(Boston) – The thirteenth annual Fall Fringe Festival, presented by the Boston University College of Fine Arts, begins October 9 and continues through November 1. This year’s festival features the BU Schools of Music and Theatre with the BU Opera Institute, and will include two one-act operas, two full-length plays, and a staged vocal recital. All performances will take place at the Lane-Comley Studio 210 at the Boston University Theatre and the TheatreLab at the College of Fine Arts.
A celebration of unconventional opera and theatre repertoire, the Boston University Fringe Festival brings together artists and audiences for a unique performance experience. Sharon Daniels, Director of Opera Programs at Boston University, founded the BU Fringe Festivalwith the goal of cultivating a broader audience for opera. By presenting operas with minimal sets and costumes, bringing artists and audience members together in an intimate performance space, and setting ticket prices at just $7, the Fringe Festival has attracted ever-larger audiences over the last thirteen years.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
The Good Person of Szechwan
October 9-24
By Bertolt Brecht
Translated by John Willett
Directed by David Gram
Three Gods come to Earth in search of a ‘good’ person. They discover the good-hearted but penniless prostitute Shen Teh, who finds that being good comes with a price. When the townspeople begin taking advantage of Shen Teh’s goodness, she is forced to develop an alter ego, Shui Ta, to deal ruthlessly with the business of living in an evil world.
Boston University Theatre, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley Studio 210
diventare
October 14-18
By Jenny Rachel Weiner
Directed by Ellie Heyman
When Linda’s life fractures, she escapes to an imaginary underwater kingdom. As a hurricane once again approaches, Linda must choose to retreat further or face the storm. The College’s 2010 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival entry, Diventare will be featured in this spring’s InCite Arts Festival in New York City. A production of the BU New Play Initiative
CFA TheatreLab @ 855
Antigone
October 17-25
Marjorie Merryman, composer and librettist
William Lumpkin, music director
Jim Petosa, stage director
In this one-act opera based on Sophocles’ play and featuring an original libretto by former BU faculty member Marjorie Merryman, Antigone faces the deaths of her two brothers, who have killed each other in battle. This production will also be featured in this spring’s InCite Arts Festival in New York City.
Boston University Theatre, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley Studio 210
Lucrezia
October 24-31
William Bolcom, composer
Mark Campbell, librettist
Allison Voth, music director
E. Loren Meeker, guest stage director
Commissioned and written for the New York Festival of Song in 2007, this one-act comedic opera is a “riff on Machiavelli’s La Mandragola, and on the zarzuela style,” in which a young man will resort to any means as he desperately seeks the love of a seemingly virtuous young married woman.
Boston University Theatre, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley Studio 210
Recital Meets Theatre
November 1
An exciting, fresh look at traditional song literature, lifting songs out of the formal recital format and bringing them onto the stage. Performed by second year Opera Institute singers.
Boston University Theatre, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley Studio 210
All artists and programs are subject to change; please visit www.bu.edu/cfa for the most up to date schedules and program information
VENUES AND TICKETS
Boston University Theatre, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley Studio 210
264 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Getting There:
T Green Line, E line, Symphony stop
T Orange Line, Mass Ave stop
Tickets: $7, General Admission. BU community: One free ticket with BU ID at the door, day of performance, subject to availability. www.BostonTheatreScene.com or 617.933.8600
CFA TheatreLab @ 855
855 Commonwealth Avenue, First Floor, Boston
Getting There:
T Green Line, B line, BU West stop
Tickets: Free and open to the public.
ABOUT CFA
Boston University is one of the leading private research and teaching institutions in the world today, with two primary campuses in the heart of Boston and programs around the world. The Boston University College of Fine Arts was created in 1954 to bring together the School of Music, the School of Theatre, and the School of Visual Arts. The University’s vision was to create a community of artists in a conservatory-style school offering professional training in the arts to both undergraduate and graduate students, complemented by a liberal arts curriculum for undergraduate students. Since those early days, education at the College of Fine Arts has begun on the BU campus and extended into the city of Boston, a rich center of cultural, artistic and intellectual activity.
MEDIA ONLY
To request press tickets, high resolution photos, or additional information, please contact either:
Jean Connaughton at 617-353-7293 or jeanconn@bu.edu
Ellen Carr at 617-353-8783 or emcarr@bu.edu
To receive emails about concerts, operas, plays, art exhibitions, and visiting artist lectures, sign up for the Boston University College of Fine Arts E-Calendar at www.bu.edu/cfa/events.