District Fringe

District Fringe Founded in 2025, District Fringe was created by artists for artists to promote and propel the strong independent theater tradition in the D.C. area.

DF on the road! District Fringe leadership got to attend the World Fringe Congress in San Diego last month! Check out ou...
06/05/2026

DF on the road! District Fringe leadership got to attend the World Fringe Congress in San Diego last month! Check out our photo album! We met Fringe festival producers from around the world. Did you know there are festivals in Sweden, Australia, Italy, New Delhi, Nigeria, and new ones in Mexico and Vienna? Well, now you do.

See the entire delegate gang & a special pic of just east coast Fringers from Asheville, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New York City, and Rochester, NY. There are also Fringes in Portland ME, Boston, Philly, Miami, Richmond VA, and more.

More activities! Tracey, Karen, and Marley met with Barbara Velasco, who is beginning the first fringe festival with bi-...
06/04/2026

More activities! Tracey, Karen, and Marley met with Barbara Velasco, who is beginning the first fringe festival with bi-country collaboration between San Diego Fringe and Rosarita, Mexico.

We visited San Diego State University and heard about their partnerships with San Diego Fringe.

This was our Closing Circle, where we all spoke about our experience at the World Fringe Congress.

District Fringe introduces our new Spark series of staged readings where you help develop the productions of tomorrow! C...
05/22/2026

District Fringe introduces our new Spark series of staged readings where you help develop the productions of tomorrow! Come watch and participate in a post show audience discussion.

Rounding out the Spark series is Define “Black” by Nessa Amherst, N.A. Productions

This is a story of two black actresses, Brianne and Akeelah, who are in final callbacks for the lead role in the upcoming Brandon Jacob Jenkins play, and we get to see the conflict between their different upbringing styles and beliefs though conversations about s*x, music, their acting careers, and pet peeves—all leading up to an explosive finale about what is truly defined as "black."

From the playwright:
Define "Black" is a based on my experience of growing up as a black woman, and how my "blackness" was not considered "black" enough by some members of the black community. The way I talked, the way I dressed, my thoughts and beliefs, and education were all considered "white." That experience led me to writing this play.

District Fringe introduces our new Spark series of staged readings where you help develop the productions of tomorrow! C...
05/21/2026

District Fringe introduces our new Spark series of staged readings where you help develop the productions of tomorrow! Come watch and participate in a post show audience discussion.

Next in our series: The River / Transmission Theatre Project

The River is a coming-of-age epic about first love and loss, and the people who get left behind. It follows sisters Sofia and Molly, children of a single mother in rural Massachusetts, over two summers. The sisters, along with friends Collin and Keith, befriend Stella, a trans girl. Molly falls for Stella, Keith falls for Sofia, and Collin smokes a joint. All is well in rural America. The misfits may have, finally, found a home. However, everything changes with Stella''s sudden death at the close of Act One. Not knowing if it was a su***de or an accident, the four remaining teens are thrown into disarray. Now that she''s gone, what remains? Was she a monument, or simply a glass girl, born to be broken? The River tells the story of kids that America has left behind, and what they do to try to leave their mark.

District Fringe introduces our new Spark series of staged readings where you help develop the productions of tomorrow! C...
05/20/2026

District Fringe introduces our new Spark series of staged readings where you help develop the productions of tomorrow! Come watch and participate in a post show audience discussion.

Next up: One and the Same by Ella Nguyen, Papillon Productions

The world of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night slightly to the left. Olivia discovers Viola on the shore of Illyria and they're immediately drawn to one another. Maria and Malvolio work together to oust the new threat to their court. Sebastian dresses as a lady named Juno to travel with his beloved Antonio. Orsino is also there.

District Fringe introduces our new Spark series of staged readings where you help develop the productions of tomorrow! C...
05/19/2026

District Fringe introduces our new Spark series of staged readings where you help develop the productions of tomorrow! Come watch and participate in a post show audience discussion.

First up: Speed Skating Sloth: a new, original musical by The Emerson Twins

Archie Mills is a teenage sloth with one dream: speed skating. When a new development threatens her neighborhood, she must choose between family legacy and a dream no one believes she can achieve. Through courage and rainforest magic, she discovers what set her apart is what unites them. Winner of Best Show, LSE Drama Society's Original Writing Festival (March 2026).

Introducing our final 2026 Flash limited engagement show: Tall Tale of a Wolfman by Ben Ribler, Radical Joy Productions...
05/18/2026

Introducing our final 2026 Flash limited engagement show: Tall Tale of a Wolfman by Ben Ribler, Radical Joy Productions

Mia. a happy and imaginative eight-year old, delights in telling exaggerated stories. But when frightening rumors emerge of a Wolfman in the woods, Mia must learn the importance of being truthful and prevail over her fear. Filled with humor, heart and a few family-friendly scares, this joyful and cathartic show will charm and comfort audiences both young and old.

Next in our 2026 Flash limited engagement shows: Cupboard’s Cabaret by Nora Dell and Carly KraybillComedy's clown renais...
05/17/2026

Next in our 2026 Flash limited engagement shows: Cupboard’s Cabaret by Nora Dell and Carly Kraybill

Comedy's clown renaissance comes to D.C. with Cupboard's Cabaret....From the creators of 2025 District Fringe hit, Out of My Wheelhouse, comes an absurd night of theatrical tomfoolery, featuring clowns, alt-comics, drag artists, and everyone in between. Hosted by your faithful Emcee, Nora Dell.

Nora Dell & Carly Kraybill have been producing Cupboard's Cabaret once a month for the past 6 months, at different locations around D.C. Each iteration features new ""clown"" style performers, from D.C. and the east coast, who must engage the audience directly in some way. The show reinvents itself each time - featuring a new absurd character from Dell as host, often inspired by the current cultural zeitgeist (think: a giant olive and martini glass re-enact heated rivalry, ASMR Vampire's Holiday Spectacular, or Frog and Toad present: Ribbiton (Bridgerton but with Frog & Toad)).

Introducing our final 2026 Flash limited engagement show: Tall Tale of a Wolfman by Ben Ribler, Radical Joy Productions...
05/16/2026

Introducing our final 2026 Flash limited engagement show: Tall Tale of a Wolfman by Ben Ribler, Radical Joy Productions

Mia, a happy and imaginative eight-year old, delights in telling exaggerated stories. But when frightening rumors emerge of a Wolfman in the woods, Mia must learn the importance of being truthful and prevail over her fear. Filled with humor, heart and a few family-friendly scares, this joyful and cathartic show will charm and comfort audiences both young and old.

Introducing our Flash Limited engagement shows for 2026, starting with Aye Aye: A Musical Pirate Adventure! By Sage O’Si...
05/16/2026

Introducing our Flash Limited engagement shows for 2026, starting with Aye Aye: A Musical Pirate Adventure! By Sage O’Silver

Aye Aye is a one-woman musical adventure for all ages in which Sage O'Silver, pirate fiddler-captain, recruits her audience as crew for a 45-minute voyage through original songs and stories. Blending virtuosic music, audience participation, and theatrical storytelling, the show explores freedom, resistance, tyranny, and the seduction of escape, while drawing on pirate history and folklore from Anne Bonny to the Pied Piper. The journey moves from classic pirate mythology into stranger waters—magical storms, sea monsters, and a zombie sing-along—before dropping the mask in a politically-pointed finale. No prior sailing experience required.

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