Beginning at 7 p.m. Aug. 20 and continuing through Aug. 22, the third annual Renegade Theatre Festival hopes to bring theater out of the dark and into the streets of Lansing’s Old Town.
For three nights and one afternoon on Saturday, when 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. children’s performances will be held, the Renegade Theatre Festival will install productions.
Ranging from shorts to full-length pieces, Old Town-area businesses including Creole Gallery, 1218 N. Turner St., Greater Lansing Conventions and Visitors Bureau, Floor 1, 1223 N. Turner St., and Perspective2, 319 E. Grand River Ave.
Chad Badgero, co-organizer of the festival and founder of the Peppermint Creek Theatre, said the festival was developed as a response to the lack of live theaterin Lansing.
“The mission of the festival is to give theater troupes an opportunity to do work outside of their regular season,” he said. The festival began in East Lansing and has since moved to its current home in Old Town.
He said the willingness of businesses to open themselves up to the productions and the ease of walking the area made it a perfect destination for the festival.
“It’s all about creativity and marvelous for the community,” said Lynn Brown, co-owner of Perspective2.
Perspective2 decided to participate because the festival and the studio have similar aims and audiences, she said.
She went on to say that it was a great use of the space and a fun way to spend a weekend in Lansing.
The festival is entirely free of charge and gives local theaters an opportunity to try out new material without worrying about installing a show for a normal theatrical run.
“They can take a lot of chances and be daring, bold and exciting,” she said. “The shows aren’t necessarily that polished in terms of costumes and sets, but it’s about the work being performed.”
Melissa Kaplan, co-organizer and production coordinator for Lansing Community College, said Renegade was a good opportunity for festivalgoers to gain an introduction to live theater and see a lot of different types of work in a laid-back setting.
“It’s a great way for people to get a taste of what’s going on in Lansing-area theater companies and see what it’s all about,” she said. “You can go from a traditional show to an experimental one in the same night.”
The festival features a lot of new material by local independent playwrights and directors, some of which is being performed for the first time.
In between the shows, which start at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., live music will be featured at Turner Mini Park, 1200 Turner St., and Uncle Sam’s Record Emporium, 100 E. Grand River Ave. The MSU Department of Theatre will be presenting a production of “All in the Timing,” a collection of three short one-act plays at 9 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Studio 1210, 1210 N. Turner St.