NEPA Scene Podcast Episode 27 - Organizing and developing theatre with the Scranton Fringe Festival

NEPA Scene

In Episode 27, we sit down with Scranton Fringe Festival co-founder and managing director Elizabeth Bohan and Fringe organizers and participants Simone Daniel and Laureen O'Handley to discuss this huge five-day festival returning to downtown Scranton on Wednesday, Sept. 27 through Sunday, Oct. 1. Before and during the interview, we drink some crowlers of Ouais by Une Année Brewery in Chicago, Turbo Shandy by Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Ohio, and R2 Koelschip by Draai Laag Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, provided by Beer Boys in Wilkes-Barre. The Turbo Shandy ends up being the most popular, while Rich is the only one who seems to enjoy the sour beers. We talk about founding the Scranton Fringe; the purpose of fringe festivals and why this is an important addition to the local arts scene; how it has developed over the past three years; the many diverse shows coming to 13 different venues; the work Laureen does with the Lackawanna County Children's Library and what the festival will bring there; Simone’s roles as an actress, organizer, and host of the Scranton Cultural Center preview party on Wednesday; how local women have helped create, organize, and maintain the Scranton Fringe; the Scranton Fringe’s rooster mascot; Elizabeth and Simone’s trip overseas to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and how that has influenced this festival; regional food and our need for a pierogi or piggy lady; and more. To end the show, Rich turns our usual game with the guests on John and Brittany, reading them the names of Scranton Fringe shows and having them make up fake descriptions based solely on the titles. Elizabeth and Rich then explain what they’re actually about. The NEPA Scene Podcast covers arts, entertainment, and the issues that matter to Northeastern Pennsylvania. It airs as a live video stream every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on NEPA Scene’s Facebook page and is available afterward on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, YouTube, and nepascene.com. This episode and all previous episodes are available now on NEPA Scene, the award-winning independent arts and entertainment website that combines the accuracy and professionalism of a print magazine with the immediacy and convenience of a blog, offering a wide variety of content to readers in NEPA, Philadelphia, New York, and beyond. The show is made possible by local sponsors Beer Boys, The Keys, Loyalty Barber Shop and Shave Parlor, the F.M. Kirby Center, Coal Creative, and viewers who tune in every week.