CIRQUE DU FRINGE: AFTERGLOW
OPENS IN ONE WEEK
Comedic Duo Matt and Heidi Morgan Return for the First Time Since 2019
Rochester, NY – The World Premiere of Cirque du Fringe: Afterglow, created especially for the 2022 Rochester Fringe Festival, opens next week in the glamorous Cristal Palace Spiegeltent. The Vegas-style comedy and variety show was created and directed by the award-winning Matt Morgan. It runs nightly from Tuesday, September 13 through Saturday, September 24, 2022.
Cirque du Fringe: Afterglow features side-splitting comedy, jaw-dropping cirque acts, and non-stop entertainment. Joining Morgan on stage is his comedy partner and spouse Heidi Brucker Morgan. In this show, she reprises the role of the ever-popular Princess Wendy – America’s Favorite Inebriated Party Princess. Happily-ever-after appears to be very short-lived when Evil Sorcerer and The Greatest Illusionist of ALL TIME Rod Raven (Matt) arrives with hilarious hijinks. Nightly performances are suitable for audiences 13 years and older; the Kids Day matinee, scheduled for Saturday, September 24, is suitable for ages 5 years and older.
“The Fringe is our happy place - it has become our refuge of artistic expression and communal connection and to us, it is like coming home," said creator and director Matt Morgan. “And by ‘home,’ we mean to Rochester – which has the greatest audiences of all time.”
Another key element of Afterglow’s production values is the original music being written and performed by LA-based band The Rigs - TJ Stafford and Caitlin Parrott-Stafford. Their music has been featured on the soundtracks for many hit TV shows including American Horror Story, The Walking Dead, True Blood, Sons of Anarchy, and Parenthood.
“Matt and Heidi are Las Vegas legends and the driving force behind the sold-out Spiegeltent hit shows D'illusion, SideShow, and Eclectic Attraction. Combining their talents with the powerful music of The Rigs and an all-star cast ensure the perfect night out! After many rough years for the performing arts, we look forward to celebrating the excitement, fun, and rich diversity that only the Fringe offers Rochester audiences,” said Erica Fee, Festival Producer.
In addition to the Morgans, Cirque du Fringe: Afterglow includes a cast of internationally renowned artists including: juggler Jacob D’Eustachio (USA), foot juggler Feven Hagopian (Ethiopia), Aerialist Gregory McElroy (USA), skater Diana Nikuliceva (Latvia), contortionist Gana Oyunchimeg (Mongolia), skater Yunier Padron (Cuba), aerialist Giulia Piolamti (Italy), musicians TJ Stafford and Caitlin Parrot Stafford (USA), juggler Dario Vazquez (Mexico), and aerialist Kerlly Vazquez (Venezuela).
Tickets are currently on sale online at rochesterfringe.com and by phone at (585) 957-9837 (additional phone fees apply). Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Fringe Box Office at One Fringe Place, Corner of Main and Gibbs Streets, starting September 11, 2022.
More About Rochester Fringe Festival:
The 12-day Rochester Fringe Festival has become the largest multidisciplinary performing arts festival in New York State and one of the top three attended Fringe Festivals in the United States. More than 500,000 people have attended nearly 4,000 performances and events at the Fringe since its inception in 2012. The non-profit organization’s mission is to offer a platform for artists to share their creativity and develop their skills, while also providing unparalleled public access to the arts. It strives to be diverse and inclusive, and to stimulate downtown Rochester both culturally and economically. It showcases the work of regional, national, and international artists from emerging to superstar.
More About Fringe Festivals:
In 1947, eight theatre groups showed up—uninvited—to perform at the newly established Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland. Although not listed in the official program, the groups performed anyway, at venues they found for themselves. The following year, a Scottish journalist coined the term “festival fringe” to describe these non-curated shows that began turning up annually. The Edinburgh Fringe is now the world’s largest arts festival and the third largest event after the Olympics and the World Cup. Today, there are more than 250 Fringe Festivals worldwide, with nearly 50 in the United States. The Rochester Fringe Festival was the first in Upstate New York.
2022 Sponsors Include:
New York State Council on the Arts; City of Rochester; University of Rochester; Monroe County; Ames Amzalak Memorial Trust; Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation; Rochester Area Community Foundation; Nocon & Associates; Rochester Institute of Technology; Waldron Rise; Elaine P. & Richard U. Wilson Foundation; Louis S. & Molly B. Wolk Foundation; Konar Enterprises; Mary Mulligan Trust; J.M. McDonald Foundation; Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation; VisitRochester; Nazareth College; St. John Fisher University; Monroe Community College; The Pike Company; 13WHAM TV; CITY Newspaper; D&C Digital; WXXI; Fred & Floy Willmott Foundation; Wegmans; Hyatt Regency Rochester; ESL Foundation; Canandaigua National Bank; Genesee Beer; The Rubens Family Foundation; City Blue; Aspire Transformation Services; Benderson Development; Hamilton A/V; Wilkins RV; McCarthy Tents & Events; Broccolo Tree & Lawn Care; The Harley School; Boylan Code; Bond Schoeneck & King; Yelp!; and the House of Guitars.
COVID-19 Update:
The Rochester Fringe Festival and each venue in the Festival independently establish their own COVID-19 guidelines. At this time, the Fringe does not currently require vaccination checks or masking for the Spiegeltent and outdoor venues. To confirm the rules in place at the time of a Festival performance, please visit rochesterfringe.com/covid-protocols; these rules will be continually updated so you should check them at the time of a performance you plan to attend. The Rochester Fringe Festival encourages mask wearing regardless of the rules set forth by each venue.
