Boo Velvet, aka Kathleen Hahn. Photo by Rodney Smith/Tempus Fugit Design
The Magnetic Theatre Presents The Great American Strip Off! and the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival
There is a lot going on at The Magnetic Theatre in January as burlesque takes to the stage on the first three weekends and the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival drops in for a visit on the last weekend.
The Great American Strip-Off!, a burlesque improv spectacular, will be held Thursdays through Saturdays, January 5–21, at 9 p.m. each evening.
“This is definitely the first show like this at The Magnetic Theatre,” says Kathleen Hahn, who conceived of and directed the show and will host it as Boo Velvet. Hahn is the owner of DANCECLUB Asheville. “I love comedy improv and I love burlesque,” she says, “and the two worlds coming together makes me giddy!”
Performers will participate in a striptease competition after blindly selecting a mystery song and a prop. Music possibilities run the gamut from classic burlesque jazz to hip hop. “No one knows what will happen,” Hahn says. “This can make for a more invested experience where the audience feels a part of the show.” Audience members select the winners each night, and, Hahn says, “if they’re lucky they’ll get to do some competing themselves.”
Those attending, she says, “can expect to be surprised, excited, blown away by beauty, wowed by comedy genius that will never happen again in the same way, and witness some fierce competition that they get to judge.”
Tickets for this adults-only show are $21 in advance and $24 at the door. For tickets and information, visit themagnetictheatre.org.
On January 26–29, the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival returns to town with shows at various venues, including The Magnetic Theatre. Performances there include Black! by Michael Washington Brown and We Call Them Unredeemable by Jim Sea. Both monologues touch on contemporary issues such as race, gender and violence.
For those who prefer comedy, there will be Breakfast at Wimbledon by Willie Filkowski, also being performed at The Magnetic Theatre.
The Asheville Fringe Arts Festival was started 15 years ago by Susan and Giles Collard from the Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre.
“We balance local acts with out-of-town Fringe performers,” says Jocelyn Reese, who, along with Jim Julien, co-directs the festival. “Since there are Fringe Festivals all over the US, Canada and the world, there are hundreds of performers who have developed pieces to perform at Fringes. We still like to be able to support our local artists, so they comprise two-thirds of our show.”
A full festival schedule, individual show descriptions and after-party details may be found at ashevillefringe.org. Individual tickets for these and other shows range from $13 to $16. Freak passes allow ticket holders to see as many shows as they can fit in (usually about eight) for $50.
An Opening Kick-Off Party will be held Sunday, January 22, at Sky Lanes Bowling in West Asheville to offer a taste of the lineup. With so many shows on the schedule, sneak peeks help festivalgoers decide which performances to attend.
The Magnetic Theatre is located at 375 Depot Street in Asheville’s River Arts District. For more information, visit themagnetictheatre.org or call 828.239.9250.
