NEST Fringe
The NEST Fringe is an opportunity for tellers to showcase their work at Sharing the Fire with many of the traditional barriers removed. Our fringe is based off the the model used by many fringe festivals around the country - it is:
- Adventurous - artists get a chance to try out new or experimental works
- Unconventional - these pieces may not fit into a traditional storytelling festival, but they are welcomed and encouraged in the fringe
- Open - because we do not screen for quality and have very few requirements to apply, a diverse mix of artists of all experience levels, genres, and styles are welcome\
- Unjuried - performers are chosen randomly by lottery
Each fringe performance is a double-feature, meaning that you will find one shorter show and one longer show paired together. Please plan to stay for both performances.
Fringe tickets are included in all adult Full-Conference and Stories Galore conference packages. Individual tickets can also be purchased for fringe shows. More details coming soon.
NOTE: This fringe schedule is still changing. Check back in the coming days for more information.
Fringe Performances
Thursday March 27
Time and Location TBD (Start time will be between 5 & 7pm)
May require separate ticket - more details coming soon
Mary, Mother of Jesus
Presented by Sandra Measles
The story is familiar…a baby is born in a stable. Angels sing. Wise men bring gifts. Then what? How does that baby’s mother raise her son? What happens when he begins his life’s work? How does she handle her grief when he dies? Listen as this loving Jewish mother struggles to understand her son.
Recommended for ages 12+, but acceptable for children
Content Warnings: None
Sandra Measels tells ghost stories, true stories about Mississippians, and stories of Biblical women. A 2023 New Voice for Stone Soup in South Carolina, she has also performed in Mississippi, Texas, Florida, and in the opening session of the Biblical Storytelling Network gathering in 2024.
Yours Truly: Personal Tales of Life, Death and String Beans
Presented by Heather Forest
A collection of family stories about gardening and hospice stitched with original songs.
Recommended for Adults
Content Warnings: None
Heather Forest is a nationally acclaimed storyteller, author, and musician. A modern day bard, she shares multicultural folktales, ancient epics, and poignant personal stories woven with song and poetry.
Saturday, March 29
10:30 am - Noon
Location: Adirondack West
Running from the Law--My Odyssey from the Courtroom to the Classroom
Presented by Patti F. Smith
After spending all of high school focusing on being an attorney, I did everything right except finding out what it actually meant to be a lawyer! Follow me from my first awful law job to small firm hell to starting as a teacher in Detroit and finding satisfaction where I least expected it.
Recommended for ages 16+
Content Warnings: Foul language
Patti Smith has been a storyteller her whole adult life from the courtroom to the classroom to stages all over the Midwest. The author of four traditionally published history books, Patti lives in Ann Arbor with her family.
Tales from the Arabian Nights
Presented by Jane Ogburn Dorfman
Some of the lesser known tales filled with adventure, love, and a little cross dressing. They are a bit risqué and lot of fun.
Recommended for older teens & adults
Content Warnings: none
Jane Dorfman enters into the stories she tells, be they fairy & folk tales, personal stories, historical characters, or even lies. Listeners, children and adults, have said they feel they are in the story with her. Originally from New Orleans she resides in MD.
1:45 pm - 3:15 pm
Location: Adirondack West
How Do You Read Me
Presented by Howard Lieberman
A tale of homelessness, despair and ultimately triumph by someone too often misread.
Recommended for ages 16+
Content Warnings: Tough but heartwarming topic with possibly some mild cursing.
Nationally known storyteller, poet, performance artist and political activist Howard Lieberman moved from Brooklyn New York to Stillwater MN in 1990. His jaded yet surprisingly tender style has made him a favorite on the global performance scene. Howard is a Board Member of Story Arts of MN.
The Sauna Cycle **
Presented by Loren Niemi
In a nod to his Finnish heritage, these are stories of the sauna throughout the year. From the primitive with a dip in the beaver pond or the sophisticated gas fired stove that also heats the house, here is Loren's testimony of earth, air, fire and water.
