RIT’s second week at the 2023 Rochester Fringe Festival

Hundreds of people attended a performance by an RIT-related act during the first week of the 12-day Rochester Fringe Festival, with students, faculty, and staff contributing music, dance, comedy, poetry, photojournalism, in downtown Rochester.

And nearly 20 other RIT-related performances are scheduled later this week, including concerts by acapella groups, percussionists, improvisation, and orchestral music.

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Travis LaCoss/RIT

Members of RIT’s Latin Rhythm Dance Club performed Saturday at the Little Theatre during the Rochester Fringe Festival, which continues through Sept. 23.

More than 500 eclectic performances were planned, and many of them were free, including all of RIT’s performances and exhibits, most held at Little Theatre #1, 240 East Ave.

Free shuttlebus service to and from campus is being provided for RIT students wanting to attend the weekend events at the festival.

RIT also is a major educational sponsor of the community collaborative event. The festival will take place in more than 30 venues in and around downtown Rochester, featuring world-renowned performers as well as up-and-comers.

Go to the Government and Community Relations website for more details on the RIT offerings at this year’s Fringe Festival. (* denotes interpreted; CC denotes captioned).

The following will be presented at the Little Theatre, 240 East Ave.:

Thursday, Sept. 21

Best Films! RIT School of Film and Animation, CC, 6-10 p.m. Enjoy the animation, fiction, documentary, and experimental films made by students during the 2022-2023 academic year and selected by the faculty of RIT’s famed School of Film and Animation.

Friday, Sept. 22

*It’s a Mystery, 5:45-6:35 p.m. Dangerous Signs is an award-winning ASL poetry and musical performance group. This year’s show is called It's a Mystery: poems, songs, and humor held together by a light taste of an old-fashioned murder mystery whodunnit.

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Joseph Fox/RIT

Fred Beam, coordinator for Sunshine 2.0, performs ‘Black Deaf Male: Who Am I?’ at the Little Theatre Saturday during the Rochester Fringe Festival, which continues through Sept. 23.

*Deaf, Queer and Fabulous, 7:05-8:05 p.m. A one-man multimedia show featuring signed musical performances and storytelling by RIT alumnus JPosh, on the journey of #Adulting post-college.

A Cappella Hour with RIT's Proof of Purchase, Vocal Accent, Surround Sound and Kaminari, 8:20-9:20 p.m. Four of RIT’s a cappella groups join forces for an hour of great vocal music. Surround Sound is RIT’s premier Barber Shop group; Kaminari is an all-gender group that performs all genres of Japanese music; Vocal Accent is the most recent soprano/alto group; and Proof of Purchase—also known as POP—is the original all-gender group.

*Fowl Play Skitters Around, 9:35-10:35 p.m. Student-run Fowl Play Comedy Troupe practices improv, standup, and scripted comedy. All skits to be performed were written and directed by club members.

Saturday, Sept. 23

Out of Sync, 10-10:40 a.m. Out of Sync is a tapestry of psychedelic ambient sound set to an evolving array of visuals inspired by abstract art, avant-garde film and animation, layered together and performed with a sense of improvisation and experimentation. It’s a project of Rochester artist Chuck Miller, an RIT alumnus and instructor, and an evolution of his MFA work in computer graphics and design.

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Travis LaCoss/RIT

President Meleni Sarantos of the a cappella group Encore takes center stage at the Little Theatre Saturday during the Rochester Fringe Festival, which continues through Sept. 23.

RITPO Chamber Music Showcase, 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Directed by Yunn-Shan Ma, young talent at the RIT Philharmonic Orchestra formed small chamber ensembles to showcase chamber music works of various instrumentation, including solos, duets, string quartet, woodwind quartet, quintet, and brass trios. These ensembles play works from standard repertoire as well as contemporary arrangements, including folk and film tunes.

Brick City Boppers Showcase, 12:50-1:20 p.m. The Brick City Boppers, RIT’s swing dance club, perform in a variety of different dance styles, including Lindy Hop and Charleston. This performance features social dances, choreographed dances, and a group dance.

