Fresh Fruit Festival
The Fresh Fruit Festival is a New York summer arts festival featuring the work of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) artists. Held every July, the festival was founded by Carol Polcovar in 2003 and sponsored by All Out Arts and New Village Productions. It is currently a program of All Out Arts a 501c3 organization. It includes a wide range of plays, visual arts, dance, and film presentations. Along with the Hot! Festival, it is among the most prominent LGBT-themed festivals in the New York artistic community. Fresh Fruit Festival enters its 10th year in 2011. Carol Polcovar held the position of Artistic Director of the festival for the past seven year. Frank Calo a long time Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway producer is the current Artistic Director. Fresh Fruit Festival is the only grassroots multidiscipline LGBT Arts Festival in NYC, growing not from a theater group but from LGBT political activists seeking to fight homophobia through the arts.
Past Festivals
Performing Fruits 2007
Special Events
Can't Prove It On Me: A Benefit for Fresh Fruit and the Musicians of New Orleans, honoring LGBT Jazz Greats Featuring Rome Neal, ButtaFly Soul, Linda Oh, Laraine Goodman, and Jolie Garrett.
Going Bananas II: A Night with the funniest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Comics Hosted by Murray Hill
The Art Of Drag: Hosted by Clover Honey Featuring The Church Ladies For Choice, Samantha Richards, Jacqueline Jonee, Radical Faeries, Millie Shayntwrite, and Lady Maria Chaste Diva
Theatre
- Fading To Grey by Richarf A. Pettey
- Mentor by John S. Green
- Monroe Bound by Lucile Scott
- The Long Ride Home by Robert Gompers
- William & James by Robert Tsonos
Short Plays and Performance Art
- Love Scenes by David Pumo
- The Naked Dead Elephant In The Middle Of The Room by Larson Rose
- Lay Down and Love Me Again
- Striped & Teased by Kimberly Dark
- Debutantes Balls by Scott Turner Schofield
- A. Gender by Joey Hateley
Poetry/Spoken Word
- LeShaun Lovell
- Buttafly Soul
- Ainsley Drew
Visual Arts
- Mariette Pathy-Allen
- Isaiah Shackelford
- John Sages
- Daniel L. Malisky
Dance
- Agnes De Garon
- Buttafly Soul
Performing Fruits 2006
Special Events
CAVALCADE OF FRUITS at the Slipper Room: SONGS FROM A FRUIT RICH SOUL: Featuring a world of musical imagination with MC: ButtaFlySoul and David Brown, Lisa Jackson and Kathy Valentine with Anne Rebold. FRUITS: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE: Highlights from this year’s festival and a look at the best of past performances.
TWO SPIRIT EVENING: Celebrating of the First LGBT People on our Continent • Produced by Robert Urban • Featuring Georgie Jessup, Roger Kuhn, John Birdsong, Maurice Kenny and honoring Kent Lebostock recipient of the Fresh Fruit Award for Service to Diversity
Theatre
- Why'd Ya Make Me Wear That, Joe? by Vanda
- To Whom It May Concern by Aurin Squire
- My Mother Told Me I Was Different by Carol Polcovar
Short Plays and Performance Art
- Tokyo Penguin
- Stories From the Big House by Robin Cloud
- Real Smiles by Jon Spano
- The Bottom Line: Sex Politics and Masturbation by JEN/ed and Jen De Wald
Poetry
- FRESH FRUIT and WE 3 PRODUCTIONS present PURE POETRY at the TELEPHONE BAR
- Producer and Host: Robert Urban
- Poets: baron, Tami Beyer, Angelina Lim, Thomas March, Richard Loringer, Amy Ouzoonian, Jack Sheeler, Chavisa Woods, Tamiko Beyer, Robert Urban, Chocolate Waters
Film and Video
OUT TO THE MOVIES
- Queer Duck: The Movie - created by Mike Riess and directed by Xieth Feinberg
