Independent Arts News Reporting Art for the Adventurous: Cannonball’s Multi-Venue Fringe Hub Roars Back for Fourth Year
Reported on Wednesday, August 7, 2024.
Pictured Above: Adam Kerbel. Photo contributed by the artist.
Newsroom Post: PHILADELPHIA, PA
The first and largest Hub of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival offers over 120 full length productions and dozens of interactive events from South Kensington to Old City September 1-29
Philadelphia, PA – For the entire month of September, Cannonball will take center stage as the largest hub of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, offering independent performances from artists of every discipline at every stage of their careers. As the prolific hub prepares for its fourth year, it maintains its focus on innovation and accessibility, and unveils new programs that celebrate under-resourced artists and make space for community and conversation. From rebellious circus, delicious dance, fearless theater and activist art to workshops, parties, and more, Cannonball pushes the boundaries of live performance at four different venues this Fringe. Come as you are and stay past bedtime. Blaze your own trail at cannonballfestival.org.
Tickets for FringeArts Members are available starting Tuesday, July 30. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, August 1. More information can be found at the hub’s website cannonballfestival.org Tickets and more information about the Philadelphia Fringe Festival can be found at phillyfringe.org, by phone at 215-413-1318, or in person at the Fringe Festival Box Office at FringeArts (140 N. Columbus Blvd) from August 26 – September 29.
Pictured Above: Laura Schmidt. Photo Credit: Wide Eyed Studios.
Cannonball has quickly become one of Philadelphia’s busiest presenters of live performance. With shows presented back to back, audiences can see multiple offerings every night at each of Cannonball’s four venues, enjoying a drink at the Garden Bar in between each performance, and running into friends, artists, and other Fringe-goers. In 2024, Cannonball moves into Old City with the addition of Christ Church Neighborhood House as a venue, and returns to the Maas Building, Icebox Project Space, and Liberty Lands, which will feature outdoor, weekend performances for families. Additionally, Sundays will see the hub take over Pig Iron Studios for “Camp Cannonball” – days full of workshops, panels, community discussions, and the beloved Overboard series.
Pictured Above: Jeffrey Sykes. Photo contributed by the artist.
Newly incorporated as an independent 501(c)3 after being created and produced for three years by Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, Cannonball brings risk-taking artists together under an innovative administrative model to provide developmental and artistic support beyond the moment of performance, led by a 10-person Rotating Producer Cohort and two Program Managers. Through resource sharing and community investment, in 2024 Cannonball will provide over $40,000 in direct commissioning support to local and regional independent artists. This year’s fest will see the return of peer-selected “Panel Picks” including the winners of the BIPOC New Work Track, including a residency at the Wilma Theater, CSAW Award for New Circus Work, and Performance For Young Audiences Cohort, alongside new partnerships including the Al-Bustan Award for SWANA Artists, the Philadelphia Theatre Company Text and Dramaturgy Cohort, and Black Circus Week, presented in collaboration with partners including Kensington-based Rebel Arts Movement.
Focused on expanding who Philly Fringe is for and how it happens, Cannonball offers accessible sliding-scale ticketing to every production, and builds programs in collaboration with artists and community members that expand performance works outside of the theater through Cannonball Mess Hall events and Cannonball Workshops.
“We believe that the difference between the incredible artists of the Independent Fringe and those produced at larger venues is a question of resource investment,” said Co-Founder and Program Manager Ben Grinberg. “As we continually seek new resources and opportunities for our artist communities to craft and hone their work, we hope audiences will appreciate the incredible opportunity to see world-class artists in the hyper-intimate settings our venues offer.”
Cannonball disrupts traditional arts presenting models by centering artist-to-artist curation, pooling and redistributing resources to provide small-scale, high-impact production opportunities for wild, under-resourced performances – helping everyone make a splash. As it builds a sustainable arts ecosystem from the ground up, the model has gained notoriety in the performing arts presenting industry nationally and internationally. In 2024, Cannonball will host producers from Singapore, Canada, and Egypt, who will be embedded within the festival for cultural and administrative exchange. They will also host an industry convening from September 19-22, which will feature workshops, panels, and networking events, centering on the future of peer-to-peer presentation models.
“The goal of Cannonball remains the same – to cultivate a space of warmth, sharing, and belonging by and for artists who have often, by their own admission, been overlooked by many of the city’s other presenting organizations,” adds Mentoring Producer Colby Calhoun.
Pictured Above: Ester Baker. Photo contributed by the artist.
Cannonball is an artist-led, community-curated live arts presenter dedicated to building a sustainable performing arts ecosystem in Philadelphia. By pooling resources, we support risk-taking independent artists in back-to-back performance programs and create grant-supported new work development opportunities for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ voices, artists working in locally under-resourced performance modes, and offering arts education and leadership opportunities to young people. Founded in 2021 by members of Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, Cannonball, began as the first and largest independent hub of the Philly Fringe and has grown into a year round presenter of new performance and facilitator of creative collisions.
Cannonball receives lead support from the William Penn Foundation, as well as support from Penn Treaty Special Services District and The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and many other generous donors and sponsors.
