September 12th-20th

FringeArts: Hello! Am I speaking to Ben Franklin himself? We have heard that his ghost resides in Philadelphia… No? If you’re not Ben Franklin, could you please introduce yourself?

Sarah Knittel: Am I allowed to do this? I run one of the hubs! But! also! I am performing in my third solo show, Ben Franklin Sex Party.
I lived in Philly for 12 years and now I split my time between there and LA.

FringeArts: We’re DELIGHTED to have you on the blog! Lucky us, we get to hear about DUMB HUB and BEN FRANKLIN SEX PARTY! Do you want to tell us about BEN FRANKLIN SEX PARTY first though?

Sarah Knittel: Spiritually: BEN FRANKLIN SEX PARTY is the stack of VHS tapes yr parents rented from Blockbuster for you on a sick day. Time travel, 80s comedy, romance, action, soft core porn, erotic thriller. No strong female lead shit. All set against the backdrop of our world falling to absolute shreds outside the doors. Idiot show where a founding father time travels to fight syphilis and fascism.

FringeArts: You’ve got our attention with this show! We’re pretty excited to see it! We’re wondering about your motivations not only as a member of the artistic world, but as a curator of DUMB HUB—what has made you pursue (and become so enmeshed within) this life as an artist?

Sarah Knittel: simply, I think it’s really stunning for someone to look within and be brave enough to share what they find inside. I don’t think there’s a wrong way to do it (art/performing) if someone is curious, vulnerable, and daring. we love you for the things that make you you. does that make sense to you?

as the curator of DUMB HUB, it brings me soooo much joy for artists I respect and admire to see other artists I respect and admire in a city I respect and admire.

Have you ever had the feeling? maybe you are bopping around at night. you have this feeling, almost a calm, that you are in exactly the right place AND somehow there isn’t a cooler place to be in the whole world at that moment? that’s the feeling I STRIVE for audiences to feel when I produce an event.

FringeArts: You’re preaching to the choir! So, we know how you want your audience to feel during your show, but I wonder, how have you felt while creating this show? What’s been the best part of creating this show for YOU?

Sarah Knittel: I love really understanding what it’s like to be Ben Franklin more and more as I continue to work on the show. I don’t know many actual facts, but I KNOW him.

FringeArts: That’s certainly the power of art. Perhaps you are to Ben Franklin as Cole Escola is to Mary Todd Lincoln. Or perhaps your relationship is an incomparable one! Our audiences are going to have to see the show to know! I wonder though, what shows are YOU going to be seeing this September?

Sarah Knittel: EVERYTHING IN DUMB HUB ARE YOU KIDDING?

FringeArts: Well, Duh! What else?

Sarah Knittel: also whatever grace lazarz, lee minora, and rose luardo (not together, but that would be a dream) are working on. they are so good. they could literally degrade and spit on me in their shows and I would happily pay for that ticket.

FringeArts: Lets keep our fingers crossed for future Philly Fringes then! You’ve been such a lovely guest, but we’ve only got one question left: If you could have any oddly specific superpower, what would it be?

Sarah Knittel: the enzymes to eat dairy and gluten again.

FringeArts: It’s the simple pleasures in life isn’t it! Thank you for being on the blog! You’ve been the best! We look forward to seeing your show between September 12th and 20th! You hear that readers? BETWEEN THE 12TH AND 20TH!

September 6th-27th

FringeArts: Hello! We’ve faced a lot of trauma with Disney’s Bambi… But, we’re still excited to have you on the blog! Can you introduce yourself to us?

Mal MacKenzie: My name’s Mal MacKenzie, I’m from Pittsburgh but go back and forth between there and Philly. I was here last year with a team producing “Damned Without Vision” at the 2024 Fringe, had such a blast we had to come back!

FringeArts: We’re SO happy to have you back! It means the world that so many artists return to the festival again and again! So, last year it was Damned Without Vision, can you tell us about this year’s show Roadkill Bambi?

Mal MacKenzie: Portia and Alison are driving home from a wedding. They hit a deer. Portia dies.
Portia and Alison are driving home from a wedding. They hit a deer. Portia dies. The deer tries to quit smoking.
Portia and Alison are – wait what? They hit a deer. Portia dies.
Forced to relive this accident over and over, Portia must confront uncomfortable truths about her relationship while she tries to escape a surreal time loop. A thoroughly queer dirge for the imagined future, Roadkill Bambi asks how we make decisions while caught in the headlights of disaster.

