Northern Michigan University’s Forest Roberts Theatre is presenting its third annual Fringe Festival Feb. 8-10 and 15-17 in the Panowski Black Box Theatre. Three different theatrical pieces performed, produced and directed by students in the theater and entertainment arts program will be performed each evening. The Fringe Festival will feature The Valentine Fairy, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and Antigone.

The Valentine Fairy by Ernest Thompson tells the story of a woman who has decided to give up on love arrives home to find a man dressed in a red tutu, who shows her where she went wrong in previous romantic encounters.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield explores the works of Shakespeare’s comedies, histories and tragedies in one fast-paced performance.

Antigone by Sophocles seeks to draw political and social conclusions about the state of women in both Ancient Greece and modern-day America, and explores the tension the leaders of both periods face.

All three theatrical pieces will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 8-10 and 15-17. There will also be 1 p.m. Saturday matinee performances. 

Tickets are $15 for the public, $10 for students and $5 for NMU students. They can be purchased at any NMU EZ ticket outlet. The Fringe Festival contains some adult language and themes.

The concept of a Fringe Festival can be traced back to Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1947, when eight theatre groups were shunned from the Edinburgh International Festival because they were not part of the official program. The eight snubbed actors decided to stage their productions anyway, right on the ‘fringe’ of the official festival. The Fringe Festival at Forest Roberts Theatre follows this idea and was put together to allow graduating seniors to showcase their capstone projects.