Jake reviews Remote Rochester

By Jake Clapp @Jake_Clapp

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Stay with me; Remote Rochester might take a minute to explain. The -- what should we call it? -- roving, interactive, theatrical performance is the fifth production in the "Remote X" series created by Berlin-based team Rimini Protokoll. The team has curated these events in Berlin, Milan, Paris, and New York, each time creating a brand-new, site-specific performance.

The goal is to see the city in a new light. But this -- pick one: performance, event, journey -- goes further. Remote Rochester will make you think about how you interact with your literal surroundings; why we should observe strangers; and what it means to be part of a group. The broad synopsis of Remote Rochester might make you think you'll see new parts of the city, but there really isn't much in the way of new information. Rather, Remote Rochester wants to take you on a playful path with a semi-narrative.

Wearing headphones and a transmitter, you are guided along a path around parts of the city by the smooth, synthetic voice of "Heather." Participants are part of a 50-person "horde" that is prompted to interact with one another and become somewhat familiar -- it was actually entertaining to silently learn the personalities of certain "horde" members simply through their body language: who was a leader; who wanted to be outgoing; who liked to stay toward the back and simply observe.

Along the path, "Heather" will prompt the group to perform certain tasks, such as picking a gravestone to meditate at; dance and groove; or simply watch traffic drive by. A lot of the tasks are meant to prompt the participant to think about how they, an individual, fit into the larger scheme of things, and about the balance between nature and artificiality.

I don't want to spoil anything -- the surprises of the trip are well-timed and a lot of fun -- but there is somewhat of a loose pseudo-plot that happens throughout ... and you are one of the actors. Ever wish you could have your own soundtrack to the day? Using atmospheric music, sound effects, and urban noises, Remote Rochester really captures an all-encompassing cinematic quality.

It must have taken extraordinary planning to make Remote Rochester: public transportation is incorporated; small details are capitalized on; and the prompts make you think outside of the box.

Really, Remote Rochester is the definition of "fringe."

Remote Rochester starts at the Speigelgarden, where a bus will take you and your "horde" to Mt. Hope Cemetery to begin the performance. Multiple performances will take place each day of the Fringe. For times, visit rochesterfringe.com. $28. Appropriate for ages 13 and up.

In This Guide...

Rochester Fringe Festival

Rebecca reviews RIT's Photo House, "The Fiery Sword of Justice," and "Me, Ray Charles, and Sammy Davis Jr."

I stopped in at The Little to check out RIT's Photo House, a grouping of photos displayed on the walls of the theater's 2-5 lobby. Ranging widely in style, genre, and talent, the showcase is a window into what current students are working on, presented to the shifting audience of moviegoers.

By Rebecca Rafferty Sep 22, 2015

2015 RIT Photo House Fiery Sword of Justice Me, Ray Charles and Sammie Davis Jr. Movin' Melvin Brown Slideshow
Rochester Fringe Festival

Leah reviews The 24 Hour Plays

In our culture of reality TV shows and instant gratification, we've grown accustomed to the novelty of becoming a fly on the wall in someone's life anytime we flip to the right channel. Though we know by now reality TV isn't raw and unrehearsed, it still feels that way -- and humans can't resist the chance to watch one another in a vulnerable state.

By Leah Stacy Sep 22, 2015

2015 The 24 Hours Plays Spencer Christiano Megan Mack Slideshow
Rochester Fringe Festival

Adam reviews "Hot Tub: The Musical" and "ShakesBLOOD"

My third day at the Rochester Fringe Festival was a wet and wild one; throughout the course of my time at the festival, rain, chlorinated water, and blood poured down on me at one point or another. My first stop was an afternoon performance of "Hot Tub: The Musical."

By Adam Lubitow Sep 21, 2015

2015 Hot Tub: The Musical Abby DeVuyst ShakesBLOOD Method Machine Slideshow
Rochester Fringe Festival

Rebecca reviews "Sure-Minded Uncertainties," "Conscience," and "Mystic Castle"

"Think of this show as a series of dreams over the course of the night," the audience was instructed before the mesmerizing, multi-sensory performance of "Sure-Minded Uncertainties" at the TheatreROCS Stage on Sunday. Presented by CaveDogs (cavedogs.org), the show featured large-scale shadow projections layered with video imagery and an engaging original soundtrack.

By Rebecca Rafferty Sep 21, 2015

2015 Sure-Minded Uncertainties Conscience Mystic Castle Arthur Shawcross
Rochester Fringe Festival

Adam reviews "James and the Giant Peach" and "Hidden in this Picture"

Performed by RAPA Family Theatre, "James and the Giant Peach: The Musical" comes from Tony-nominated composing team BenjPasek and Justin Paul ("A Christmas Story: The Musical"). An adaptation of the beloved Roald Dahl book, the musical combines aspects of Dahl's book and the 1996 film, adding in a plethora of new songs (it should be noted, these aren't the same Randy Newman compositions featured in the film) and condensing the story for younger audiences.

By Adam Lubitow Sep 21, 2015

2015 James and the Giant Peach Hidden in this Picture Aaron Sorkin RAPA Family Theatre Slideshow
Rochester Fringe Festival

Rebecca reviews "Percentage," "Krapp's Last Tape," and "Bridge Club of Death"

My Saturday night at the Rochester Fringe Festival was full of death, running the gamut of age. I was moved and impressed by "Percentage," presented by RAPA at the School of the Arts' Black Box Theatre.

