The Renegade Theatre Festival in Lansing is coming back after a several yearslong break. The event was known for presenting original works and pieces that were unlikely to otherwise appear on local stages.
The first Renegade Theatre Festival took place in Mid-Michigan more than 20 years ago.
"It was started by the directors of Peppermint Creek Theatre, including Chad Swan-Badgero, in 2005, to bring theatres together to have an opportunity to do things that they might not normally do during their regular season, in town, at a variety of spaces that aren’t theatre spaces," Melissa Kaplan said.
Kaplan got involved a couple of years later. Over time, the festival did some moving around, from East Lansing to Old Town Lansing.
Like many artistic endeavors, COVID interrupted the event, and other creative projects led Kaplan and Swan-Badgero to end it in 2022.
Now, several people, including Sally Hecksel, have worked to bring a new version of the festival to life.
Hecksel fondly recalls how getting involved with Renegade bridged the gap she saw between her experience in the Lansing Community College theatre program and local community theatre groups.
“I didn’t understand that it was a space for people to be flexible with their creativity,” she explained.
“Not every theatre has a space for every piece, and I understand that now but didn’t then, but I can recognize in hindsight that that was something that was really valuable about the festival as well.”
Kaplan agreed to become part of the new festival’s organizing team, and she’s bringing her experience attending the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland to the effort.
That event, she explains, was spawned years ago by frustrated members of groups left out of a big theatre festival who decided to put together their own shows on the fringes of the city.
“Now, we think of it and use it here in Lansing, renaming Renegade Theatre Festival as Fringe, to mean theatre that’s on the edge, performance art that’s on the edge, not only theatre, but whatever kind of performance might be created and presented for other people," Kaplan said.
Hecksel says the new iteration of the festival is no longer made up of only theatrical works. Lansing has a robust arts scene, and the team wanted to open things up for art forms of all kinds.
"We wanted dancers. We wanted poets. We wanted musicians. We wanted theatre performances or staged readings,” she said. “We definitely could have just let it be a theatre festival, but we also knew that we could do more than that.”
Many of the festival’s former locations in Old Town were no longer available, and Lansing’s REO Town became the focus.
Hecksel says along with the Robin Theatre, venues include unconventional spaces like ALT Printing, the REO Town Clubhouse and REO Town Marketplace, Steve Glynn Photography and Blue Owl Coffee.
“They felt that it was really, really perfect for the Renegade model, which is art sprouting up wherever you can put it,” Hecksel said. "So, it might be an alleyway or a balcony or a parking lot, anything like that, but it’ll also be housed in formal theatres like the Robin.”
Along with theatrical works, the Renegade Fringe Festival includes dance, improvisational comedy, spoken word, live music and puppetry. In all, there will be 17 shows starting Friday August 7 at 7 p.m. and the following day from 1 to 9 p.m. Most of the shows have short running times and are free of charge.
UPCOMING ARTS EVENTS
The free Owosso Summer Concert Series features Simply In Time Thursday, August 6 at 7 p.m. at the Mitchell Amphitheatre in Owosso.
The eighth annual Smooth Jazz Fete is Saturday, August 8 with music starting at 3 p.m. at the Armory in Lansing. Performers include Phil Denny and Kayla Walters.
On Sunday, August 9 hear Angela Davis and Class Act at the Swingin’ at the Shell concert series in Albion. The music will start at 6 p.m. at the Victory Park Bandshell.
TRANSCRIPT:
Scott Pohl: With Inside the Arts, I'm Scott Pohl. The Renegade Theatre Festival in Lansing is coming back after a several year long break.
The event was known for presenting original works and pieces that were unlikely to otherwise appear on local stages.
The festival is making its return with some changes. There’s a new name, for starters, and new venues.
For Inside the Arts this week, I have a preview of the Renegade Fringe Festival.
The first Renegade Theatre Festival took place in mid-Michigan more than 20 years ago. Melissa Kaplan has the origin story.
Melissa Kaplan: So, it was started by the directors of Peppermint Creek Theatre, including Chad Swan-Badgero, in 2005, to bring theatres together to have an opportunity to do things that they might not normally do during their regular season, in town, at a variety of spaces that aren’t theatre spaces.
Pohl: Kaplan got involved a couple of years later. Over time, the festival did some moving around, from East Lansing to Old Town Lansing. Like many artistic endeavors, COVID interrupted the event, and other creative projects led Kaplan and Swan-Badgero to end it in 2022.
Now, several people, including Sally Hecksel, have worked to bring a new version of the festival to life. Hecksel fondly recalls how getting involved with Renegade bridged the gap she saw between her experience in the Lansing Community College theatre program and local community theatre groups.
Sally Hecksel: I didn’t understand that it was a space for people to be flexible with their creativity. Not every theatre has a space for every piece, and I understand that now but didn’t then, but I can recognize in hindsight that that was something that was really valuable about the festival as well.
Pohl: Kaplan agreed to become part of the new festival’s organizing team, and she’s bringing her experience attending the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland to the effort.
That event, she explains, was spawned years ago by frustrated members of groups left out of a big theatre festival who decided to put together their own shows on the fringes of the city.
Kaplan: Now, we think of it and we use it here in Lansing, renaming Renegade Theatre Festival as Fringe, to mean theatre that’s on the edge, performance art that’s on the edge, not only theatre, but whatever kind of performance might be created and presented for other people.
Pohl: Hecksel says the new iteration of the festival is no longer made up of only theatrical works. Lansing has a robust arts scene, and the team wanted to open things up for art forms of all kinds.
Hecksel: So, we wanted to open it up art forms of all kinds. So, we wanted dancers, we wanted poets, we wanted musicians, we wanted, we wanted theatre performances or staged readings. We definitely could have just let it be a theatre festival, but we also knew that we could do more than that.
Pohl: Many of the festival’s former locations in Old Town were no longer available, and Lansing’s REO Town became the focus. Hecksel says along with the Robin Theatre, venues include unconventional spaces like ALT Printing, the REO Town Clubhouse and REO Town Marketplace, Steve Glynn Photography and Blue Owl Coffee.
Hecksel: They felt that it was really, really perfect for the Renegade model, which is art sprouting up wherever you can put it. So, it might be an alleyway or a balcony or a parking lot, anything like that, but it’ll also be housed in formal theatres like the Robin as well.
Pohl: Along with theatrical works, the Renegade Fringe Festival includes dance, improvisational comedy, spoken word, live music and puppetry. In all, there will be 17 shows starting Friday night at 7 and Saturday from 1 to 9 p.m. Most of the shows have short running times and are free of charge.
With Inside The Arts, I’m Scott Pohl.
