A Renegade History
BACK IN THE DAY….
Founder Chad Badgero had been involved in the local Lansing theatre community his entire life. Then, one fateful day in 2005, he looked around and realized that Lansing boasted a thriving festival scene, but nothing that offered a chance for theatre artists to celebrate together. So Badgero set out to bring as many theatres in the area together to present a free festival of plays over a three day weekend.
That first year, 8 theatres gathered in East Lansing in alleys, old coffee shops, abandoned buildings, and in art galleries to perform plays that they had always wanted to produce during their regular season, but couldn’t seem to find a slot. Renegade provided the opportunity for theatre companies in the region to explore, expand, and explode their typical programming, and to try out new stuff they weren’t sure could survive (or bring in a profit) during their regular season.
The Renegade Theatre Festival grew up for two summers in downtown East Lansing (2005 & 2006), and then took a hiatus for a year when finding performance venues became difficult. Then, the clairvoyant and exceedingly creative Melissa Kaplan approached Badgero with the idea of bringing Renegade to the Old Town Lansing district. The two took an informal walking tour of the vibrant and welcoming arts district nestled next to the Grand River in North Lansing, and suddenly the festival came to life again!
The Renegade Theatre Festival has made Old Town its home – a community of artists, business owners, idea-makers, and brave souls who open their doors and patios to theatre revelry every August.
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT
Performances at the Renegade Festival include comedy, drama, musicals, children’s theatre, performance art, puppet theatre, readings of new works by local playwrights and improv, all presented by some of Lansing’s most prominent theatres, as well as by independent producers.
On WEEKEND ONE, Renegade features the New Original Works (N.O.W.) portion of the festival, three days (August 10 – 12, 2017) of new plays that have never been seen on stage, sent from all over the United States!
On WEEKEND TWO (August 17 – 19, 2017), visitors can choose from different shows in traditional performance spaces and some unique locations all over Old Town. Saturday features a day-long theatre-making workshop for teens ending with a public performance of their original play. Saturday also coincides with Art Feast, Old Town’s newest celebration of artisanal creativity with plenty of local food trucks and artist booths to enjoy. Throughout, Renegade programs live music of many genres on the Turner Park stage, with a few other surprises thrown in to keep patrons on their toes.
WHERE IT ALL HAPPENS
Located in the northern end of Lansing, Michigan, Old Town overlooks the Grand River and a winding bike trail. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the North Lansing Historic Commercial District, the district was established in the mid-19th century and it is the oldest of the three original villages of what is now present day Lansing. This area contains the first home built in Lansing, by pioneer James Seymour and his family in 1843. After a long decline brought about by economic changes in the area, Old Town has emerged in the last twenty years as a center of arts and culture for the greater Lansing area.