By Rebecca Rafferty Sep 21, 2015

2015 Percentage Krapp's Last Tape Bridge Club of Death
Rochester Fringe Festival

Leah reviews "Nothing is Written" and "The Rainbow Fish"

There are many beautiful things that happen during the Rochester Fringe Festival, but one of my favorite parts is the heightened vulnerability that emerges in the theater community. Theater is already a vulnerable art form, but with every show there are budgets to consider, boards who must approve show runs, and difficult casting decisions to be made.

By Leah Stacy Sep 20, 2015

2015 Nothing is Written E.F. Milligan The Rainbow Fish Alec Powell
Rochester Fringe Festival

Casey reviews PUSH and "As the Dead Prey Upon Us"

PUSH Physical Theatre, the creation of Rochester-based husband and wife team Darren and Heather Stevenson, bills itself as "physical theater," but it is really so much more. Darren's spot-on humor is imbued with philosophical depth and the pieces the company performed at the Rochester Fringe Festival on Saturday moved the audience from hilarity to awe.

By Casey Carlsen Sep 19, 2015

2015 PUSH Physical Theatre The Chair As The Dead Prey Upon Us Richard Haisma Slideshow
Rochester Fringe Festival

Rebecca reviews "Twain's Amazing Tales" and "Shitty Lives"

I spent the second night of the Rochester Fringe Festival taking in two shows staged back-to-back at MuCCC. "Twain's Amazing Tales," put on by James Landers and Classics Theater of Rochester, featured dramatic readings of excerpts from "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven," which I have not read, and "What Stumped the Bluejays," which was part of Landers' Fringe offering last year.

By Rebecca Rafferty Sep 19, 2015

2015 Twain's Amazing Tales Mark Twain Shitty Lives Straw Mat Players
Rochester Fringe Festival

Casey reviews Garth Fagan Dance

Garth Fagan Dance performed in its Chestnut Street studio on Friday night as part of the Rochester Fringe Festival, showcasing Fagan's latest work and premiering Norwood Pennewell's fifth piece for the company. Watching the Rochester-based, internationally-acclaimed company dance in the same place its members rehearse, create, and sweat intensifies and personalizes the performance.

By Casey Carlsen Sep 19, 2015

2015 Garth Fagan Dance Studio Norwood Pennewell Geoffrey Holder Carmen de Lavallade
Rochester Fringe Festival

Photos from Grounded Aerial

Brooklyn-based aerial dance troupe Grounded Aerial premiered a new work Friday night as part of the Rochester Fringe Festival's big Friday on the Fringe event. Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Manhattan Square was packed with people craning their necks to watch the dancers leap, flip, and glide off the side of the 21-story One HSBC Plaza building.

By Jake Clapp Sep 19, 2015

2015 Grounded Aerial Friday on the Fringe BIODANCE Aerial Dance Slideshow
Rochester Fringe Festival

Leah reviews the TheatreROCS showcase

As the crowds thinned after Grounded Aerial's sky-high theatrics on the side of One HSBC Plaza Friday night, a woman in a bright red shirt stood outside the nearby Xerox building yelling, "Free show here right now!" It turned out her hawking strategy was a good one: I was there because I planned to be, but many others filled the seats inside the auditorium because they were searching for a next step in their Friday Fringe journey -- and "free" is always a bonus.

By Leah Stacy Sep 19, 2015

2015 TheatreROCS Showcase Big Wigs Out of Costume Stardust and Butterflies
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Rebecca reviews "Cabinet of Wonders" and "No Safe Word"

I saw the very entertaining "Cabinet of Wonders" in the packed Spiegeltent last night, which included everything there's to like about the circus, without the animal cruelty. The show began with the subtlest of clowns -- a wiggly goofball who worked the audience with priceless facial expressions -- performing some tricks while the husband-and-wife hosting team, Matt and Heidi Morgan, worked the audience with witty banter.

By Rebecca Rafferty Sep 18, 2015

2015 Cabinet of Wonders Matt and Heidi Morgan No Safe Word KineticArchitecture Slideshow
Rochester Fringe Festival

Photos from "Merged III"

With new works created by choreographers Heather Roffe and James Hansen, "Merged III" premiered at Geva Theatre Center on Thursday night. The performances will continue on Saturday, September 19, at 4 p.m., and Sunday, September 20, at 6:30 p.m. $10-$12.

Sep 18, 2015

2015 Merged III Heather Roffe James Hansen Dance Performance Slideshow
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Adam reviews "La Cage Aux Folles"

My 2015 Rochester Fringe experience began with sequins, high heels, and wigs a-plenty when I took in RAPA's production of "La Cage Aux Folles" (helpful pronunciation tip: it sounds like "La Cahhge ah Fall") on the School of the Arts' Allen Main Stage. Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein's Tony Award-winning musical is based on Jean Poiret's original 1973 play.

By Adam Lubitow Sep 18, 2015

2015 La Cage Aux Folles RAPA Eric Vaughn Johnson Roy Wise Billy DeMetsenaere
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Fringe's Shakespeare options

Shakespeare's plays are timeless, and you just can't have a theater-heavy festival without Will's work. Fringe is featuring no fewer than six shows based on the Bard's plays.

By Rebecca Rafferty Sep 17, 2015

2015 Shakespeare HamletGhosts ShakesBLOOD The Ghost at the Feast Shakespeare's Greatest Hits
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Fringe Festival 2015: City's Daily Fringe Blogs

The 2015 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival runs Thursday, September 17, through Saturday, September 26, and City Newspaper will be out EVERY NIGHT of the festival, covering multiple shows. Check in first thing each morning for photos and reviews of the previous night's entertainment, listed below by date.

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