Get Your Fringe On!

For theater buffs and comedy fans the end of May is an important time. Fringe Festival Prague does its massive nine day run, offering a plethora of opportunities to see everything from musicians to stand-up to dancers to magicians. It can also be a bit stressful – so much good stuff, how can I fit it all in? With 36 productions from 13 countries, there’s no shortage of entertainment possibilities. Luckily each show is performed at least three times; in in many cases more like five. Stacked times in a contained quarter of Mala Straná means the intrepid can theater crawl to catch more than one on any given night.

Being a stand-up enthusiast, I’m looking forward to checking out Absolute Improv and Men with Coconuts, both from Scotland. The Prague Shakespeare Company, whose productions have always been quite good, have an intriguing show entitled The Murder of Gonzago. Other shows which caught my eye include the Lonely Guide, a black comedy about a Prague tour guide on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and One Man, One Plant which is basically exactly what its title suggests. Dance fans or those looking for something more thought-provoking may want to check out the Rosie Rogers Cowgirl Show, a one-woman dance theater show.

“This is a live storytelling experience,” said novelist and actor Peppur Chambers. “Each of our five performances will act out different chapters of my compelling novella, “Harlem’s Awakening” so no two shows will be the same. I bring the book to life while reading from it. We want our audience to feel like they’re wrapped up in their favorite blanket, in their favorite place and enjoying a new, favorite book.” The novella, which came out in January will be available at the shows.

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The intimate atmospheres and short running times (most shows are about an hour) add to the appeal with audience and performers often mingling post-show in the bar. The ticket price too is very attractive, tickets are just 150 Kč, with a Fringe Voucher which gives you five tickets for the price of four available for 600 Kč. You can purchase tickets now on Ticketstream or the Fringe’s official ticket office in Malostranská beseda will be open daily from noon during the Fringe’s run. Bad planners can also show up at a show’s venue 30 minutes prior to show time and see if there are any tickets left.