Summer is here and with it all kinds of arts events and outdoor activities. In August, the San Diego Museum of Art will be presenting a new incarnation of their popular Summer Salon. Before that however, those of you who are oriented toward the performing arts will have a smorgasbord of off the wall performances to choose from at the first ever San Diego Fringe Festival (July 1-7).
The festival has already begun, but according to producer Kevin Charles Patterson all the juicy LGBT shows will be happening toward the end of the week-long run. I met Patterson to learn more about the inspiration behind the festival and what we can look forward to.
First, Kevin and I caught each other up on what we had been doing for the past five years. We had crossed paths once upon a time and then went our separate ways. He learned that I finished my MFA. I learned that he was in a horrible auto accident that turned his life upside down. That near death experience led to a rollercoaster of ups and downs which ultimately led to a reinvention of self. Inspired by the internationally renowned festival of outsider and experimental performances that grips the city of Edinburgh every year, Patterson summoned his pent up creative energy and decided to organize a fringe festival for San Diego.
“San Diego is one of the world’s cherry cities!” he exclaimed excitedly. I had no idea what that meant, so I stopped him mid-sentence.
“We have the weather and a tourist base,” he said, “and an infrastructure to support an event like this. San Diego is perfect for an outdoorsy fringe festival!”
Inspired to create something fresh for the city and motivated to produce a platform for aspiring and ensemble performers, Patterson and his co-producers got busy pulling things together; a lot of details in fact when you take a look at the calendar of events.
Tickets for every performance are only $10, so in a single day you can see multiple shows for the price of a ticket to a concert or a performance at the La Jolla Playhouse or the Old Globe. I can’t list everything here so I encourage you to check out the Web site below for all the details and to find what appeals to you. Meanwhile, here’s the queer stuff to whet your appetite:
Texas Loves Lyla! Tired of Babette and Nicole sashaying the same old frocks and slinging the same old shtick, well sniff out some fresh drag. Jeffrey Wylie’s Southern-flavored performance was the winner of the best solo show at the Hollywood Fringe 2012
Secrets of a Mormon Felon: Seattle playwright and actor Kimball Allen has turned his colorful life story and time in jail into an engaging artistic expression with a one-man show filled with moments of pain, sorrow and humor.
Michael Mizerany presents Infamous with just a hint of fleeting full frontal nudity (if that is of any interest at all to you, my dear readers).
Breakthrough Workshop Theatre presents Dear Harvey, a documentary-style ensemble play that recounts the life and lasting impact of groundbreaking LGBT activist and politician Harvey Milk, as told by the people who knew him best.
Diapers, Dishes and Dreams offers some insight into the reality of what gay marriage ultimately means when you follow that bliss right through to its bitter end, as told by a Broadway performer who has that need (dream) to perform again.
All these performances will be happening at the Cabaret Theatre at the 10th Avenue Theatre, but double check the Web site first. Support this great new enterprise which Kevin Charles Patterson promises will be back again next year. Have fun!
