Photo by Kalen Jesse Photography Co.
Audio By Carbonatix
There are festivals where audiences scan the lineup looking for the safest bet. Denver Fringe Festival rewards the opposite impulse.
The seventh annual event returns June 3 to 7 with more than 80 original shows, and part of the fun is surrendering to premises that are hard to say with a straight face: a horny Arthurian burlesque quest, an influencer locked in a power struggle with her bathroom scale, a clown piñata origin story, Gollum’s confession and a glamorous worm magician who may or may not gamble with your hopes and dreams.
“We strive to open the door to all kinds of creative expression,” says executive director Ann Sabbah in the festival announcement. “What makes Fringe so exciting is that artists are taking risks, audiences are stepping into the unknown and together we’re creating this spontaneous, inclusive experience where anything can happen.”
Veteran Fringe performer Soleil Kohl gets at the appeal from the artist side: “What I love about Fringe is that it allows artists to take big, weird risks. It’s not necessarily polished or predictable. I’d much rather see something bold, imperfect and new rather than something safe.”
Anyone who wants the sampler platter before committing can start with “Speed Previews,” an opening-night showcase hosted by Juice the Clown of EXPOSED Storytelling that offers a glimpse of the entire lineup in one fast-paced, 90-minute burst. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, at MCA Holiday Theater, 2644 W. 32nd Ave., with the show at 7 p.m.
For those who want a map before wandering into the chaos, the ten picks below capture some of the festival’s unruly range.
Photo by Kalen Jesse Photography Co.
“King Arthur and the Quest for the Whorey Grail”
Cleo – Historic Shorter AME Theater, 119 Park Ave. W.
Thursday, June 4, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, June 5, 9 p.m.
Camelot has seen better days. In “King Arthur and the Quest for the Whorey Grail,” the virile king has been cursed with a dry spell, forcing him to assemble his strongest knights in search of the one sacred object that can restore his horniness. The adults-only show promises chivalry, heroics, ass-shaking and a “completely inaccurate historical legend,” which feels like the correct level of scholarly rigor for an Arthurian burlesque quest.
“STEP ON ME: Stacy & Her Scale, A Cautionary Tale”
Union Hall, 1750 Wewatta St., Suite 144
Saturday, June 6, 8 p.m.; Sunday, June 7, 6:30 p.m.
A bathroom scale is already one of the most emotionally loaded objects in many homes. “STEP ON ME” imagines what would happen if your scale could talk back. Lisa Wagner Erickson’s world premiere follows aspiring influencer Stacy as she enters a twisted, S&M-ish power struggle with Scale. Directed by Em Perez and featuring Veronica Straight-Lingo and John-Christian Maheu, the 45-minute adults-only show blends original songs, absurd physical comedy and theatrical discomfort into one very specific nightmare about control.
“¡Dále!”
The Hideaway at RISE Comedy, 1260 22nd St.
Friday, June 5, 8:30 p.m.; Sunday, June 7, 7 p.m.
Piñatas are usually treated as party decorations with a short life expectancy. In “¡Dále!,” Denverite Adriana Gonzales puts one at the center of the story. This all-ages piece follows La Piñata as she journeys from birth into life, gets a little lost and discovers her purpose: bringing joy to her family by building piñatas. At fifty minutes, it sounds like a bright, physical and family-friendly entry point into Fringe’s clownier side.
Photo by Kalen Jesse Photography Co.
“Mr. Ow”
The Learned Lemur, 2220 E. Colfax Ave.
Thursday, June 4, 7 p.m.; Saturday, June 6, 6:30 p.m.
This show’s titular character is described as a “silly yet glamorous worm” who does magic and gambles with your hopes and dreams. That sentence alone probably tells you whether this adults-only solo show is for you. Created by Reno clown-magician Tozy and directed/co-devised by Natasha Mercado, “Mr. Ow” combines traditional magic, modern clowning, music and puppetry into an hour-long performance that promises audiences will leave delighted, deepened and “maybe even a little bit dumber.” Honestly, after the past few years, that last part might be a gift.
