University City is joining Old City for the first time in hosting events for Philadelphia's annual Fringe Festival, which gives artists of all sorts 16 days to showcase their talents.
This year, University City was asked to host 15 of the festival's nearly 150 self-produced shows, since the program's growing size made it difficult to find enough venues in Old City.
"When [the organizers] started looking for neighborhoods that they thought were cool enough and artsy enough and interesting enough to host some events, they contacted Penn," said Tony Sorrentino, Penn Facilities spokesman. "It makes perfect sense, because 40th Street is this very interesting strip [with] places for people to go before and after the show."
Andrew Zitcer, Penn's cultural assets manager, agreed.
The Fringe Festival organizers "saw University City as a real extension of the Fringe aesthetic because we are known as having the character of eclectic and creative, tolerant audiences for the arts, and the pool of venues that can sustain these performances," he said. "That makes us feel incredibly excited to know that we can be thought of in that light."
The Rotunda at 40th and Walnut streets -- a former church that now serves as a performance space -- is "a destination avant-garde," according to Sorrentino, and is one University City venue that is hosting three Fringe Festival events this year.
Rotunda Coordinator Gina Renzi said that University City was a logical choice for the events that her venue will host.
"A lot of people live around here because of the spirit of the neighborhood, so why not contribute to that even more by putting on your own production in this neighborhood?" she said.
Renzi also pointed to the artistic diversity present in the local community.
"I do think that University City and West Philly are filled not only with students and graduates and all kinds of professionals who come out of Penn and whatnot, but definitely artists and actors and actresses and musicians and whatnot," she said.
Renzi added, "Most of my neighbors are either college students who are creating art or people who have graduated and are trying to find jobs in the arts."
Renzi hopes the festival will continue to seek venues in University City in the future, and that Penn will become an active participant in some of the events.
"I think it'll be even bigger next year," she said. "I see it expanding. I see the University getting more involved, maybe providing a space on campus for student arts groups that want to put on a Fringe show or something."
