Pelham is getting a new kind of night out.
The first-ever Pelham Fringe Festival comes to The Picture House on Friday evening, October 2, and Sunday afternoon, October 4, with five original 10-minute plays, professional singers and musicians performing cabaret-style, and food and drinks all included.
The result promises to be fast-moving, surprising and difficult to categorize, which is exactly the idea.
The festival marks the debut of Pelham Fringe, a new Westchester-based performing arts organization bringing together local and regional writers, directors, actors, singers and musicians. But audiences do not need to be theatre insiders to enjoy it. They can simply come ready for an entertaining and slightly unpredictable time.
The five plays grew out of “Under the Influence,” a creative format developed by Pelham resident Kate McDaniel, founder and artistic director of Pelham Fringe. During the group’s twice-monthly sessions, actors read scenes by a renowned playwright. Writers then use a moment, theme or other spark from that reading to create something entirely new.
Two weeks later, actors perform the new scenes during a follow-up session called After the Influence. The results can move from pathos to comedy and sometimes somewhere no one in the room expected. The plays premiering at the inaugural festival were influenced by the works of John Patrick Shanley and Theresa Rebeck.
“Pelham Fringe exists to support bold new work and to be a growing creative home for artists in Pelham and beyond,” says McDaniel, a producer, actor and mother of three. She describes the organization as a “living cultural engine, a creative lab that brings together professional artists and audience members hungry for connection, collaboration and discovery.”
Pelham’s arts and business communities have already rallied around the growing organization. Meridian Risk Management has welcomed Pelham Fringe into its space for creative nights, rehearsals and production meetings, while Pelham Art Center has invited Fringe members to create alongside its artists.
“It’s an embarrassment of riches,” says McDaniel, noting that Pelham Fringe is “filling an unmet need for all the talented professional artists hungry to create.”
Tickets are $40, including food and drinks.
Friday evening, October 2
Sunday afternoon, October 4
The Picture House
175 Wolfs Lane
Pelham, New York
Tickets: https://www.thepicturehouse.org/movie/the-pelham-fringe-festival
Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Pelham Fringe Festival. The Pelham Examiner publishes press releases in the form received as a service to the community.