FringeArts: So, its Groundhog Day… Groundhog Gay? It’s Bambi? I think we’re going to have to see it to believe it! And lucky for us (and our readers) we have from SEPTEMBER 6TH TO SEPTEMBER 27TH to see it! Ok, but back to the questions: Of all the many things that make the arts so great, what most made you interested in pursuing this daring life?

Mal MacKenzie: I am on a quest to collect as many aspects of the human experience as possible. I love learning about new topics and get caught up imagining my life if I had taken different turns. Being a playwright and a storyteller is the best way I have discovered to really explore all the fascinating lives that people lead.

FringeArts: Fascinating! So, if thats whats exciting about playwriting for you, what has been PARTICULARLY exciting about creating this show?

Mal MacKenzie: During our run at last year’s Philly Fringe the cast of “Damned…” gathered around a fire to read through a draft of this play late into the night. The script is very different now, we are all different now, but it was a little pocket of the future we never saw coming. Since then we had the pleasure of debuting this work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland before bringing it here and golly those memories will be ones I cherish forever.

FringeArts: I’m a bit jealous that the Scots got to see this show before us, but we’re incredibly glad to have you now! I’m sure we’ll cherish having this show in our festival forever! And hopefully you’ll see some shows this September that you’ll cherish as well. Is there any show you want to recommend to our readers?

Mal MacKenzie: “Be Good!” with Paulette by Daniel Maseda. Some of my team had the chance to see this show in Edinburgh and said it was the greatest thing ever.

FringeArts: Oh boy! We’ll have to put it on our calendar’s then! Thank you for this illuminating conversation. We’re VERY excited to see Roadkill Bambi. One more question though… If you could choose anyone (a celebrity, a friend, a family member) to come see your show and they HAD to come, who would you choose?

Mal MacKenzie: Jen Silverman. I ripped off their writing style so much with this thing the least I can do is let them throw tomatoes at me.

FringeArts: You heard them Jen! Get your butt to Philadelphia NOW! And bring your tomatoes! SEPTEMBER 6TH THROUGH 27TH! Thanks again for sharing all of this with us Mal! Click for more info on Roadkill Bambi.

September 5th-26th

FringeArts: Welcome to the Blog friend! Want to introduce yourself to our readers?

Prateekshit Pandey: My name is Prateekshit “Kanu” Pandey, I am the creator-director of the science comedy show Is That Right?! (co-produced by Cara Hammer). I grew up in India, and have lived in Philly for 7 years before moving away to California, where I am an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. During my time in Philly, I performed improv with Comedy Sportz Philly for years on several shows, including Roll Play (now at SideQuest), which was part of the Fringe Festival in 2022! I have always been a huge fan of the Philly Fringe festival, its fresh and diverse program, and the support it provides to the artist community here in Philly. Bringing my show to the Philly Fringe festival is a dream come true!

FringeArts: Well, can we just say, it’s a dream come true for US to have your show in this year’s Philly Fringe Festival! Now, science and comedy aren’t necessarily always paired together! Could you tell us a bit more about your show?

Prateekshit Pandey: A science comedy game show hosted by a real-life scientist (me!), where four improv comedians are challenged to explain research to the mystery guest scientist who conducted it. The twist: they meet the scientist for the first time live on stage with zero preparation. Each show features a leading researcher from the Philadelphia region’s top institutions, including Penn, Temple, Rutgers, and more! Past mystery guests include neuroscientists studying social connection, microbiologists exploring sleep rhythms, genetics researchers investigating gut health, and political scientists analyzing breaking news patterns. From interpreting the field of research to conducting scientific podcasts, contestants use creativity with zero actual expertise to explain studies they’ve never seen before. Meanwhile, our guest scientist watches their life’s work get hilariously reimagined. Imagine if a TED Talk was also a hilarious train wreck!

FringeArts: So, our audiences are going to be learning during every show?! And since every show is different they’ll always be presented with new information? AND they get to see comedy too? This sounds too good to pass up! Have you thought about offering college credit for these classes?… No? Nevermind… Anyways! You’re a scientist, but also an artist! How did you get into this? How have you blended these worlds?

Prateekshit Pandey: Nothing daring about my life, I am an academic/scientist by profession, and I like to create art which helps me connect with others and understand human behavior better.

