No Place Like Home For Ruby Slipper Fringe

A new, all-female festival is being launched in the Triad. The idea behind it began with conversation between dancer Cara Hagan and actress Amy Da Luz.

Hagan says they were concerned about women's voices in the arts and their disproportionate representation compared with men's voices.

"We asked ourselves ‘Hey, why don't we do a fringe festival where women of all backgrounds, all artistic backgrounds and experiences come together and share work that's in progress, that's experimental, that's finished, and in all forms?'"

Da Luz says their idea was quickly validated by the flood of applications they received from across the country, and the Ruby Slipper Fringe was born. The four-day festival (opening Thursday in Winston-Salem) will showcase 100 female artists in the areas of film, theatre, poetry, storytelling, dance, and music.

"We heard from so many women who have been searching for a place to express themselves, needing a place to create, share and explore in a safe, non-judgmental environment."

Performances will be in varying stages of development, and each one will be followed by post-show dialogues with the artist where audience members will share their impressions of the performance. The feedback sessions will be led by moderators chosen by Hagan and Da Luz.

Hagan says the festival is a unique opportunity for both the artist and the audience.

"There's a special kind of vulnerability in premiering something, showing it for the first time, kind of laying yourself bare for the audience to see. And I think that also it gives people a chance to see parts of the process that you might not get to see otherwise."

Ruby Slipper Fringe takes place at the Mountcastle Forum in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts over the next two weekends.