It's no secret that the arts community is Kansas City is vibrant and dynamic, but like any arts community it takes a lot of work to get a play or musical, visual exhibit, fashion show or performance to get in front of the general public. As Cheryl Kimmi, Founder of Kansas City Fringe Festival put it, artists have to put their work through a lot of testing before a theater or museum will consider hosting it.
So after seeing how many artists in Kansas City were not sharing their art with the public, Kimmi started the local fringe festival, which is now in its eighth year. Kansas City's Fringe Festival will host over 100 acts this year, ranging from theatre performances, visual art exhibits, spoken word, film, burlesque, dance, music, fashion and also workshops and performances for children and teenagers.
Kelly Adrian and Jeff Church also join the program to talk about their specific performances, and share how the Fringe Festival is helping local artists experiment with new ideas and get honest reactions from the public. Kimmi says the acts are accepted on a first come first serve basis, so the lineup of acts is not chosen through an audition or application process. Because of this, the festival is even more diverse because there are different levels of experience from complete amateurs or veterans in the local arts scene.
Information about the festival, including a full schedule, ticket sales and a link to their smartphone app can be found at kcfringe.org. But with hundreds of shows and exhibits to choose from, how does one start to plan which to attend? Our guests shared their must see shows during the 10-day festival:
- The Last Temptation of Harry- Theatre performance
- An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein- Theatre performance
- Opening Night- A preview of all the performances