FringeArts: Art is a tool more versatile than a swiss army knife! What’s your favorite part of creating this SPECIFIC show then?

Prateekshit Pandey: My favorite part of preparing this show is always the scientists. Each show is centered on one scientist, and my job is to design a game show that celebrates them and their work. In the process of preparing the game show prompts, I get to learn about the scientists and their research, their passion for scientific discovery, and the kindness and care they exhibit.

One thing I am particularly excited about this year: for the first time, we are able to offer $5 tickets for this show, which will make the show accessible to a wider range of audience than ever before.

FringeArts: You’re right, the variety and accessibility of Is That Right?! is pretty dang exciting! So, when you’re not working on your show this September, what shows are you looking forward to seeing?

Prateekshit Pandey: Particularly excited about “PRIDE & Prejudice: A Queer Parody” and “If Blood Is Thicker Than Water Swim In It” (what a title!)

FringeArts: Now we know where to find you in your free-time this September! Its been a privilege speaking to you! I’m sure our readers are on the edge of their seats for Is That Right?! but just ONE more question: If you could visit one fictional world or place to live in for a year, what would it be?

Prateekshit Pandey: The world of Severance, maybe. I have so many questions.

FringeArts: I’m guessing you’d be doing the detective work, rather than being severed. At least I hope so! That does sound like a stressful year though… Well, thank you for speaking with us!

September 17th-25th

FringeArts: Hello! Wonderful to have you on the blog! Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?

Jaden Alvaro Gines: Hello! My name is Jaden Alvaro Gines (they/them), I am a Genderqueer, Latino playwright, director, author and musician from working class New Jersey, which is a triple minority if you count the New Jersey part! I now live in the great country of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and am so excited to be joining for my second year of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, following last years debut with my play, “Delivery Boy”!

FringeArts: Another repeat Fringe Artist! How exciting! We loved “Delivery Boy” and we’re excited for “Let’s Make an Album”. Would you tell us a bit more about this years show?

Jaden Alvaro Gines: “Let’s Make an Album!” is a new immersive performance series by myself and my band, Philadelphia Pop-Punk outfit “Happier Than Ever”, attempting to break down the wall between artist and audience. At it’s core, it is an attempt at bringing the audience into the songwriting process from the very beginning, giving them the agency as writers along with the band to craft a collaborative, complete draft of a song, completely from scratch! Throughout the hour, we will guide the audience through traditional songwriting structure, lyrical storytelling, and investigate the choices that are made behind each step of the songwriting process. Through audience suggestions and collaboration, the band will create a full length song from start to finish LIVE on stage each night, with the audience credited as songwriters!

FringeArts: Wow! Sounds like you all are making the soundtrack to Philly Fringe 2025! And we get to be there to see it all happen! This is an incredibly creative show. I wonder if you could tell us how you began to pursue and live this daring life that is being an artist?

Jaden Alvaro Gines: I grew up in the middle of the New Jersey suburbs, where my only access to the arts was the local community theater that was run out of my middle school auditorium. I was a bit of an outcast (which I’m sure most of us were) and I didn’t really connect well with other kids; That is, until I began performing and found a group of outcasts like me who valued community above all else. Suddenly, this queer, Latino kid from the suburbs began seeing more of themself than they ever had before, which is what has motivated me all these years later to pursue this wild, crazy, magnificent lifestyle of ours. The opportunity to connect with people and understand their experiences, and give some kid sitting alone in their room in the suburbs hope that they will be seen and welcomed somewhere, someday; That has always been the ultimate motivator!

FringeArts: Truly that speaks to the ethos of the Fringe model. We’re very glad you’ve found a community and that we get to have you as a part of this festival! Has there been anything particularly special about this year’s show for you? What has been the best part of this creative process for you?

Jaden Alvaro Gines: Working with my two best friends has always been one of the greatest joys of my life (and not just because they make me seem like a better musician than I am). But especially on this process, at has been a thrill getting to introduce them to the world of Fringe and the world of Philadelphia theater! Especially with a piece as challenging as this one, getting to work with them and figure out how this wacky and crazy piece works has been the greatest time.

FringeArts: Your focus on collaboration and community within the creative process truly does align with the way that your piece brings the audience into creative collaboration with you in your show. We are so excited to see how these shows unfold! Speaking of community, I wonder what shows you’re looking forward to seeing during this year’s Fringe?

