Aspen Fringe Festival will kick off with the vibrant and emotionally charged Heisenberg by Simon Stephens. Heisenberg originally opened on Broadway in 2016 to great acclaim starring Tony Award® nominees Mary Louise Parker and Denis Arndt. The performance will feature Aspen’s own Nikki Boxer and Mike Monroney and will be followed by a post-show talk with the playwright Simon Stephens. 

Founded in 1994 by David Ledingham, The Aspen Fringe Festival is dedicated to the idea that great art stimulates cultural discussion, inspires other artists and encourages people to think and act globally. To that end, we are committed to bringing exceptional performing arts and artists to Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley to provide opportunities for local performers, artists and audiences to collaborate with them and be stimulated by their work.

“Art can change the world, one performance at a time,” said David Ledingham, artistic director for AFF. During a difficult time when many arts organizations shuttered their doors, David explained “we felt live arts were more important than ever and AFF proudly pressed on to present three acclaimed live festivals during 2020 & 2021.” AFF found a way to reopen the Wheeler Opera House June 11, 2021, after 16 closed months, bringing Aspen audiences to their feet. That experience solidified the notion for David that “the magic of shared experiences heals us and brings us closer.”

We invite you to Aspen Fringe Festival’s (and Shakespeare’s) belief that live performance can “hold as ‘twere the mirror up to nature: to show virtue her feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure.” See you on the Fringe!