Miniball 2025
Miniball returns April 3–7 at FringeArts!
Miniball returns to FringeArts April 3–7, bringing together a dynamic lineup of performances, workshops, and events—all under one roof. Featuring a mix of brand-new works, colliding Split Bills, and exclusive work-in-progress performances, Miniball offers a space for artists and audiences to connect, experiment, and celebrate bold ideas. The festival provides a platform for emerging and established artists to push boundaries, challenge conventions, and showcase their boldest and most imaginative creations. Don’t miss it!
General Admission tickets begin at $25 (sliding scale) including PWYC. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Explore Miniball by Day
Schedule
Thursday, April 3
Thursday night, Miniball kicks off with a bash with our Miniball Kickoff Party featuring The Naughty Jawn!
Miniball Kickoff Party featuring The Naughty Jawn
Thursday, April 3 at 10pm
Fringe Bar, I hope you’re ready for the Naughty Jawn! Come see our 21+ variety show of drag, burlesque, singing, and so much more. Indulge in our cabaret entertainment by our talented Philly-native and local performers, play games to win prizes, and get a chance to come onstage yourself. Philly, let’s get filthy. READ MORE.
Run time: 60 minutes
Location: Fringe Bar
#PhillyBasedArtist
Friday, April 4
Friday, tune in to the sounds of Oh Wow! Live Music showcasing local musicians, followed by a star and a dream INVITED DRESS THE “RECITAL”.
Oh Wow! Live Music featuring Honeychile and Special Guest
Friday, April 4 at 7pm
What’s that? Live music? Oh wow! It’s Cannonball’s weekly music series now for one night only on the FringeArts stage. Come hear the tunes of Philly locals and Cannonball favorites.
Under the moniker of Honeychile, Philly-based musician, singer, and songwriter Becca Graham explores themes of identity, relationships, and coming-of-age by taking on the roles of a hip-hop emcee and a jazz diva. With a mix of humor, vulnerability, and sass, Honeychile wishes to challenge listeners’ perceptions of the Black musical canon, following in the footsteps of giants past and present. READ MORE.
Run Time: 60 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#PhillyBasedArtist
INVITED DRESS THE “RECITAL”
Friday, April 4 at 8:30pm
by Colby Calhoun
UR INVITED !!!
FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY THE DANCING DIVA, MISS GENDER, IS BACK BACK BACK AGAIN TO DAZZLE YOU AND YOURS WITH A DAZZLING (DOUBLE DIAMOND TRIPLE SCORE GRAND CHAMPION FIRST PLACE PRESENTATION) ARRAY OF ! MULTIPLE THINGS ! READ MORE.
Run Time: 60 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#PhillyBasedArtist #Dance
Saturday, April 5
Saturday, rise and shine to experience the blend of workshop and performance during Clay Practice. Split Bills return for one weekend only, starting with shadow puppet worlds i don’t have the right words for it yet and Krampus Gets Cramped (excerpt #2), followed by Rainah Gregory’s Philly debut Ismene. The day goes on with Buckle Up and Donner and Blitzen, Blitzen and Donner for Splitzen and augmented reality piece Western Memory. After that, we bring in the company that began it all, with a show by Almanac Dance Circus Theatre and we finish the night with chrysalis (Activation #4), a new hybrid media performance by jaamil olawale kosoko.
clay practice
Saturday, April 5 at 11am
by Shannon Brooks
“clay practice” is a body of research exploring the cacophony of sensations, histories, and imaginary dimensions fossilized in our bodies and in clay. Part-workshop part-performance, in this iteration of clay practice participants have the option to witness and engage with the workshop however they feel most comfortable. READ MORE.
Run Time: 60 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#WorkshopsClasses
Shadow Play: i don’t have the right words for it yet and Krampus Gets Cramped (excerpt #2)
Saturday, April 5 at 1pm
by Madeline Shuron and Jim Julien
What goes on in the darkness? Shadow puppetry of course! Shadow Play presents excerpts from i don’t have the right words for it yet by Madeline Shuron and Krampus Gets Cramped (excerpt #2) by Jim Julien. READ MORE.
Run Time: 50 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#PhillyBasedArtist #SplitBill
Ismene
Saturday, April 5 at 2:30pm
by Rainah Gregory
Why did Sophocles get rid of Ismene halfway through Antigone? What happened to the last surviving heir of Oedipus’ cursed family? An exploration of a character undefined by literature, this workshop performance seeks to answer these questions and more. Join us as we explore feminine storytelling and attempt to piece together a woman who grieves not only the death of her sister but her entire family, and must face an internal battle against regret. READ MORE.
