Tennessee Williams meets comedy at Charm City Fringe Festival

BALTIMORE, MD – Charm City Fringe and Fade to Black present Belle! An improvised comedic play at Charm City Fringe Festival in the style of Tennessee Williams.

Each show creates an original comedic one-act play in the moment. The characters, scenes, and dynamics lovingly parody great works such as a Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie.

The festival is created by Charm City Fringe (CCF), part of the worldwide network of fringe festivals. Their aims is to connect and develop Baltimore's theater community, engage new and existing audiences, and include communities not commonly represented.

Even audiences less familiar with Tennessee Williams' works will see a hilarious and emotional stage play filled with big characters, bigger secrets and steamy love triangles. As each of the five plays is entirely unique, audiences are invited to see multiple performances.

Belle! is directed by Alan J. McCombs who joined the Baltimore Improv Group in 2014.

With Fade to Black, a Baltimore-based improv comedy team, McCombs improvises story-based shows based on an audience suggestion. Founded in late 2016, the team performs most often performs an improvised movie.

By creating and managing this annual theater festival and regular educational community workshops, CCF helps to cultivate Baltimore as a hub for theater and the performing arts.

McCombs trained with BIG as well as in workshops in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and in Philadelphia. McCombs was a founding member of Casually Dope, a project formed in 2013 as Minority Re'port. McCombs has performed in a variety of festivals across the country including the San Diego Improv Festival, the Boston Comedy Arts Festival, and the Del Close Marathon.

As regular performers with Baltimore Improv Group, Fade to Black frequently creates genre-specific shows such as the upcoming horror film show Oh! The Horror. Other shows the team produces includes Christmas-themed action movies, and a run of sci-fi movie-themed shows which parodies properties such as Star Trek and Star Wars.

The cast list includes Frankie Daniels, Rasheed Green, Alan J. McCombs, Kristen McKenzie, Kim Scarfe, Sam Van Sant, and Brian E. Young.

Belle! An improvised comedic play at Charm City Fringe Festival opening night is Saturday, 10/12 - 8:15 PM and continues its run Sunday, 10/13 - 1:15 PM, Thursday, 10/17 - 10:00 PM, Saturday, 10/19 - 3:00 PM, and Sunday, 10/20 - 1:15 PM at Current Space, 421 N Howard St, Baltimore, MD 21201.

For updated information, go to charmcityfringe.com