SoLow Festival

Thu.- Sun., May 13-23, pay what you can, Underground Arts at the Wolf Building, 340 N. 12th St., anthologyproject.org/solow-festival.

by Alexandra Harcharek

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Published: May 12, 2010

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In a dusty performance space lined with giant toy soldiers leftover from an old theater company, a group of local creatives is busy developing art that doesn't cost a thing. The SoLow Festival, co-founded by artists Thomas Choinacky and Amanda Grove, was conceived as a means of creating experimental solo projects in unusual places on the cheap. "I'm a starving artist, that's for sure," says Choinacky, whose 10-day festival features a dozen artists and performers showcasing "low-maintenance" pieces, ranging from improv-based works to staged readings. Artist Cora Leighton, for example, will perform Pieces of Me, narrating her thoughts on her kidney donation and other acts of "bodily deconstruction." At the tail end of the fest, nerdcore gets its due as geeky rap collective Nerdrage — featuring MC Frontalot, MC 8Bit and more — perform Fri., May 21. The majority of the projects are short solo gigs, running anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. Everything is pay-what-you-can donations, and serves as an alternative to the increasingly expensive Live Arts/Fringe festivals. "At the end of the day," says Choinacky, "we should just be able to create and perform without having to spend a lot."

Thu.- Sun., May 13-23, pay what you can, Underground Arts at the Wolf Building, 340 N. 12th St., anthologyproject.org/solow-festival.

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