Strike Experimental Gold as Theatre Crude Fringe Festival Returns

The hardest part about telling people about the return of Theatre Crude Fringe Festival next month is trying to describe fringe theater.

Because it’s not an “experience.” If anything, it’s several experiences from which audiences can choose. Thankfully, one need only look to the Theatre Fringe website’s “How to Fringe” guide to get started.

Last year's Theatre Crude Fringe Festival included shows like "The CatMaster Cycle." Photo by Dennis Spielman

Okay, but what is fringe theater? It’s actually a very literal term. The Edinburgh International Festival began in 1947 and was meant to celebrate culture after the second World War. That same year, eight theater groups arrived—uninvited—to perform. They obviously weren’t going to be on the central stages, so they took their performances to the fringes of the festival. That started the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a place where performers from all over the world go to put on experimental shows that come in every shade of story you can imagine (and sometimes more than one at once).

But fringe has become an ethos of non-control, as well—one that Oklahoma City’s Theatre Crude embraces.

Co-founded and co-produced by Adam and Jenny Brand, Theatre Crude is an ever-changing beast with a variety of shows—solo performances, groups, musicals, spoken word, comedies, dramas, stuff for kids, stuff that is absolutely not for kids, and more. This year’s festival takes place at Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park in Oklahoma City’s Paseo Arts District. Moving each year wasn’t intentional, Adam says, but he kind of likes that it is always changing and challenging returning artists to adapt to the new space.

Also new: puppets.

Get ready for lots of puppets during this year's Theatre Crude Fringe Festival, including this one from "Pricks The Vaccine Musical." Photo courtesy Theatre Crude

“There’s a whole new lineup every single year,” Jenny says. “We've got a lot of puppets this year.”

It’s also the first year with opera and burlesque shows, Adam says. There’s also a one-woman comedy musical called Hot Boys, an interactive show called Mind Reader, spookiness in My Mind Is A Smile With Blood-Slicked Teeth, and silliness with The Alex Sanchez and Cat Pitt Comedy Experience.

"You won't recognize the titles to these shows, but that's the point. The point is to have the adventure," Jenny says.

In 2021, an artist from Dallas did a solo piece called In Due Time Pantomime, which Jenny says she thought was going to be a mime performance. But while the performer was in classic mime makeup, it was actually an affecting piece about trying to connect with someone who is gone through their interests and their passions. Jenny was one of only a handful of audience members for the show, but it stuck with her and continues to linger. That's the magic of fringe—you might see a show entirely by yourself or with just a few strangers that shifts your brain into a new gear.

"It was stunningly beautiful," she says. "It was the sort of thing, going into it, I had totally different expectations."

"In Due Time, Pantomime" from the 2021 Theatre Crude Fringe Festival was a favorite of co-founder Jenny Brand. Photo courtesy Theatre Crude

It would be easy to say there’s something for everyone, but Adam and Jenny recommend audiences try everything. Go see a show with no idea what it’s about, then go see another one right after. Challenge your brain with something new. Love it or hate it, you’ll walk away with a story to tell.

Will it be as compelling as The Curious Case of the Blood-Sucking Remote or Hidden Hands: Tantalizing Tales of Puppet Terror? That’s for you to decide.

Individual show tickets will go on sale September 25, but a Wildcat Pass ($48 for tickets for four shows) or the Black Gold Pass (the unlimited see-all-the-shows option for $120) are available now.

Theatre Crude Fringe Festival returns October 5-14. Visit theatrecrude.org for more information.

Written By

Greg Elwell

Greg Elwell served as research editor and web editor of Oklahoma Today from 2018-2023. He also has worked for newspapers, medical research organizations, and government institutions.