Pittsburgh Fringe Festival brings alt art to city

Chrissy Suttles

Man in a dark suit with a blue teardrop patch on his face, surrounded by extra arms holding a wine bottle, hammer, banana, toilet paper, rubber chicken, and dried flowers; blue sky background. — See "Gulp!", a physical comedy starring Prith Khalsa at Mr. Roboto Project. Photo: Courtesy of Prith Khalsa

The Pittsburgh Fringe Festival returns this week, packing stages across the city with offbeat stand-up, clowning, puppetry, poetry and more.

Why it matters: The exhibition puts risk-taking indie artists front and center, giving audiences a look at work that doesn't follow the usual script.

Zoom in: Now in its 13th year, the 10-day, 50-performance festival transforms cafes, galleries, storefronts and theaters into pop-up stages, featuring local, national and international acts.

Think sloshed Shakespeare, surreal escape rooms, Krampus shadow puppets and contemporary flamenco.
Performances are clustered in venues along Penn Avenue in Bloomfield-Garfield, with spillover into Lawrenceville, East Liberty, Downtown, Allentown and Sharpsburg.
Point Park students will host their own Fringe.

What they're saying: "In a world that can make us feel increasingly isolated, the Fringe presents a welcome opportunity to connect with your community, support artists, have some fun, and maybe even discover something new," says executive producer Sophie McClung.

If you go: The Pittsburgh Fringe Festival runs through March 28.

Individual ticket prices vary. Festival passes are $150.
Full lineup here.

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Pittsburgh Fringe Festival brings alt art to city

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