Seeing groundbreaking performance art doesn’t have to break the bank. Check out these free or pay-what-you-want shows at this year’s Fringe Festival.

Borderlands @ Studio 34
Philadelphia Theatre of the Oppressed

“To survive the Borderlands you must live sin fronteras be a crossroads.” — Gloria Anzaldúa. Come break the fourth wall as Philadelphia Theatre of the Oppressed explores the personal journeys of immigration & homecoming from prison. Devised & performed by formerly incarcerated Philly women who have reentered society. More info and tickets here.

Monarch @ Fleisher Art Memorial
Christine Doidge, Amanda Holston, James Miller

Monarch is one woman’s retelling of the story of Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. Fleisher Art Memorial’s beautiful sanctuary sets the stage for past to become present. Fill in the blanks of history (with an irreverent dose of fiction) as a centuries old rivalry comes to a head. Queens will rage. Crowns will fall. Heads will roll. More info and tickets here.

Perspectives @ The Galleries at Moore
AIM Academy Drama

“You look at me. What do you see? You don’t know who I am.” Young writers share their perspectives on body shaming, gender identity, anxiety, online personas, loss, and ADHD and invite the audience to join them as they confront preconceived ideas, assumptions, and judgments. More info and tickets here.

Drunk Dads Comedy Extravaganza @ Upstairs at Buffalo Billiards
The Sunday Funnies

We know them, we love them, see lovable drunk dads come out for a night of truth and fun advice that can only come with a six pack of beer and a shot of honesty. It’s a game! It’s a panel! It’s a GD shitshow! #DrunkDadsPhilly
More info and tickets here.

Exhaust @ Da Vinci Art Alliance 
Eamon DeFabbia Kane

A mixed media, solo exhibition featuring playful investigations of fragments of architecture and found objects. With an inventive use of materials, these objects and installations transcend recognizable forms, destroying old patterns to create new ones. More info and tickets here.

Dear Diary LOL @ The MAAS Building
AntiGravity Theatre Project

This devising ensemble presents a theatrical excavation of their middle school diaries by staging the unaltered words found inside. We invite you to cringe/laugh/cry at the most earnest desires, deepest fears, secret shames, and most terrible poetry born from coming of age as girls circa the early 2000s. More info and tickets here.

Way of Words @ Herman St. Studios 
Veronica Bowlan and Andrew Christman

Way of Words is an interactive poetry and visual art event. You are invited to write and read poetry, paint and collage—or just sit back and take it all in! There will be musical performances and a reading of the book created at the event. Memory and the “urban wilderness” of Germantown will be our muse. More info and tickets here.