A MESSAGE FROM THE HARTFORD FRINGE FESTIVAL

APRIL 2020
 
Hello Friends of the Hartford Fringe Festival,
 
We have some bad news and we have some good news…
 
First, the bad news.
 
The Pearwater Productions Board of Directors met recently and decided to postpone this year’s Hartford Fringe Festival until next year.  We are saddened to make this agonizing decision. We hope to do the festival in October 2021 at the Carriage House Theater along with another venue. 
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Two main factors have required making this decision. The first is the Coronavirus pandemic, even though we aren’t sure if this virus will be gone by October. We just felt we didn’t want to invest the time and money into the event, and then have to turn around and postpone or cancel the festival. We want to make sure anyone that’s involved in the Festival is safe and healthy.  

The second thing is funding. I was a little too ambitious with the dates and time, so we’re going to shorten the dates of the festival to keep the budget manageable.  Then when will have the funds then we can expand on our mission of presenting a wonderful theatrical addition to Hartford’s arts scene.  Moving the Hartford Fringe Festival to next year excites us insofar that it gives us more time to present this festival with fun and celebration.  
 
Now for the good news.
 
In our 2020 Hartford Fringe Festival October time slot, we have decided to mount a project that premiered in workshop form during the 2020 festival. Pearwater Productions will be presenting a full staging of the new biodrama Woodhull/Beecher by Leslie Gabel-Brett. This play was one of three plays chosen as Best of the Fest last year. Woodhull/Beecher received a terrific review by Chris Arnott of The Hartford Courant and we plan to mount a fully-realized production of this exciting new play about the notorious feminist icon Victoria Woodhull and Hartford’s own Henry Ward Beecher. Stay tuned for dates and ticket information. 

Thank you for understanding and we’ll be in contact with you soon. Stay safe and be well.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey Kagan-McCann 
Artistic Director – Pearwater Productions/Hartford Fringe Festival