Tickets and Shows

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Why you love the Fringe.

The Good "Old" Days

September 17th at 6:00pm

Take a musical journey through time with an "aging Aquarian" who is trying to figure out if she is 17 or 70! Baby Boomers—the "forever young" generation—are being blamed for a lot of today's problems, but they also created music that younger folks still like! Award-winning singer-songwriter Bonnie Abrams took on middle age in her CD, "Welcome to my Midlife Crisis." In "The Good 'Old' Days", she takes on aging with an equal amount of undignified humor!

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: CenterStage Theatre at the JCC: JCC Fireside Lounge
Genre: Music

Sock Puppet Secrets

September 17th at 6:00pm

Step right into an interactive experience of being heard. Folks, this is no puppet show. It’s not creative things to do with leftover laundry. A genuine sock puppet with a few loose threads waits to hand over your special question. Close the curtain. Summon your silly. Or say the first thing that comes to mind. Sock puppets are the best listeners. Say it to the sock! Bonus: Your anonymous answer could be part of October's RIT City Art Space show about our common threads.

Length: 180 Minutes
Tickets: Not Required
Venue: Java's Cafe
Genre: Multidisciplinary & Circus

Tales From The Bush

September 17th at 6:00pm

Community. Perseverance. Humanity. Womanhood. These are a few of the themes you can find in "Tales From The Bush," an evening of dance, song, and spoken word created by mother-daughter duo Roseanne DiMaria and Neyda Colón-DiMaria. Drawing from numerous vernacular and concert dance traditions to tell women's stories, the multigenerational artists of this show span Rochester's performance scene with connections to SOTA, Sankofa, Bush Mango, Borinquen Dance, BIODANCE, and more!

Length: 50 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Allen Main Stage Theatre
Genre: Dance

Tarot Cabaret

September 17th at 6:00pm

Come spend an evening at the Tarot Cabaret! Returning for their second Fringe, Tarot Cabaret is an award-winning interactive group Tarot reading where every card of the Major Arcana is associated with a unique performance piece. Each evening at the Tarot Cabaret, 11 audience members pull cards to create a one-of-a-kind set list! Through theatrical songs and classic hits, you'll gain personal insights and community connection. Presented by Sunday Stages Theatre Company, a queer-led organization.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Black Box Theatre
Genre: Theatre

Dashboard Dramas XII

September 17th at 6:30pm

A total sell-out eleven years running, this intimate theatre experience is unlike any other. You'll find yourself immersed in four all-new ten-minute plays as you rotate from one car to the next. Don't miss this hilarious, heartwarming, weird, and most of all, one-of-a-kind show. Only 8 tickets per performance!

Length: 50 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: Spiegelgarden
Genre: Comedy

Johnny Dowd

September 17th at 6:30pm

Welcome to the music of Johnny Dowd in all its thorny beauty. For over thirty years Dowd has been taking the unexpected path, an iconoclast with few mates ... While songs about longing, loneliness, missteps, and murder are nothing new to the Americana songbook or Johnny Dowd’s work, Dowd continually reinvents his approach to these topics in a way that finds renewed energy and purpose.

Length: 75 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: Biltmore Bar & Lounge
Genre: Music

Sanctified Sauna

September 17th at 6:45pm

Breath in...and release. Sanctified Sauna embodies traditional European sauna rituals in an immersive performance to create a unique theatrical wellness experience. You’ll feel waves of heat, steam, and scents of essential oils unique for your journey. From deep restorative warmth to the invigorating cold, you'll leave the toxicity of daily life behind and discover the story of purification and wellness. Set yourself apart at the hottest and coolest fringe show to date and claim your ticket NOW!

Length: 75 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: St. Paul's Episcopal Church: Outdoors
Genre: Multidisciplinary & Circus

Cirque du Fringe: Anchors Away

September 17th at 7:00pm

All New for 2026! Is there a doctor in the house?! You may just need one to treat you for all the heart-stopping entertainment that awaits you on board the beautiful HMS Spiegeltent! Let our crew whisk you away on a cruise of a lifetime that will leave you feeling like a cheeky sunset cocktail on the open sea. Hosted by the highly strung, overly familiar, and “charming” cruise director, this night promises to be a night you won’t soon forget. High Seas. High Stakes. High-Flying Circus!

Length: 90 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: Spiegeltent
Genre: Multidisciplinary & Circus

David Kilimnick: Thoughts From A Waiting Room

September 17th at 7:00pm

Comedy in Crisis…Yes! A stand-up show about sickness! Three years in the waiting room and now David shares the reality of love, hardship and joy with you in laughs. Ever spent time in the ICU, nursing home, or living room with a cousin complaining about a toothache? From crushed ice to controlling your couch in the waiting room. From cancer to aneurysm. From tearful joy of being with Mom and Dad to missing them daily. Life’s a hoot with David Kilimnick. "Father of Anglo Comedy"—Jerusalem Post.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Club SOTA
Genre: Comedy

DIY Oracle Card: Design Your Future

September 17th at 7:00pm

Oracle Hour: come in and create your own mystical oracle cards. Drop by to design one or more personalized affirmation cards with your own divinely-channeled artwork to guide your spiritual journey. Pop in and we'll supply all the materials and prompts needed to inspire. Simply bring an openness to explore and interpret. Step out of the past and into your future. With artistic guidance from Sha-Mom Jan.

