CFA Kicks Off 25th Fringe Festival
Danielle Pribyl (CFA’22) (left) and Alexis Peart (CFA’23) in a scene from Proving Up, a new opera by Missy Mazzoli (BUTI’98, CFA’02) about Nebraska homesteaders in the 1860s, part of the College of Fine Arts 25th annual Fringe Festival. Photos by Jackie Ricciardi
CFA Kicks Off 25th Fringe Festival
This article was first published in BU Today on October 15, 2021. By Alene Bouranova.
EXCERPT
We’re live, folks—the 25th annual BU Fringe Festival, the College of Fine Arts annual fall opera and theater festival, returns to the stage after the pandemic forced its offerings online last year.
BU’s event, which takes its name from the long-established Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest arts festival, presents new or rarely performed works to Boston audiences. This year’s repertoire includes two new operas, one written by a Boston University Tanglewood Institute and CFA alum, as well as a play that draws on the talents of CFA’s Schools of Theatre, of Music, and of Visual Arts.
The return to live theater is a welcome change from the past year-and-a-half of Zoom concerts and event streams, says Harvey Young, CFA dean and professor of theater and a College of Arts & Sciences professor of English. “Part of the magic of the theater is the ability to sit side-by-side with others and experience the whole range of emotions together,” Young says. “I am looking forward to hearing laughs and applause again without having to invite people to unmute themselves.”
This year’s festival starts today, October 15, and runs through November 6. Performances of all three Fringe shows will be held in BU’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre. Tickets are free for anyone with a BU ID, $15 for the general public.
What’s on first? The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace (October 15-17), a new 40-minute opera composed by Kamala Sankaram (music) and Rob Handel (libretto). The opera captures Ada Lovelace (the daughter of Romantic poet Lord Byron), often referred to as the world’s first computer programmer, as she assists on a friend’s mathematical project—a pursuit that was unheard of for high-stature women in the 19th century. The show director is Emily Ranii (CFA’13), Wheelock Family Theatre artistic director, and music director is Allison Voth, a CFA associate professor of music and opera.
The second production on the docket is Proving Up (October 22-24), an opera based on a short story by Swamplandia! author Karen Russell. The new piece is the work of composer Missy Mazzoli (BUTI’98, CFA’02) and frequent collaborator librettist Royce Vavrek. Proving Up is the story of the Zegners, a family of homesteaders trying to make it on the dry Nebraska plains in the 1860s. Their only problems? A dearth of windows, an inspector who may or may not exist—and oh yeah, ghosts.
Rounding out this year’s festival is Colossal (November 4-6), written by Andrew Hinderaker. The movement-heavy piece follows star college football player Mike (played by a disabled actor) in the wake of a tragic spinal cord injury, and it tackles themes of love, ability, masculinity, and how we use our bodies to communicate along the way.