Smart Bets: Asheville Fringe Arts Festival

Photo courtesy of Asheville Fringe Arts Festival

A  sign that life in Western North Carolina is slowly returning to normal? The delightfully abnormal Asheville Fringe Arts Festival is back for its 23rd year of experimental and unusual art.

This year’s edition runs Wednesday-Sunday, March 19-23, at a variety of local venues and features more than 40 performances, including dance, theater, puppetry, music and several uncategorizable works. Returning acts such as Toybox, Edwin Salas Acosta, Skysail Theatre and Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre are joined by a range of newcomers, including Seattle-based puppetry artists Shadow Girls Cult and local drag performers Milo Mawile and Flamy Grant.

“Asheville Fringe remains committed to cultivating an inclusive space for creative expression where everyone feels safe and valued,” organizers say in a press release. “We believe in the power of the arts as an agent of societal change, and we know that diversity of all kinds is crucial in that mission. As a queer-led organization, we will always work to amplify unique and vulnerable voices, while curating experiences that expand the minds and hearts of our audiences.” avl.mx/cge

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About Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin is a staff writer for Mountain Xpress. He also reviews films for ashevillemovies.com and is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Follow me @EdwinArnaudin

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