Recommended for ages 16+
Content Warnings: Program contains strong and some sexual language
Loren Niemi has performed in 34 Fringe Festivals since 1995. Whether telling personal or traditionally sourced material, he walks a line between conversational and poetic language with off-handed humor in abundance. He is a recipient of the National Storytelling Network's lifetime achievement award.
3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Location: Adirondack West
Frances Perkins: A Woman's Work
Presented by Jarice Hanson
Frances Perkins was the first woman to be Secretary of Labor and first woman Cabinet member (1933-1945). Her work resulted in passage of the Social Security Act, 40-hour work week, child labor laws, the WPA, and workplace safety regulations, resulting in a more democratic society.
Recommended for ages 16+
Content Warnings: None
Jarice Hanson is a former Professor of Communication at the University of Massachusetts. In this presentation, she examines the life of Frances Perkins, first Secretary of Labor, who gave us Social Security and most of the New Deal legislation in the Administration of FDR.
Legacy of A Wealthy Slave
Presented by Denise Page
The show stories information unearthed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Blight at Yale U about Denise’s mother’s family. The New York Times refers to her ancestor as “A Wealthy Slave.” The journey is representative of the many untold stories of the enslaved and their legacy.
Recommended for ages 16+
Content Warnings: Topic of enslavement, systemic racism is background of performance
Denise Keyes Page is the founder of Ubuntu Storytellers, an ensemble of story artists who identify as Black, Brown or Biracial; and co-founder, with Jennifer Munro, of “Women Tell by the Decades.”
Sunday, March 30
9:00 am - 10:30 am
Location: Albany Room
“Give Voice to Our Ancestors”
Presented by Barbara Aliprantis and Thelma Thomas
Barbara Aliprantis and Thelma Thomas share family stories and folktales that remind us of the wise lessons therein and the value of passing them on for the sake of humankind and other forms of life.
Recommended for ages 7+
Content Warnings: None
Barbara Aliprantis is a bilingual teller with English and ASL. She is an ethnographic kaleidoscope of world folktales.
Thelma Thomas is a bilingual (English/Spanish) performer with an extensive repertoire of stories from around the globe.
Stories that Roar!
Presented by Dr. Linda H. Humes
Stories that Roar celebrate the story of the Lion and embraces the hero in all of us!
Recommended for Family Audience
Content Warnings: None
Dr. Humes is currently a doctoral Lecturer in the Africana Studies Department at John Jay College in New York City. She is the Chair of the education committee for the National Association of Black storytellers Association and performs and conducts workshops nationally and internationally.
9:00 am - 10:30 am
Location: Adirondack West
The Lotus Slipper
Presented by Bowen Lee
The slipper the king found by the road could only fit one woman in the kingdom, and by this he knew her. The slipper in the trunk could only fit one person in my family, my great grandmother, and by this, I learned about her life and the life of women with bound feet.
Recommended for ages 16+
Content Warnings: Disturbing violent acts, foot binding
Bowen Lee is a storytelling historian, educator and environmentalist who believes stories can be transformative. She merges these passions together to provide a deep, memorable experience for self-reflection. She performs live and virtually with regional, national, and international programs.
The Adventures of Crazy Jane and Red Haired Annie
Presented by Laura Packer
“Best in Fringe, KC Fringe.” “5 stars, enchanting, Indy Fringe.” Meet Crazy Jane and Red Haired Annie who explore magic, friendship, and hope in a world that isn’t quite ours. Original stories about friendship, how we define ourselves and our world, and the mysteries and power of language and story.
Recommended for ages 16+
Content Warnings: Deals with the darkness and complexity of fairy tales
Laura Packer knows that stories transport and transform. She’s performed at many fringe festivals where she has won Best in Fringe for this show and others. She loves fringe performance because it gives tellers and audiences a chance to stretch and create something new together.