Only a few days left in the SF Fringe Festival!

What is SFFringe?
The unjuried format of the Fringe Festival allows the artists to have total creative freedom when producing their work and provides for a unique theatre going experience. As a result of this boundary-free approach to creating theatre, the Fringe has become a popular development tool; encouraging artists to take risks, explore ideas, pose questions and tell their stories in new and exciting ways.

The Fringe Fest is a feast for fans of experimental theatre, with over forty of these festivals happening wordwide. A wide variety of different performances fill the SF schedule, with a total of forty-four different plays. The price is right, too, usually under ten bucks a pop… better than paying the same amount for a cheesy action flick at the Metreon, and more fun!

I was fortunate enough to catch Jane and Tair Chen’s Chinese Clown Cabaret last Friday, and recommend it. The show’s exploration of comedy within the struggles for a daughter’s individuality really hit home with me. The original songs (mostly performed with an ukulele accompaniment) range from childish fun to tragic comedy, and everything in between. Jane performs the show with her real-life mother, Tair Chen, who is simply charming… she reminds me of so many mothers, including my own. They have a few performances left this week, so be sure to catch them if you can!

Otherwise, just enjoy the multiple unique performances that SFFringe brings! Be sure to check out their Podcasts of interviews with various artists at their website, as well as their uncensored audience reviews.