Length: 55 Minutes
Tickets: Not Required
Venue: School of the Arts: Commons
Genre: Multidisciplinary & Circus

Garth Fagan Dance

September 17th at 7:00pm

Celebrating 55 years of groundbreaking artistry, Garth Fagan Dance returns to the Rochester Fringe Festival with “Never Top 40,” “Priestess Hill,” and “Messages To The Storm,” plus special matinee performances by the GFD Student Ensemble. Founded by Tony Award-winning Garth Fagan, choreographer of Broadway’s The Lion King, the company remains unmistakably original through its fusion of modern, post-modern, Afro-Caribbean, and ballet influences.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: Garth Fagan Dance Studio
Genre: Dance

Public Service Announcement

September 17th at 7:00pm

A riveting one-man show that follows a Black scholar amid major political shifts. Through music, monologue, lecture, and spoken word, Lamar the Therapist examines the intersections of systemic racism, mental health, criminal “justice” and social reform. Under Reuben J. Tapp’s visionary direction, he transforms personal narrative into collective reckoning, showing that art is both social movement and public service.

Length: 45 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: MuCCC
Genre: Multidisciplinary & Circus

The Roustabouts

September 17th at 7:00pm

Some are gone and some remain but the Roustabouts are back … for the most part! Who are they, you contemplate! What do they do, you ask! Well its simple enough, before Covid they were a group of local comedians who sat down and wrote comedy sketches and made funny videos. Now they are back together and joined by some more local comedians to create a clever show of fun for all to enjoy. So take a chance and see them perform in this year’s Fringe Festival.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: The Focus Theater: Focus Theater
Genre: Comedy

Ruby's High School Reunion

September 17th at 7:00pm

Welcome back to Cleaver High, home of the unstoppable Cleaver Beavers. “Better than my own high school reunion!” “Had me laughing all night!” "The best high school reunion ever." This is improvisational, interactive theater at its funniest. Ruby, Queen of the Reunion, will keep you laughing with stories, games, and more. Join your former “classmates” and get ready to “slap that tail” with our Beaver mascot at the best dam reunion ever. $15 tkts show only; $50 tkts include dinner. @SmilesWithRuby

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: Century Club at the Strathallan: Century Club At Strathallan
Genre: Theatre

Samuel Clemens: Tales of Mark Twain

September 17th at 7:00pm

Fans of Mark Twain, history, and storytelling will love this original, award-winning solo show. Writer/performer Joe Baer brings history and literature to life in a way that resonates today. Samuel Clemens relates the story of his alter ego Mark Twain's incredible successes and spectacular failures. Told with wit, satire, and humor, the story follows Twain over nearly eight decades and an ever-changing America. Historical projections accompany the show, capturing context of the Gilded Age.

Length: 65 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: Downtown United Presbyterian Church: Celebration Hall
Genre: Theatre

The Trivia Guy

September 17th at 7:00pm

Charismatic trivia enthusiast Jeff hosts his first live podcast while struggling to write a best man speech for his son Danny's wedding, which is in three hours. As Jeff connects with the audience over trivia and stories, the clock ticks toward the ceremony. Jeff must find the right words as well as the courage to face a truth he's been avoiding all night.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: Inn on Broadway
Genre: Theatre

Craft Roulette

September 17th at 7:15pm

Take a new craft for a spin as you step into a hands-on maker experience where creativity rules the room. Guided by teaching artists from Teaching Artists ROC, you can explore a variety of craft stations throughout the hour, trying different art forms, techniques, and materials at your own pace. Drop in, experiment, make something unexpected, and discover the joy of creating alongside others in this playful Fringe-style art experience.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: Century Club at the Strathallan: Century Club At Strathallan - First Floor
Genre: Kids Fringe

Contra Dancing

September 17th at 7:30pm

Looking to try something new at Fringe? Contra dance is a joyful, community-oriented social dance with live music, easy instruction, and lots of laughter. No dance experience or partner needed. Come solo or with friends and enjoy an evening of movement, connection, and welcoming community. Contra dance is substance and fragrance free, beginner friendly, and open to all. Dance, laugh, and meet new people with us at Fringe!

Length: 150 Minutes
Tickets: Not Required
Venue: The Rose Room
Genre: Dance

The Dancing Viola

September 17th at 7:30pm

What if every dance told a different story? This globe-trotting program for organ, piano, and viola travels from Eastern Europe to Argentina through folk dance, theatrical drama, and tango’s unmistakable intensity. From village celebrations and salon charm to tango heat, galloping wit, and cinematic fantasy, each work unfolds as a vivid scene—rustic, elegant, fiery, playful, or dreamlike—in which the viola becomes singer, storyteller, and dancer.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: St. Paul's Episcopal Church: Front of Sanctuary
Genre: Music

Deep Fields: A Synambient Journey

September 17th at 7:30pm

Lose yourself in the stillness of our vast, uncharted universe. Synambient (composers Gerry Szymanski & James Tabbi) invites you on a visceral, emotional journey. As live, shimmering ambient electronic soundscapes merge with breathtaking James Webb Space Telescope imagery, you'll feel the profound quiet wonder of our infinitesimal presence in the great cosmos. Surrender to a sonic and visual mystery, feeling intimately connected to something greater than ourselves.

Length: 60 Minutes
Tickets: Required
Venue: RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium
Genre: Music

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Dates

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Genres

Comedy
Dance
Kids Fringe
Multidisciplinary & Circus
Music
Spoken Word
Theatre
Visual Arts & Film

Accessibility

ASL Interpreted
Closed Captioned

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All Ages
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