18th annual Aspen Fringe Festival returns in June 

The 18th Annual Aspen Fringe Festival will return with two nights that spotlight dance, films and theater June 12 to 13 at the Wheeler Opera House. 

Both evenings will begin at 7:30 p.m.

“We’re proud to mark 18 years of bold, boundary-pushing art with two extraordinary nights of live dance, award-winning film and an acclaimed Off-Broadway play — all asking the same timely question: Where do we find our silver linings?” Aspen Fringe Festival Founder and Artistic Director David Ledingham said.

The June festival kicks off with “Dance and Film: Silver Linings” on June 12, showcasing dance intermixed with short films. June 13 will focus on theater.

The first evening is a “celebration of the human spirit through live dance and film,” according to Ledingham. Soulskin Dance will present “Unexpected Encounters,” a piece choreographed by Soulskin Dance Founder Adrianna Thompson, which originally premiered in February at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City and is currently on tour in California. 

The next two dances will showcase two local choreographers — Alya Howe and Lilly Bright. “Disappeared,” choreographed by Howe, centers on “balancing disappearing values and hope’s renewal,” while the final piece, “Gas/Lightening,” choreographed by Bright, echoes the sentiment “freedom is not for the faint of heart,” according to the Wheeler website.

Aspen Fringe Festival FilmFest will screen two of its award-winning dance shorts: “Dreamadre,” starring Elisabetta Carnevale, explores themes of environmental consciousness and nature and “The Key,” created and directed by South African filmmaker Jaco Strydom along with dancers Fred Gehrig, Barbara Koch and composer Roxy Roller, is a dance, film and music collaboration. 

“Both are dance films, which are really cool and interesting,” Ledingham said. “It’s been an audience favorite in the past.”

The Aspen’s Fringe Festival’s second night will feature the 2025 off-Broadway play “Still,” starring Ledingham and Libby Rife. The play, created by Lia Romeo, will be directed by Maurice LaMee. A New York Outer Critics Circle Award nominee for Best New American Play, “Still” is a funny, thought-provoking tale about lost love and second chances.

The story is set nearly three decades after a breakup. Characters Helen and Mark reconnect over drinks and rediscover a familiar spark. As old decisions and fresh secrets come to light, everything they believe about the future begins to unravel. 

Humorous and revealing, “Still” traces the fine line between what brings people together and what pulls them apart.

“It’s a really great, interesting comedy, with some twists and turns done in an eloquent way,” Ledingham said. 

The Wheeler Opera House is located at 320 E. Hyman Ave. For more information and tickets, visit the Wheeler Opera House and aspenshowtix.com.

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