SF theater companies take stage
Over 40 theater companies will entertain, enlighten, surprise and startle audiences during the San Francisco Fringe Festival, hosted by The Exit Theater from Sept. 8 to Sept. 19.
By Catherine LeeThe Guardsman
Over 40 theater companies will entertain, enlighten, surprise and startle audiences during the San Francisco Fringe Festival, hosted by The Exit Theater from Sept. 8 to Sept. 19. Most of the performances will be held at a theater complex, with three stages and a budget cafe clustered in one building on Eddy Street, and at The Exit Theater around the corner on Taylor Street. There will also be two outdoor stages. "The site-specific stages are great, but sometimes get really cold," City College theater arts professor Susan Jackson said. Both outdoor performances integrate their San Francisco locations and are free to the public. “Paper Angels" gives the audiences a glimpse at Chinese immigration through Angel Island. It will be performed three nights at Portsmouth Square, right in the middle of San Francisco Chinatown. The other outdoor location is the Castro Plaza at Market and 17th Streets. At this location “The Gay Poetry of Walt Whitman” will ring out for five days. The festival is organized with the universal Fringe principle of easy audience access. While time and money are always in short supply, the SFFF is an accessible bonanza of unique, performances with each usually lasting less than an hour. And all shows are $10 or less. With 43 short programs and affordable tickets, audiences can indulge in taking risks over the course of the festival.People will have the opportunity to see some of the best upcoming performers and writers do drama, puppetry, improv, soliloquy, dance or some things that combine all that. Jackson, who performed "Blessing Her Heart" in the 2009 SFFF, thinks accessibility is one best features for City College students. "A lot of my students came to see our show last year,” she said. “It's a great way to access theater because it's cheap and funky." While Fringe Festivals exist all over the world, entries from local performers mean each location has a unique flavor reflecting its host city. "A lot of my students do the Fringe,” City College acting professor John Wilk said. “Some are production managers and I know some students are performing as well." Wilk appreciates that San Francisco hosts its own Fringe Festival because it gives local artists a chance to perform without the expense of travelling to the biggest Fringe Festival which is held in Edinburgh Scotland. "They get their feet wet and they really know what it takes," he said. For a full list of shows, times and ticket prices visit www.sffringe.org.