“Maude Carpenter’s The Thing – A Rock Concert Parody”
The Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St.
Friday, June 5, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, June 7, 6:30 p.m.
A snowstorm traps students at a private all-girls school. To survive boredom, eccentric misfit Maude Carpenter convinces her classmates to stage her unhinged rock-musical parody of John Carpenter’s 1982 cult classic “The Thing.” Written by Suzanne Slade and Jeff LaGreca, directed by LaGreca, with musical direction by Slade, the 75-minute all-ages production mixes musical theater, comedy and puppetry for audiences who like their horror parodies loud and proudly mutated.
“Black and Blue”
Savoy Denver, 2700 Arapahoe St.
Friday, June 5, 5 p.m.; Saturday, June 6, 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, June 7, 6 p.m.
Jamar Gilbert’s “Black and Blue” is a solo show built from voices that have lived inside him for years. The piece, written and performed by Gilbert and directed by Kayla Raelle, explores the question, “How do I survive in this skin?” To wrestle with that, Gilbert gives the mic to four internal figures: a bitter elder, a fiery radical, a weary Black cop and a wide-eyed child. The result sounds like one of the festival’s more direct and dramatic theatrical offerings, built for audiences willing to sit with the question of what it means to move through America as a Black person in 2026.
Photo by Kalen Jesse Photography Co.
“Sing Your Inner Whale”
Fort Greene Bar, 321 E. 45th Ave.
Thursday, June 4, 8 p.m.; Friday, June 5, 6:30 p.m.
Charmine BounTay believes everyone has an inner whale, and more importantly, she believes you can connect with it through clicking, whining and whooping whale songs. Andrea Turtle stars as BounTay, a vibe-fluencer and whale-song expert who leads a highly interactive workshop aimed at enlightening cetaceans. Audience members are advised to come prepared to make sounds and meet the adorable whale within in this all-ages, world-premiere comedy.
“Gollum Girl LIVE”
The Learned Lemur, 2220 E. Colfax Ave.
Thursday, June 4, 8:30 p.m.; Friday, June 5, 6 p.m.; Sunday, June 7, 3:30 p.m.
Everyone had a weird childhood fixation. Solo performer A Yourd’s just happened to be Gollum. “Gollum Girl LIVE” is a comedic and confessional one-person show about growing up weird during the reign of blockbuster fantasy trilogies and making a freaky little guy the cornerstone of one’s personality. The Albuquerque-based playwright, director, dramaturg and solo performer uses her preteen obsession with “The Lord of the Rings” to explore why people love the things they love, especially when nobody else seems to get it.
“Murder! Under the Spotlights”
Cleo – Historic Shorter AME Theater, 119 Park Ave. W.
Friday, June 5, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 6, 5 p.m.; Sunday, June 7, 6:30 p.m.
“Murder! Under the Spotlights” takes a 1947 nightclub murder mystery and sends it into the air. Produced by Aerial Cirque Over Denver, the adults-only world premiere begins at the Reverie Club, where detective Chip Hardcastle is trying to drink her way toward contentment before the star performer, Roxy, falls to her death. From there, the mystery unfolds through aerial dance, silks, lyra, trapeze, fly pole, multicorde, contortion, acro, burlesque, dance and theater. It’s part murder mystery and part circus, with audiences eventually being asked to guess who killed Roxy.
The Rocky Mountain Puppet Slam
The People’s Building Flex Theater, 9995 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora
Saturday, June 6, 9:30 p.m.
A puppet slam is exactly what it sounds like, assuming what it sounds like is a late-night variety show where performers get five minutes and the only rule is that puppetry must be involved. Produced by Katy Williams Design and supported by the Puppet Slam Network, the third annual Fringe Rocky Mountain Puppet Slam brings short-form puppet and object theater to the festival, with Ida Hoe emceeing and a lineup of puppeteers still to be announced. The format could include tabletop comedy, shadow puppetry, life-size creatures, marionettes or something nobody has a name for yet. In true Fringe fashion, not knowing is half the fun.