After its successful inaugural festival in July 2025, District Fringe is returning to Van Ness this summer with new plays and initiatives.
In July 2025, District Fringe transformed the UDC-owned Van Ness Main Street office at 4340 Connecticut Avenue into a pop-up bar and box office.
District Fringe recently announced the festival dates (July 10 through 26, Wednesdays to Sundays) and the performance lineup (see the news release below). The performance schedule and online box office should arrive at districtfringe.com soon.
UDC is once again providing the performance space. And for those who enjoyed hanging out at the festival’s Flicker Bar/box office at the Van Ness Main Street office, that’s coming back too.
New this year is a play development series called Spark. District Fringe selected four plays by up-and-coming local playwrights for staged readings and audience feedback.
“Every beloved, famous play was a new play once, and District Fringe is committed to building spaces for performing artists at all stages of their career to be able to experiment and share new work with DMV audiences,” Sophia Menconi, District Fringe literary producer, said the release.
Also: “This year, District Fringe will feature two different programming options for Young Audiences, intentionally inviting young audiences into the Festival for the first time.”
The organizers said last year’s festival sold more than 2,000 tickets, a level of success that District Fringe Producer Karen Lange said was “beyond our wildest dreams.”
District Fringe was able to increase the ticket revenue percentage shared with the artists.
And two of the shows – “H Twins” and “The Pit” – went on to be picked up by other theater companies for full runs and workshops.
District Fringe announces 2026 lineup
Second annual festival features 9 multi-night runs, 3 short-run performances, and 4 staged readings from July 10-26 at UDC.
District Fringe is proud to announce the artists and shows for its 2nd annual festival, running July 10-26 at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). This year, District Fringe received 87 submissions — 56% more than last year — representing a variety of different ideas from clown to classics, mysteries to musicals. From this brilliant work, District Fringe chose nine (9) productions for full multi-night runs, with an additional three (3) selected for one to two night-only performances,
District Fringe is excited to launch a new program for the 2026 festival: its new play development series, Spark. Four (4) shows were submitted for staged readings this year, and District Fringe decided to create a space for them to present and receive feedback from the audience. These are shows from promising local playwrights, some of whom are debuting their work for the first time. Plays cannot be developed in a vacuum. On the page, a play is just words. To truly become successful scripts, plays require actors to read them out loud and audiences to listen and react. District Fringe is honored to bring these diverse voices into being and support the next generation of playwrights.
“We are thrilled with the final lineup selected by our dedicated volunteer reading team from a diligent adjudication that took place over four weeks and allowed for each individual application to be reviewed by at least two of our readers,” shares District Fringe Literary Producer Sophia Menconi. “We treasure the projects proposed by each of our applicants, and are absolutely thrilled with the diverse array of performances selected for production. This year, District Fringe will feature two different programming options for Young Audiences, intentionally inviting young audiences into the Festival for the first time. Additionally, our programming includes emerging artists from across the DMV alongside beloved local stalwarts – from new plays written by recent UMD and AU alums to a solo show developed by Rex Daugherty, Artistic Director of Theatre for Solas Nua. Every beloved, famous play was a new play once, and District Fringe is committed to building spaces for performing artists at all stages of their career to be able to experiment and share new work with DMV audiences.”
2026 DISTRICT FRINGE LINEUP
Phoenix – Main Stage Performances
Bitch Eat Dog / Mel Carter
How to Die in Japan / Miyo
Please Clap! / The Moon Girls
Swallowing My Shout / Tvinity
The Hardest Words to Say / MX. NOIR Creative Studios
The Well / Rex Daugherty
This is a Play About God / Pen and Pebble Productions
When I Was / MaKayla Baker Paxton
Who Did It? An Improvised Murder Mystery / ABComedy Lab
Flash – Limited Run Performances
Aye Aye / Sage O’Silver, Pirate Fiddler
Cupboard’s Cabaret / Cupboard’s Cabaret
Tall Tale of a Wolfman / Radical Joy Theatre
Spark – New Play Reading Series
Define “Black” / N. A. Productions
One and the Same / Papillon Productions
Speed Skating Sloth / The Emerson Twins
The River / TransMission Theatre Project
In its second year, District Fringe will continue its partnerships with Van Ness Main Street and The University of the District of Columbia (UDC). These successful partnerships include access to and use of venues as well as sponsorship support.
The 2026 festival will take place over three weekends from July 10 to 26, 2026, with performances Wednesday to Sunday. The festival will activate spaces at the UDC Music School Recital Hall and the outdoor amphitheater, plus additional spaces around Van Ness Main Street, including the return of the Flicker Bar, a pop-up bar/community gathering space where patrons can purchase drinks, snacks, and hang out and connect with other patrons and District Fringe artists. There will be a District Fringe Opening Night Party on July 10 starting at 9pm at the Flicker Bar.
“We are overwhelmed by the success of our first festival. We sold over 2,000 tickets and entertained hundreds of people in both our ticketed and free programs,” says District Fringe Producer Karen Lange. “This was beyond our wildest dreams and allowed us to do things like increase the ticket revenue percentage for our participating artists – essentially flipping the split from in favor of the festival to in favor of the artists. Two of the shows, The H Twins and The Pit, were picked up for full runs and workshops by other theater companies, receiving praise and a Helen Hayes recommendation. I mean it when we say that there is a bubbling cauldron of talent in this region, just waiting to get a chance to showcase their productions. We are proud we gave them a chance and look forward to giving that opportunity to a new crop of artists.”
Full details of all shows will go live in early May at www.districtfringe.com.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Leave a Reply