AKRON — “Lose Your Marbles,” a new dance-centric fringe festival, is coming to downtown Akron June 9-10.
Presented by Neos Dance Theatre with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as part of its Knight Arts Challenge, the fringe festival takes its name from Akron’s legacy as the birthplace of toy marble-making automation.
“With Akron’s reputation for dance, and audiences hungry for it, the city is a perfect platform for a festival that showcases new and emerging artists,” said Victoria Rogers, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation.
“Lose Your Marbles” will begin June 9 with a kick-off event at the newly repurposed Trailhead Event Space at Cascade Lofts on the banks of the Ohio and Erie Canal. On June 10 it will move to Akron’s historic Trolley Barn, gifted by the Development Finance Authority of Summit County, with a temporary large stage, lighting and theatrical equipment.
Smaller spaces without stages — including an ice cream parlor, coffee shop, gallery, and storefront window space provided in collaboration with the Curated Storefront — will feature pop-up performances to round out the festival’s walk-able footprint. The pop-up performances will be free, while the main stage performances on Friday and Saturday will have small fees.
Lucky Plush Production of Chicago, Inlet Dance Theatre, and Neos are already slated to perform. Additional dance and visual artists — emerging and established — will be chosen by a festival panel. Plans are also underway to present larger “Lose Your Marbles” festivals in 2018 and 2019.
Bobby Wesner, co-founder and artistic director of Neos, says that “Lose Your Marbles” is taking its cues from other fringe festivals, such as the world’s largest and oldest in Edinburgh, Scotland, by giving artists the freedom to present diverse, original and often risky works.
“Akron’s fringe festival will be a fun and informative opportunity for our community to binge-watch the performing arts and then share their opinions about what they’ve seen.” Audience members will be able to vote for the best-of-show performance that will then receive a final showcase on the evening of June 10 and a cash award.
Details about “Lose Your Marbles” will be available in coming weeks at www.loseyourmarbles.org.