Jaden Alvaro Gines: “The Dirty Shirley Show” by Sara Mascelli, and “After Worlds” by Taj Rauch have all been on my “to-be-seen” list! (And not just because they are all friends of mine.) (Love you guys!)

FringeArts: Wow! It seems that your community is very enmeshed in Philly Fringe! Lucky us! Final question: If you could choose anyone (a celebrity, a friend, a family member) to come see your show and they HAD to come, who would you choose?

Jaden Alvaro Gines: YOU!! ALL OF YOU!! ANYONE READING THIS!! (And also, Billie Joe Armstrong of American punk rock outfit Green Day.)

FringeArts: You heard it here folks! Get tickets to Lets Make an Album! now for September 17th through 25th! Especially you Billie Joe Armstrong!

September 3rd-24th

FringeArts: Hello! Welcome to the blog! Would you like to introduce yourself to our readers?

Grace Lazarz: I’m Grace! Use whatever pronouns! Originally from Indiana, I landed in Philadelphia two years ago to figure out what it would look like to own myself fully as an artist after spending most of my career thus far working box office, front of house, and theater education gigs. Last year was my first year in this Fringe (directing “G(r)een” through the PYAC track with Cannonball), and I knew I wanted to jump in again but this year as a performer/lead artist. I’ve been obsessed with Fringe Fests for a long time, having performed and worked at IndyFringe in my 20s. I even produced a Fringe Festival in South Bend, Indiana and went on my honeymoon to the Edinburgh Fringe.

FringeArts: Hi Grace! It’s great to be talking with such a seasoned Fringe alum! And not just Philly Fringe, but in the U.S. Fringe community generally! Can you tell us a bit about your show?

Grace Lazarz: 5SFOOAC(TGC) is a character-comedy tilt-a-whirl with 8+ original (sometimes grotesque, sometimes absurd, sometimes endearing, always unhinged) characters fighting against a looming countdown clock. Or a goose. Or both. It’s primarily a solo show (so I’ve been referring to it as solo-ish), though there’s an ensemble of stagehands who weave in and out of the piece to maximize antics. Prerequisites for enjoying the show: love of laughter and/or bizarreness and/or being a human slowly being pressure cooked by existing.

It really feels like this has been a piece in the making since my childhood, because I’ve always been drawn to creating original characters. These are characters I’ve been performing around Philly the last two years, and I’m so excited to see what happens when they collide in front of an audience for the first time! At least I’m getting my steps in!

FringeArts: Oh my goodness! So you’ve been building to this show for two years? What has the best part of this long term creation process?

Grace Lazarz: One favorite part of working on this show has been feeling inspired by the funkiness of the Trestle Inn space. It’s a room with so much character…go-go dancer boxes, colored lights, multiple spaces to enter from, a disco ball. The space feels buzzing with possibility and is the perfect place for an unhinged cast of characters to tumble out of every corner!

Another favorite part of working on this show has been collaborating with my director and friend, Dola, who is truly the best combination of anchor and disruptor. (Listen to me right now, hire Dola–you will not regret it.) One of our very first rehearsals, Dola had me improvise the entire show as if I already knew what it was. The exercise cracked open a million ideas and showed me that a piece was already in me and that the process is pulling that piece out to distort, distill, splice, dice, study, edit, and embrace it.

FringeArts: WOW! So the piece has not only been building and growing for two years, it also has an element of site specificity! We love when our Philly Venues help the shows themselves grow—Philly is such a vital part of Philly Fringe! Tell me though, what shows are you looking forward to this month?

Grace Lazarz: Oh, man…so many! Vanessa Kamp’s “Devour”, Tim Shu & Nico Montalvo’s “Two Queers in Wigs”, Funmi and Chris’s “Fish“, Hannah Curry’s “The Hannah Variations“, Charles Steele’s “Journeyman“…the list goes on and on.

FringeArts: An amazing selection! Reminding our readers to trust Grace’s taste! As we’ve learned, they’re a certified fringe expert! One last question Grace: What does your perfect day look like?

Grace Lazarz: One time I got this question in a job interview and I answered “eating burritos in the woods.” I stand by it. I didn’t get the job.

FringeArts: You know, given the scope of worldwide Fringe Festivals, I bet there has been a show that involved that exact activity in at least one Fringe somewhere! Thank you for speaking with us Grace! And remember readers: SEPTEMBER 3RD THROUGH 24TH!!!