- Bright Lights/Out City - produced and directed by Tony Sawicki and featuring Clover Honey
Dance
- Outsider Dancing pieces choreographed by Chelsea Ellis and Sean Dorsey
Development (Play Readings)
- The File on Ryan Carter by David Gaard
- ATA by Nick Mwaluko
Performing Fruits 2005
Musicals, Musical Revues, Cabaret Performance
- Ain't We Got Fun by Micheal McFaden
- What's Your Problem by Hector Coris and Paul L. Johnson
- Fresh Fruit Cocktail curated and directed by Bob Ost
- The Girl That I Marry, Elaine St. George
Plays
- Waafrika by Nanna Mwaluko
- Pen Pals by Barbara Kahn
- Somewhere in Between by Ronny Almog
Performance Pieces and Short Plays
- The Pamachene Belle by Carolyn Gage featuring Leslie Bernadini
- Calamity Jane Writes a Letter To Her Daughter by Carolyn Gage with Leslie Bernadini
- Diagnosis Jew Pain written and performed by Michael Feldman
- Tender Hooks written and performed by Paige Collette
- Low Brow written and performed by Pedro Angel Serrano
Poetry and Literature
- Fruit ala Mode curated by Vittoria repetto
- Donna Mikowitz reads from her new work
Multi-Media
- Somewhere in Between, Ronnie Almog
- From Brooklyn to Maui, Ayin Adams
Musical Performance (without book)
- Trans/Gender/ Rock/ Explosion curated by Robert Urban presented by Fresh Fruit and
- Urban Productions with Lisa Jackson and her band Girl Friday, Georgie Jessup, Temptress and Vibralux
Spoken Word
- Homo Hip Hop Poetry Jam 2 curated by baron, MC ButtaFlySoul
Video
- From Brooklyn to Maui, Ayin Adams
Visual Art
- Fresh Fruit installation at Blue Heron Arts Center’s Mainstage by Nick Curto
Performing Fruits 2004
PLAYS
- In the Shadow of a Dream by John Adams directed by Alec Harrington
- Getting It written and directed by Kevin Jones
PERFORMANCE AND SHORT PLAYS
- Tea and Torniquets written and performed by Keith Angora
- Albee Damned by Kevin Brofsky
- Cucumber Dreams written and performed by Michael Cross Burke
- Bad Habits (Lesbian Nun Tells All) written and performed by Kelli Duham
- Daring and Divine written and performed by Beth Smulyan
- Skinny Isn’t Sexy written and performed by Elizabeth Whitney
- TIMEBOMB written and performed by Derek Zasky
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
- Justin Tranter, singer and songwriter
- Jenn Lindsay, singer and songwriter
- Nhojj, singer and songwriter
- sean360x, vocalist and performance artiste
- Deina McBryde, vocalist
POETRY
- Susan Sherman
- Rachel Guido deVries
- Jennifer Foltesor
- Beatrix Gates
- Gale Jackson
- Vittoria Repetto
- ButtaFlySoul
- Maurice Jamal
- sean360x
- Kyana Brindle
- Claudia Alick
- Prince Chulo
- Lorraine Sabine
COMEDY
DANCE
Performing Fruits 2003
PLAYS
- The Bald Diva! The Ionesco Parody your mother warned you about, by David Koteles conceived by Jason Jacobs with Jamee Freedus, directed by Jason Jacobs, Dramaturgy by Jamee Freedus
- Forbidden Fruit written and directed by Jeff Bedillion
PERFORMANCE and SHORT PLAYS
- Metamorphosex by Lissa Moira
- My Buddy, Pelleas and Me written and performed by Michael Cross Burke
- Mia Anderson's Drag Kings, Sluts & Goddesses
- R.A.W written by Dianna Son directed by Fides. E. Daruthayan
- Before there words (a poetic reclaiming) written and performed by Maiana Minahal
- Tight written and performed by Mary F. Unser directed by Marie-Louise Miller
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
- Deian McBryde's, Mabel Dawn Davis: Woman on Stage
- Yolanda accompanied by Robert Urban
- sean360x
- An Evening With Out Music: Jeff Zuckerman, Danny Morita Katz, Jenn Lindsay, Corrine Curcio
External links