comedy, music and live artwork in store. Attend the Studio Playground, where children are taught to use the performing arts as a mechanism for social change and creative enrichment. Visit Farm Fresh RI to watch “Chloe and Donna’s Fantastical Journey into Uncertainty,” where two middle-school best friends face heartfelt and wildly funny adventures. 

As I eat the world by Luis Roberto Herrera. Photo courtesy of the artist.

FringePVD also highlights the work of many queer and BIPOC artists, as well as mental health advocacy pieces. In “Poly Play” by MA’AM, actors playfully satirize the life of a polyamorous landlord couple and one woman’s experience in renting. Luis Roberto Herrara, a renowned Colombian-American playwright, stars in “As I Eat the World,” where his character confronts eating disorders and other personal narratives. 

The year-round staff and creative teams of The Wilbury Group choose productions on a non-juried basis, selecting participants through lottery. All door and ticket sales go directly to the performing artists of each exhibition. 

“Since its earliest days, the festival has allowed us to connect with audience members from Rhode Island and beyond, provide stages for artists from across the country to perform and come together and showcase all the gems in our neighborhood that provide the Valley Arts District with the diversity and community that make it special,” says Josh Short, the artistic director of The Wilbury Theatre Group. 

Learn about the dozens of additional events and attractions happening July 14–27 at the Providence Fringe Festival website. Tickets can be found on the 2024 Artists page.

MAN CAMP by Teddy Lytle. Photo courtesy of the artist.