Fringe Festival of New Student Work Highlights Writing Process

The School of Literary and Performing Arts at UA Little Rock will showcase student innovation in the 2024 Fringe Festival of New Student Work featuring original works generated by students in class with playwright-in-residence Candrice Jones.

This year’s Fringe Festival, established in 2008 to connect professionals and students through mentorship, will be hosted in Haislip Theatre on the UA Little Rock campus on April 17 and 18. Each showing will be at 7:30 p.m., and admission is free.

An award-winning playwright, educator, and recipient of the Kesselring Prize for Playwriting, Candrice Jones continues her residency that began in 2023 through the Fringe Festival.

“Each year, we are able to tailor a Fringe Festival that fosters original student work in a way that meets the educational journey and process of the year,” said Stacy Pendergraft, co-director of the School of Literary and Performing Arts. “Last year, Candrice mentored new work, and we knew then that having her connect more deeply with students through a semester’s long course would be an invaluable experience.”

This year’s festival delves into the writing process. Students will first hear their work read by actors, then the students will have the opportunity to revise their pieces. The final readings will be presented before a theater audience on April 17 and 18. Additionally, both nights will feature original monologues and spoken word selections created by students from across the school, as well as from students who were in the First Year Experience course in the fall of 2023.

The Fringe Festival of New Student Work is made possible through the Kerry Kennedy Aspiring Playwright Endowed Fund. “[The fund] continues to enhance our commitment to original voices and has had an incredible impact on the department from its beginning in 2006,” Pendergraft said.

For more information, contact the School of Literary and Performing Arts at 501-916-3291 or slpa@ualr.edu.