Watch an Epic “Game of Thrones” Musical and More at the O‘ahu Fringe Festival

Catch improv theater, music, dance, video, puppets and more in Chinatown from Thursday, Jan. 12 to Sunday, Jan. 15.

January 10, 2017

James Charisma,

Photos: James Charisma

The O‘ahu Fringe Festival returns to Honolulu this January for its fifth year with a variety of local and international performing acts debuting at four locations in Chinatown: The Arts at Marks Garage, Ong King Arts Centre, NextDoor and Studio 114 (located on the corner of Maunakea and King streets). Picture a theatrical buffet in which audiences are encouraged to catch one of the hour- or so long performances at one venue, then just hop across the street to another location for another show.

“We want people to explore venues in Chinatown that they may not normally,” says O‘ahu Fringe Festival organizer Misa Tupou. “These places, like the artists and the performances, are about creating an atmosphere of community and creativity.”

Tupou launched this all-volunteer festival in 2011 to celebrate the arts and help bring great performances to Hawai‘i. Since then, Fringe has welcomed artists from O‘ahu, Kaua‘i and Hilo, as well as New York City, Chicago, Seattle and throughout California. Previous shows have included cabaret, circus, acrobatic and aerial art, film, theater, dance and music.

This year, performances include shadow-puppet folk tales and supernatural tales of Hawai‘i by local storyteller Jeff Gere, a live broadcast of “What’s Up With That, Bro,” Hawai‘i’s only podcast dedicated to watching episodes of the TV show Lost backward, contemporary video and live dance by the Tiny Seismic new media program and an award-winning Game of Thrones musical featuring original songs and epic “puppet-on-puppet violence.”

This is theater you’re not likely to catch anywhere else in the state.

“I’ve seen these incredible artists in other productions and I know what they’re capable of,” says Tupou. “There’s something for audiences with all different tastes at this year’s show. I’m excited to see people enjoying themselves and that vibe and energy of something new.”

At a fringe festival, guests can expect original and often unusual performances, relatively quick shows, inexpensive ticket prices and simple sets, lighting cues and stage setup (if at all). Not to mention a one-of-a-kind theater experience.

$10 per performance, The Arts at Marks Garage, Ong King Arts Centre, NextDoor and Studio 114. For more information, go here.

(Disclosure: James Charisma owns a creative agency that handles marketing, PR and social media for The Arts at Marks Garage.)