by Grant Knutson

A last minute performer preview article came in so NOW this is the last one-enjoy this Rogue Performer Preview article and check out others that have already been published this month in our A & E section. We also have an article about this year’s Rogue Festival Muse, and once Rogue begins, watch for reviews and video interviews. For more information on the Festival itself check out their website and keep an eye on KRL’s Rogue Festival Event Page.

Come party with the artists!
That was the idea behind my live game show, Fringe Factor: Rogue Edition. I want to throw a party onstage and invite the audience. I want to play lively games and raucous music.

I want everyone to leave feeling entertained, exhilarated, and exhausted. And hopefully, like any good party, you’ll get to know everyone a little better and none of it will go quite like you expected.

The show is simple, the games are silly, and the props are from the dollar store. But it’s simple on purpose, so that the focus is on the people and their interaction. The real fun is seeing the performers in a very different light. We usually see them in character, doing a show they’ve rehearsed, in a style they’re trained to do. In my show, they get to be themselves. They get to be off the cuff. They get to let loose a little bit.

The idea is ‘controlled chaos’. We start prepping before the hour even starts, offering candy and caffeine to the contestants (and audience) to get their energy up, and chatting with the crowd so they feel welcome and involved. Then we jump into the action, playing classic party games with fun and unique twists that force the artists to think creatively. Between games, we enjoy upbeat music from a musical guest. And my job is to hold it all together and get us to the end in under an hour.

With new games, new contestants and new musicians every night, it’s always a different show. That helps it feel fresh. And it means we often get patrons coming back more than once during a festival.

I’ve spent 8 years working with touring fringe festival artists, and I love it. The work takes me all over North America, seeing some of the most wonderful and weird art out there (including six years of producing shows and special events at Rogue Festival and other Fresno venues)

I don’t miss my previous work as a performer. But I still feel the itch to be onstage at times. This show gives me a chance to perform while still showing off all the fabulous fringe artists

After two years of performing Fringe Factor at the Rogue Festival, I’ve started taking it to other fests in other cities. The response has been wonderful, and I’m excited to watch it grow. But I’m even more excited to bring it back to the fest where it was born!

Venue: Dianna’s Studio of Dance (826 N. Fulton)
Tickets: $12
Showtimes: Friday, March 2 @ 7p.m.? Saturday, March 3 @ 6:30p.m.? Sunday, March 4 @ 6:30p.m.? Friday, March 9 @ 8:30p.m.; and Saturday, March 10, at 3:30p.m.