Fringe binge awaits art adventurers

There are a lot of ways you could describe a fringe festival: An artistic carnival, a smorgasbord of performance, an organized riot of self-expression.

But Mariah MacCarthy offers what might be the most ingenious and illustrative description of the phenomenon yet:

“It’s kind of the Netflix of theater,” says MacCarthy, a San Diego-raised theater artist now based in New York.

“You see people going to two or three or four shows a day, and just binge-ing on theater, in a way that most people do these days with TV and movies at home in bed.”

MacCarthy knows the territory well: She has staged her work at fringe fests three times, most recently at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, where her solo show “Baby Mama: One Woman’s Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People” won the “Producer’s Pick” award earlier this month.

Now MacCarthy and her troupe Cap Locks Theatre bring that same piece to our own San Diego International Fringe Festival, which opens its fourth annual edition this week.

“Baby Mama” is among some 90 shows that will unfold over the festival’s two-week run, totaling more than 400 performances at 17 venues around town. (The event's main hub is the box office and set of venues along the west side of the Spreckels Theatre, 121 Broadway downtown.)

Those works delve into a huge range of artistic disciplines, from dance to theater to circus to burlesque to creations that defy classification.

What they have in common is that they’re typically quirkier and more personal than your conventional cultural fare, and so find a natural home among the adventurous audiences and (within reason) anything-goes ethos of fringe fests.

Mariah MacCarthy.

“It’s an amazing form for artists because I’ve found that at fringes, audiences who don’t know your work will take a chance on you,” says MacCarthy. “When fringe festivals are done right, there’s a great sense of community.”

She also appreciates the no-frills vibe that characterizes the form.

“It’s about the storytelling; it’s about the people in the room together, sharing a story, sharing excitement,” MacCarthy says. “It gets down to the essentials of it, and I find that really exciting.”

Because the ever-expanding San Diego Fringe Festival takes in so many shows in so many venues, it can be a little difficult for newcomers to find their bearings.

The best bet is to go to the fest’s website, sdfringe.org, and check out the menu of artists and offerings.

Most of the action still takes place downtown, but this year there are also two separate Club Fringe gathering spots: on the second floor of the Spreckels Theatre complex next to Horton Plaza, and in the lobby of Diversionary Theatre in uptown University Heights.

One aspect of the festival, the brainchild of executive producer/director Kevin Charles Patterson (board chairman of San Diego Actors Alliance, remains unchanged: All proceeds from ticket sales go directly to the artists.

There's a sad note to this year's fest, Patterson says, with the passing of former Spreckels Theatre executive director Geoffrey Shlaes, who was a key Fringe champion and mentor. In his honor, the former RAW Space has been renamed The Geoffrey Off Broadway.

Patterson says the fest will once again have a strong contingent of artists from around the country and world, including acts from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Wales, England, Mexico and Italy, as well as nine U.S. states.

He's also excited about the Family Fringe event, taking place July 2 at the City Heights Performance Annex.

"And a huge addition to 2016 is the Nations Of San Diego International Dance Festival," which runs concurrently with the Fringe at the San Diego Rep's Lyceum Theatres complex in Horton Plaza.

Patterson is pleased, too, with the first-time participation of San Diego Theatres (which runs the Civic and Balboa Theatres); the organization will offer some free public performances in the newly renovated Horton Plaza Park.

And for a second year, the fest will cross the border, with June 24-25 performances in Tijuana.

Here’s just a tiny sampling of shows to look for as the festival unfolds:

“Baby Mama: One Woman’s Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People,” Caps Lock Theatre: Mariah MacCarthy grew up writing and doing theater in San Diego (she was also a onetime youth critic for the Union-Tribune’s “Rated G” column). Her solo piece, directed by Sara Lyons for Caps Lock, chronicles very candidly her own experiences with an unexpected pregnancy in 2013, which led to placing her son for adoption with a gay couple.

“Getting to share this story with people who haven’t had a chance to follow my artistic trajectory is really special for me, because this is where I grew up — this is where the foundation was laid,” MacCarthy says of her San Diego homecoming. She was moved to create the show because she felt “profoundly alone” during the pregnancy and adoption process: “What I want to provide to people is a sense that this is something that can happen and be OK.” 6 p.m. Saturday; 4 p.m. Sunday; 9 p.m. Monday; 10:30 p.m. June 30. Diversionary Theatre Black Box, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights.

“Disappearing Act,” InnerMission Productions: The local company reprises its immersive, documentary-based piece about the consequences of PTSD. 2:30 p.m. Friday and Sunday; 6 p.m. Saturday; 9 p.m. Monday; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Geoffrey Off Broadway, 923 First Ave., downtown.

Thom Vegh in “Dr. Svetlana’s Public & Private Health Lecture Demonstration.”

“Dr. Svetlana’s Public & Private Health Lecture Demonstration,” Thom Vegh: The founder of San Diego’s pioneering LGBT company Diversionary Theatre rolls out his solo piece centered on a very curious-sounding medical practitioner, in the “Theatre of the Ridiculous” tradition. 1 p.m. Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Sunday and July 1; 6 p.m. Wednesday; 4 p.m. July 2. Rosewood Five, 1150 Seventh Ave., downtown.

“That 24-Hour Thing,” Logan2 Productions: Six playwrights each get 24 hours to write a 10-minute play in this action-packed (and sleep-deficient) event, now in its third year. Then six directors and 18 actors have eight hours to rehearse before curtain. Local directors participating include Kathi Copeland, Owen Stone, Lisa Berger, Jackie Ritz, Chris Salazar and Joe Huppert. 6:30 p.m. July 3. Neil Morgan Auditorium, San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., downtown.