WaterTower Theatre puts on a splendidly versatile showcase for the performing arts each year called Out of the Loop Fringe Festival. It was given Best Theater Festival in Dallas for a reason, namely because its organizers have curated a menu of talent that is so delightfully experimental that you, the commoner, are bound to find some new flavor that makes your cultural taste buds tingle.
Will it be in the savory region with "Sweet Eros," the qlive! story about a man, a woman and a kidnapping? Or will Loop trigger a response in your sweet quadrant when meme character "Miranda Sings" (played by Colleen Ballinger) leads an off-pitch crooning session on the main stage?
One project that has been accepted into Loop but is still teetering on the edge of financial viability is a play by Outcry Theatre. Known for keeping it young and fresh, Outcry's goal is to perform "Dark Play, or Stories for Boys." The plot reveals two young men -- one who's goal is to scheme, the other's is to fall in love. Their worlds collide online. Adam, the romantic, falls for the trap, a false profile crafted by Nick. But soon Adam wants his cyber romance to exist in his arms and not just in his typing fingertips. Nick will have to get more wily if he wants to keep Adam away from his non-existent dream girl, Rachel.
Since the project is self-funded, Outcry needs a couple more bucks to bring this story to life. Everything else is in place -- cast, design, buzz. They want to roll this thing out. But there remains that age-old funding struggle because projectors, costumes, performance rights and scenery are not free. The cast is already an all-volunteer crew, so there are no other corners to cut.
On the bright side, Dallas takes care of its own. Outcry's Kickstarter project is doing really well thanks to community support. It's just 100 dollars shy from its $2,000 fundraising goal.
If you're looking for a way to directly support the arts, and you can't believe that unlimited access passes for Loop are only $65 bucks (It's a ten-day affair), why don't you kick in an extra Washington (or Lincoln, if you're feelin' flush) to these enterprising young creative-types. Making art visible through direct community contribution is so much more rewarding than some stuffy old donor tote bag (sorry, NPR).
Out of the Loop Fringe Festival runs from March 1 through the 11th, and you should click here and get your full-access passes. Shoot, we've already got our tickets. We've been sleeping with them under our pillows for weeks (note to ticket attendant: sorry about the drool).