Chinese Dance Performance, 1:30-1:45 p.m. RIT’s new dance club brings traditional Chinese dance forms to Fringe for the first time, with performances of fan dance, lion dance, and much more.

WADAIKO Performance, 2:15-3 p.m. WADAIKO Is Rochester’s only taiko group, aiming to expand cultural knowledge and interest through traditional drumming shows. WADAIKO is entirely run by RIT students. Most songs performed are traditional and passed on through oral tradition, while some are more modern or contemporary pieces, taught to WADAIKO by professionals or other groups.

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Travis LaCoss/RIT

Eight Beat Measure, RIT’s oldest a cappella group, finishing their set at the Little Theatre on Saturday during the Rochester Fringe Festival, which continues through Sept. 23.

Velocity Performance, 3:45-4 p.m. Velocity is a student-run urban dance team at RIT that aims to foster a positive and supportive environment. The team is performing various pieces choreographed by different crew members.

Far From Home, 5-6 p.m. Travel with retired faculty member Howie Lester (two-time winner at The International Folk Music Film Festival), on Fiddle and Sarangi, playing tunes about being Far From Home; from Nepal, Ireland, Appalachia, the Blues, Eastern Europe, The Bronx and Howie's backyard. Transcend the mundane! Enter the Metaverse of Howie's absurd imagination and return refreshed and cured of tarantula bites.

Small Mallet Ensemble, 6:45-7:30 p.m. The RIT Small Mallet Ensemble is a student-led percussionist group with a focus on keyboard and mallet repertoire. They perform a collection of modern duets and ensembles.

*Bad Auditions by Bad Actors, 8-8:30 p.m. RIT Players presents Bad Auditions by Bad Actors, a relatable comedy that brings to life the chaos and absurdity of the audition process. With a blend of witty dialogue and over-the-top characters, the play takes a lighthearted approach to exploring the universal experiences of aspiring actors and the mishaps that occur when talent meets incompetence.

*RIT Drag Club Presents Fringe Drag Show, 9-10 p.m. RIT Drag Club presents: Hoe-Down! This drag show features a cast of performers and promises to be a celebration of all things glam and country: cowboy hats, boots, chaps, and glitter included. Please note, this show is for 18+ and contains adult content.

Ongoing

“Living Room,” by Arkhé. 6-9 p.m. Sept. 22; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 23, all at the Little Theatre 1 Lobby. Living Room is a digitally enriched, interactive space. Visitors become impromptu collaborators by exploring a familiar and nostalgic living area. Through functional programming and AI interpretive agents, their interactions will re-program the environment itself. Anything might make the difference: shirt color, their position in the space, even their coaster preferences. Living Room is created by the Arkhé team in the new media interactive development program at RIT.

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Travis LaCoss/RIT

Tess Libby, a third-year mechanical engineering major, plays with the Tiger Steel Steelband Ensemble on Saturday during the Rochester Fringe Festival, which continues through Sept. 23.

Say Cheese, CC. A one-minute advertising trailer. 5:55 p.m. Sept. 21; 5:40 p.m., 7 p.m., 8:15 p.m., 9:30 p.m. Sept. 22; 9:45 a.m., 7:55 p.m., 8:55 p.m. Sept. 23. Produced by students at RIT and RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the clip depicts a hearing college student who attempts to ask out his crush, a deaf classmate. Using his beginner American Sign Language, he tries to ask her to the movies but instead he signs a visually similar sequence which translates to “cheese.” Using the universal love of the movies, the two work it out and end up on a date. The short film was awarded the grand prize in the 2022 Coca-Cola Refreshing Films program.

A complete schedule of RIT Fringe events (and notations on interpreted performances) as well as the shuttle schedule and map to and from RIT are available on the Government and Community Relations website, or contact Rowoth at 585-475-7408 or lynn.rowoth@rit.edu.