Run Time: 45 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#PhillyBasedArtist
Buckle Up and Donner and Blitzen, Blitzen and Donner for Splitzen
Saturday, April 5 at 4pm
by Tenara Calem and mimebaby
BUCKLE UP: Coffee urns, onboarding meetings, blood in the supply closet. What do we do to each other in service of profit and professionalism? BUCKLE UP is a ravenous, revved-up, absurdist rendering of the violent American workplace.
mimebaby: WE’RE BACK. (We’re back? More like deer back!) It’s us, Donner and Blitzen. Yes. That Donner and that Blitzen. Your favorite reindeer brothers who have recently become funemployed.
Run Time: 50 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#PhillyBasedArtist #SplitBill
Western Memory
Saturday, April 5 at 5:30pm
by Wherehouse
Wherehouse presents two new games in a double-feature fusing augmented reality with in-person dynamics. First, explore a virtual world abandoned by a future society in “Western Memory”, a game commissioned by Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go. Next, be the first to dive into the world premiere of a new horror game in development inspired by old Trinidadian folktales. READ MORE.
Run time: 60 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#PhillyBasedArtist
Foresight: Egg Project and Helpful Hints for Strength and Health for Busy People
Saturday, April 5 at 7pm
by Almanac Projects
Behold Foresight, an evening of theatrical alchemy where raw creativity meets the spark of the future. Almanac, which gave birth to Cannonball, is back and bolder than ever. This double bill features the first glimpses of projects from award-winning Almanac lead artists:
Follow Nicole Burgio’s “Egg Project” into a playful journey of self-renewal, and get lost in two artists’ mysterious encounter in “Helpful Hints for Health & Strength for Busy People” from Ben Grinberg and Rhonda Moore. READ MORE.
Run time: 60 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#DanceCircus
(chrysalis) Activation #4
Saturday, April 5 at 8:30pm
by jaamil olawale kosoko
Performance by Song Aziza Tucker
Location: FringeArts Theater
#OutOfTowners
Cast Away: A Cannonball Festival Fundraiser
Saturday, April 5 at 9pm
#PhillyBasedArtist
Sunday, April 6
Sunday starts strong with a workshop – Queerobics West Philly, setting the stage for another jam-packed day of performances. We invite you to the conference room for durational clown piece TELETHON. In the theater, stay for 2 dance pieces, 1 bill Experiments in Dance: Chase Cycle and I call the violet moon vinca. Rainah Gregory makes her Philly debut with Ismene, then catch back-to-back hits W(hite)omen in The Afternoon, My Orc, Cicero, and BARKO.
Queerobics West Philly
Sunday, April 6 at 11am
by Queerobics Collective Members, including CJ, Ash, and KC
Let’s dance! Queerobics is a pop-up, accessibility-centered community dance aerobics class and performance project all in one. For Miniball 2025, we invite participants to dance along with us as we guide movement. Demonstration variations in real time alongside the lead instructor, including low impact variations and participation from a seated position. We aim to celebrate moving together, both literally and metaphorically, toward an anti-ableist, anti-racist, fat liberationist, consent-centered practice. READ MORE.
Location: FringeArts Theater
#Classes and Workshops
Experiments in Dance: Chase Cycle and I call the violet moon vinca
Sunday, April 6 at 1pm
by Gwyneth Zeleny Anderson and Britt Whitmoyer Fishel
New dance pieces by local choreographers Gwyneth Zeleny Anderson and Britt Whitmoyer Fishel. READ MORE.
Run time: 45 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#DanceCircus #SplitBill
TELETHON
Sunday, March 6 at 12pm, 3:30pm, 6pm
Welcome to our TELETHON. Anything can happen! Lives will be changed! Funds will be raised! Why? Because we do not, we CANNOT rest. Who are we? You’ll have to call in and pledge in order to find out. Put your money where OUR mouths are. Put it in our mouths. iCarly meets Chris Farley in this conference room drama. READ MORE.
Location: Conference Room
#PhillyBasedArtist
W(hite)omen in The Afternoon
Sunday, March 6 from 3pm
by Sacha Vega + Alyse James
Location: FringeArts Theater
Run Time: 50 mins
#PhillyBasedArtist
My Orc, Cicero
Sunday, March 6 at 5:30pm
by John Miller Giltner and Jonathan Harper Schlieman
Absolute power doesn’t corrupt, it reveals. And we all have a little Julius Caesar inside of us.
