Let me try to explain this without going full Wikipedia: The concept of a “fringe” festival was born in Scotland in 1947, when eight theater companies were excluded from performing at an international arts festival held in Edinburgh. Undeterred, the eight companies—not all of which were Scottish—held a festival of their own, using venues on the fringes of the city. Over time, Edinburgh Fringe became the world’s largest performing arts festival, and the term “fringe” came to represent theater that’s not just removed from the spotlight, but willfully bold, experimental and raw. Invitational fringe festivals proliferated around the globe. It was probably inevitable that Las Vegas, a fringe city if ever there was one, would make its own.
Fallout Fringe Festival
The sophomore iteration of Fallout Fringe Festival, returning June 3-25 after a bold 2025 debut, promises to improve on Las Vegas’ upstart fringe festival in nearly every way. New venues are participating, including Bizarre Bar, the lounge at Cornish Pasty and the new THIRD Street theater incubator. More than 35 productions, from monologues to musicals to workshops, stand ready behind the curtain. And Breon Jenay, Fallout’s artistic director, promises it’ll irradiate your imagination properly.
“In the launch for submissions, we were straightforward about the fact that we’re looking for stuff that’s edgy and weird, stuff that no one’s seen before. Risky and bold and maybe a little bit dangerous,” Jenay says. “We didn’t really have any trouble finding that, once the floodgates were opened. Especially this year, now that we’re a proven thing.”
Some of this year’s notable productions, featuring writers and performers from Vegas and across the country, include Dentata, a “riotous, feral exploration of feminine ferocity” from Jess Lazar and Lucy Smith featuring an “operatic vagina puppet”; the apocalyptic “circus cabaret comedy clown chaos” of Broken Planet Show; The Hum’s mind-bending physical theater piece Volta, a story of love enduring in the afterlife; A Hollywood Horror Story, Ingrid Garner’s homage to TV host and Plan 9 From Outer Space star Maila “Vampira” Nurmi; Hysterics, Allison Martone’s taut psychological drama set during the Salem Witch Trials; A Public Fit’s The Outburst, a night of storytelling tied to the theme “we’re still f---ed”; and Señor Babyhead, a drag- and desperation-fueled journey of discovery featuring “Mexico’s most (washed up) famous sitcom star.”
There are too many more hot prospects to name here. Go to falloutfringe.org and begin making tough choices, or just spring for the all-inclusive festival pass, which may seem like an indulgence at $362 but is an imperative need for theater junkies. After a few tastes of Fallout Fringe, you may well become one.
“We have a pretty great selection of things that are completely wild, as well as some straightforward drama and stuff for burlesque clown fans,” Jenay says. “There’s definitely something for everyone.”
FALLOUT FRINGE FESTIVAL Thru June 25, times vary, $22-$27 per show (festival pass $362). Falloutfringe.org.
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