[NOTE: links coming soon]

Fringe is a highlight of every year for me, but usually the excitement it inspires is tinged with anxiety. That’s because I have been involved in productions for Fringe for a few years, and there is a fair amount of stress leading up to the shows.

In my time onstage and around the Square, I have developed some connections to other companies and performers, and it seems wrong not to acknowledge my own bias towards these folks before I start tweeting about my Fringe preferences.

So, full disclosure; these are some shows I am involved in myself (in some capacity):

1. And Other Stories. Nova Dance Collective’s Fresh was their first foray in the dance world, and it was a solid collection of short works. I went to the School of Contemporary Dancers with these ladies, and when graduate Kelsey Todd and I started working on a dance film (“The Presider”) together, I had no idea that a version of it would end up at the Fringe Festival. You can catch my film and a variety of dance works in And Other Stories.
2. Jurn.e. The Lime Project’s revamping of their 2012 show features some lovely choreography by Nina Patel and even lovelier dancers (some of whom are also in And Other Stories). I am the stage manager. Join me at our shows!
3. Offices. Naughty Sailboat has chosen to once again mount a collection of shorts by Ethan Coen (yes, of the Coen brothers). Fast-paced and witty, this comedy show is golden. I saw their first run last night and was entertained from the first light cue till the moment they shuffled off the stage. Scheduling conflicts prevented me from being the show’s lighting designer, so the brilliant Megan Andres (the show’s director) stepped up to fill the role. Kudos to a very talented cast and crew.
4. Fire Women. If Leigh-Anne Kehler is as good at storytelling on stage as she is over coffee, then this will be an amazing show. I “designed” her poster – the quotation marks are because my Photoshop skills are infantile, but I was given a fantastic background image to work with, so it looks pretty snazzy. I look forward to hearing her stories.

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Now that that’s on the table (and those don’t include the shows I am shooting), let me tell you what I am eager to see:

• ALL THE DANCE STUFF. I like dance, and there is a lot of it this year. O(h) sounds interesting, and Fracture and Rupture (two similarly named shows) also sound great. I saw Timeless yesterday – it’s great, with some highlights that are comedic and some tragic. So much dance.
• Rope. All-star cast and Thomas Toles directing. ‘Nuff said.
• Radio :30. Critically acclaimed, and the cast/crew is currently living on my floor. They’re really friendly.
• Hamlet as Told on the Streets. Sounds cool to me!
• The Broken Ballerina. These guys are skilled.
• Here Lies Henry. Also, skilled.
• Field and Flight. Katherine is also living in my building, and every time she talks about her show, it gets more and more interesting.
• Melody Moore. The star is living in our building. I’m mostly excited to see him play the harp.
• DnD Improv. Because Dungeons and Dragons makes improv even better.
• I Hate Bill Pats Too. I would love to hear the continuation of his story.
• So many more! Too many!! I can’t remember them all!