My Orc, Cicero tells the story of how one group of intrepid heroes became World of Warcraft’s queerest, leftist, most soci-anarchistic guild. And how it tore itself apart Roman Republic style over accusations of ableism and not buying health potions. Come relive the death of a community one (now banned) Reddit user called “a bunch f*gs cosplaying Stalinism.” READ MORE.
Run time: 50 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#PhillyBasedArtist
BARKO
Sunday, March 6 at 7pm
BARKO weaves improvised comedy from nothing to a twisted end. Award-winning physical theater artist Nick Gillette, martial artist/philosopher Pim Van, and polymath clown/writer Sam Miller. Finding laughter in the everyday, this show highlights organic discovery and inspired action. BARKO is slapstick at the speed of life. READ MORE.
Run time: 60 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#PhillyBasedArtist
Monday, April 7
Miniball continues for one more day for a presentation with FringeArts for their monthly Scratch Night at 7pm
Scratch Night
Monday, April 7 at 7pm
This long-running works-in-progress series is an opportunity for artists and audiences to connect. See experimental works at various stages of development – from the first spark of something new to an excerpt of a finished piece. Come discover new artists or see an exciting debut from a longtime favorite.
Co-presented by Cannonball and FringeArts, a handful of artists from across disciplines will bring an informal showing of something they’re working on – and you’ll have a front row seat to their process. Stay for a drink, chat with artists and audiences about what you saw, and provide vital feedback that will help with the development of the work. READ MORE.
Run time: 120 minutes
Location: FringeArts Theater
#ScratchNight
Be Part of the Story
Help FringeArts present world-class, contemporary performing arts that challenge convention and inspire new ways of thinking.
Make Your Contribution
Phone
Please call us at 267.612.4902.
Mail
Make checks payable to FringeArts and mail to:
Attn: Development
FringeArts
140 N Columbus Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Gifts of Securities and Giving by Bank Wire
Please contact 267.612.4902 or Development@FringeArts.com to request our stock and ACH information.
Employer Match
Multiply your support of FringeArts and increase your impact on our programming by inquiring if employer matches gifts! A matching gift form or online submission information can be obtained from your Human Resources department, and can be submitted to the address above or Development@FringeArts.com.
Corporate Membership & Sponsorships
FringeArts offers exceptional opportunities for companies to meaningfully invest in Philadelphia’s dynamic performing arts community while connecting with our diverse, engaged, and loyal audiences through sponsorships or annual corporate support. We offer customized activations and marketing strategies to meet your goals. Read more on our Sponsorships Page.
Please contact our Development Team, at Development@FringeArts.com for more information.
Planned Giving
Help us Fringe for the future by providing for FringeArts with a gift in your estate. Please contact our Development Team at Development@FringeArts.com or 267.612.4902 for more information.
Giving to FringeArts through a Foundation or Donor Advised Fund
Many Producers Circle level donors choose to support FringeArts through a charitable foundation or a donor advised fund. According to IRS regulations, donors may not receive any tangible benefits or services in exchange for the grant from their foundation or donor advised fund. In these situations, FringeArts can offer basic benefits that carry no tangible value. These available benefits include:
- Recognition as a donor, including the opportunity to be named as a Sponsor of a select show of your choice during any of our festivals (with a gift of $1,000 or more)
- Invitations to Fringe Festival VIP Opening Night, annual Works-in-Progress Member Appreciation Rehearsal Receptions, and Inside Look
- Invitations to other exclusive, private events throughout the year
- 20% discount at Fringe Bar
If you prefer to receive the full range of available goods and services associated with the gift level that you choose, including an annual FringeArts membership for discounts, and complimentary tickets to performances and FEASTIVAL, you may make a personal payment to purchase the value of benefits at cost. Please note that the personal payment amount cannot be subtracted from the foundation or donor advised fund grant amount.
The fair market value of Producers Circle benefits is as follows:
Associate Producer ($500-$999): Benefits valued at $150
Co-Producer ($1,000-$2,499): Benefits valued at $395
Producer ($2,500-$4,999): Benefits valued at $615
Executive Producer ($5,000-$9,999): Benefits valued at $915
Star Producer ($10,000-$24,999): Benefits valued at $985
Icon Producer ($25,000+): Benefits valued at $1,210