SCRANTON — The Scranton Fringe Festival is preparing to fill the downtown district with a performing arts blitz from Sept. 27 through Oct. 1st.

A performing arts based festival founded in 2015, the Scranton Fringe Festival is dedicated to creating a bold and engaging platform for creative and thought provoking art with minimal risk to artist and audience, while also striving to promote Scranton/NEPA as a viable creative environment. Returning for its third year, the Festival continues to grow its audience, with the 2016 Festival boasting about 4,000 people in attendance. Growth is also noted in the length of the Fringe Festival, now a five day celebration, whereas past events have been held over four days.

This year, the festival will feature more than 35 productions, a visual exhibit and several special Fringe produced events. The 2017 Scranton Fringe Festival will take place in 13 venues throughout downtown Scranton. It showcases various forms of the performing arts, including original theater, international dramas, music, a comedy showcase, improvisational groups, dance performances and more.

This year’s festival also marks the return of the Big Gay Storyslam, a head to head storytelling competition which celebrates the voices of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.

The Scranton Fringe Festival will kick off with a free party from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday Sept. 27 at the Scranton Cultural Center. The Kick Off Party highlights short previews of various Fringe shows and helps the audience plan their weekend.

For tickets and more information about the festival, visit scrantonfringe.org.

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For Abington Journal

Information provided by the Scranton Fringe Festival.