District Fringe benefits: Live, independent (and sometimes free) theater at UDC through July 27

Phoenix, Firefly and Flicker. Until July 27th, these are the names of pop-up venues in Van Ness for District Fringe, the new festival celebrating and supporting indie theater.

The festival’s ticketed performances are taking place every day except Mondays and Tuesdays at the Phoenix Theater in UDC’s Building 44 (3305 Van Ness Street, follow the signs).

The Phoenix Theater in Building 44 is a repurposed lecture hall. (Van Ness Main Street photos)

Or, head to Firefly, the temporarily renamed UDC amphitheater (Windom Place behind the UDC tennis courts) for free shows, many of them family friendly. And Flicker (4340 Connecticut Avenue) is District Fringe’s official pop-up hangout space, box office, and bar, selling tickets, t-shirts, beer and wine.

The Flicker pop-up at 4340 Connecticut Avenue.

Get your tickets soon. The festival’s July 11-13 opening weekend sold out, and District Fringe says the shows earned stellar reviews.

The choice of location is thanks to what The Washington Post calls an “intervention.” ANC 3F Commissioner (and former Fringe actor) Adrian Iglesias, Van Ness Main Street executive director Gloria Garcia secured the two performance spaces from the university. VNMS and UDC are also District Fringe cosponsors.

Forest Hills Connection is an editorially independent program of Van Ness Main Street.