2020 KeyBank Rochester Virtual Fringe Opens Tomorrow

Free FringeTalk series includes SNL's Tim Meadows & stand-up Maria Bamford

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Sep 14, 2020, 08:55 ET

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rather than taking over more than 25 downtown Rochester venues this year, the ninth annual KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival (Sept. 15-26) will engage performing arts fans from all over the world in the safety of their own homes.

One of four "FringeTalk" online discussions in this year's KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival, "...Too Soon? Comedy in 2020," features Tim Meadows (SNL), stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, Joe Liss (Second City), and Matt and Heidi Morgan (Absinthe, Opium).

"Pivoting to an online experience rather than cancelling was the right thing to do," says Festival Producer Erica Fee. "Giving artists' voices a platform is more important than ever, and audiences also need to experience the transformative power of the arts, whether to gain new perspective or simply to be entertained for a while."

Of the festival's 170+ virtual productions, which – as always – cover a wide variety of genres, more than 70 are free of charge, including the debut of a conversation series called FringeTalk. Each of the four, live-streamed installments will take place from 8-9 PM and feature nationally recognized guest artists plus a moderator, followed by audience Q&A on Zoom:

"Black Lives Matter & the Performing Arts" (9/16)
"…Too soon? Comedy in 2020" (9/17)
"Using Storytelling to Communicate Science" (9/23)
"Predicting the Future? Performing Arts in 2021" (9/24)

For example, Emmy Award-winner Tim Meadows– best known for his work on Saturday Night Live – will participate in the comedy-based FringeTalk hosted by Joe Liss (Second City, Curb Your Enthusiasm). Other panelists include stand-up comedian Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite) and Matt and Heidi Morgan (Absinthe, Opium).

The Las Vegas-based Morgans will also star in brand-new, online Fringe productions of two festival favorites: Cirque du Fringe: Quarantini and Shotspeare Presents: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare...sort of.

The 12-day, 2019 Rochester Fringe Festival featured 667 performances and events – over 200 of them free – and broke all previous attendance records with more than 100,000 visitors. From its five-day debut in 2012, it has become one of the most-attended fringe festivals in the U.S as well as the largest multidisciplinary performing arts festival in New York State. As a bifurcated festival, it allows for a combination of entertainment curated by the non-profit festival as well as an open-access portion. Its overarching mission is to provide a platform for artists to share their ideas and develop their skills, while being as diverse and inclusive as possible.

SOURCE Rochester Fringe Festival, Inc.