At this point, Rochester Fringe Festival Producer and CEO Erica Fee considers Las Vegas-based performers Matt and Heidi Morgan to be local celebrities.
“Do you want to know how I know they're in Rochester?” she asked. “It's not because I know their flight. Every single year when they arrive, I get no less than three texts from somebody who's seen them in Wegmans.”
The Morgans, a married performing duo, have become annual mainstays at Fringe since they performed their first “Cirque du Fringe” show in 2015. Every year, the pair produces a new show under the “Cirque du Fringe” umbrella — as well as add-on performances of their “Shotspeare” productions, booze-soaked adaptations of the Bard’s best works.
“Being able to create something new every year is kind of a dream,” said Matt Morgan. “(As) an artist, sometimes you get locked into things, and you have to do 10 shows a week, or you have to do the same thing over and over again. So for us to be able to do something fresh and different every year is super fun — a lot of work, but it's really fun.”
This year’s show, titled “Cirque du Fringe: Varieté,” and described as a “classic vaudeville meets retro variety show kitsch meets modern circus live in technicolor” will feature Argentinian gauchos, trapeze and hair hang aerialists, roller skates, a basketball juggler and more.
“We get to bring (in) some of the best artists in the world,” said Morgan. “The festival itself has cultivated such a unique and wonderful experience for the community, so I'm excited for those people to see these artists and what it is that they're making and producing in the world.”
The pair has performed across the country, receiving acclaim for their clownery and work in classical theater. But despite their busy schedule, the Morgans prioritize their marital status.
“Our relationship — who we are as a married couple and as friends and all of that — is first on the list,” said Morgan. “And then performing and all of that is second.”
The Morgans, along with their two young sons, look forward to returning to Rochester every year and performing new shows for a familiar audience.
“Going back to the same crowds year after year is extra special, just because we get to develop relationships with the audience, and we get to know people,” said Morgan. “To cultivate a unique theater experience for an audience, that part of it is probably the best part of the whole thing.”
In their downtime (which isn’t much), the Morgans and their troupe are avid supporters of other acts during the 10-day festival.
“Go out, support art,” said Morgan. “Go see something at Fringe you wouldn't normally see.”
“Cirque du Fringe: Varieté” | Spiegeltent | September 10-21 | Ages 13+ (Saturday matinees 5+) | $23 - $147
Ally Watkinson is a Goldring Arts, Style & Culture Journalism graduate student at the Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University. The cohort previewed Fringe as part of a summer class. 
“Do you want to know how I know they're in Rochester?” she asked. “It's not because I know their flight. Every single year when they arrive, I get no less than three texts from somebody who's seen them in Wegmans.”
- NARADA J. RILEY.
- A performance from last year's production, "Circolombia: Corazon."
“Being able to create something new every year is kind of a dream,” said Matt Morgan. “(As) an artist, sometimes you get locked into things, and you have to do 10 shows a week, or you have to do the same thing over and over again. So for us to be able to do something fresh and different every year is super fun — a lot of work, but it's really fun.”
This year’s show, titled “Cirque du Fringe: Varieté,” and described as a “classic vaudeville meets retro variety show kitsch meets modern circus live in technicolor” will feature Argentinian gauchos, trapeze and hair hang aerialists, roller skates, a basketball juggler and more.
“We get to bring (in) some of the best artists in the world,” said Morgan. “The festival itself has cultivated such a unique and wonderful experience for the community, so I'm excited for those people to see these artists and what it is that they're making and producing in the world.”
- PROVIDED.
“Our relationship — who we are as a married couple and as friends and all of that — is first on the list,” said Morgan. “And then performing and all of that is second.”
The Morgans, along with their two young sons, look forward to returning to Rochester every year and performing new shows for a familiar audience.
“Going back to the same crowds year after year is extra special, just because we get to develop relationships with the audience, and we get to know people,” said Morgan. “To cultivate a unique theater experience for an audience, that part of it is probably the best part of the whole thing.”
In their downtime (which isn’t much), the Morgans and their troupe are avid supporters of other acts during the 10-day festival.
“Go out, support art,” said Morgan. “Go see something at Fringe you wouldn't normally see.”
“Cirque du Fringe: Varieté” | Spiegeltent | September 10-21 | Ages 13+ (Saturday matinees 5+) | $23 - $147
Ally Watkinson is a Goldring Arts, Style & Culture Journalism graduate student at the Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University. The cohort previewed Fringe as part of a summer class.
