PHILLY FRINGE: Great Bends by Floorwork Arts Collective

In a near-future teetering on the edge of climate catastrophe, Great Bends tells the story of three friends and former activists navigating the complexities of life, loss, and an uncertain future. Set against the backdrop of relentless flooding in their hometown of Great Bend, Kansas, the play delves into the personal impact of climate change and the ways it reshapes relationships, dreams, and identities.

As Ness visits home, she reconnects with Ona and Ben, whose lives have changed in unexpected ways. Ona has become involved in a movement that challenges traditional ideas of family, while Ben works on the front lines as a "waterfighter."

Great Bends explores urgent themes of climate uncertainty, the weight of birth and loss, and the tension between personal choices and global crises. Through intimate conversations, the characters confront the scars left by natural disasters, rekindle old bonds, and grapple with decisions that shape their futures in an unstable world.

Great Bends will premiere as an immersive dinner theatre. Every ticket invites you to join these friends in a homecooked meal provided by Floorwork Arts Collective. Please note given the nature of this show, we will be unable to accommodate any dietary restrictions. Please email floorworkco@gmail.com with questions.

About the Artists:

Floorwork Arts Collective aims to produce collaborative new work "from the ground up" that speaks to contemporary social issues. By imbedding the values of our art into our creative practice, we empower emerging interdisciplinary artists to praxis their ideas while creating with, educating, and entertaining audiences in experimental productions. Our goal is to create nontraditional, anti-capitalist theatre in community that deconstructs hierarchies and promotes ecological sustainability.

Floorwork Arts Collective is located primarily in Brooklyn, NY with ties to Philadelphia, Chicago, and Denver. As a collective, we have produced readings and full length immersive productions of new work as well as hosted free, community-oriented writing workshops and open office hours for community building and networking with our collaborators.

Recently, we produced a full length, immersive dinner party production in which the audience shared a three course meal (in collaboration with a local chef) alongside the actors to convey that the audience is just as much active participants of the conversations happening onstage as the characters. This immersive dinner party production deeply aligned with Floorwork's commitment to experimental work and work that is in conversation with the audience/social world at large.

Although the Floorwork board consists of four members (Sarah, Matti, Becca, and Mara), Floorwork strives to radically "call-in" artists of all backgrounds, mediums, and degrees of experience into our collective to create an open, diverse, and radically unique team of artists.

Tickets:

For Fringe Festival events, Studio 34 is allotted a limited number of advance tickets If we are "sold out" here, please check Studio 34's page on the Philly Fringe website. All online sales end 2 hours before showtime. More tickets may be available at the door.

Floorwork is offering tiered ticket pricing.

• $20 Arts should be accessible to all who want to connect and experience the power and community of live theatre. 

• $30 Tickets purchased at this tier allow us to cover costs associated with putting on this dinner theatre production.

• $40 Tickets purchased at this tier make a valuable contribution to the future of community based “no-profit” theatre.

• $50 Tickets purchased at this tier show true commitment to new theatre. You are helping offset the cost of a ticket for someone whom this experience would otherwise be inaccessible. Thank you!

About Studio 34:

Studio 34 is West Philly’s Fringe Hub and a mixed-use yoga/healing/arts spot all year round! Named for the trolley that stops out front, we host art, comedy, dance, drag, music, poetry, puppetry and theatre in our gallery, lounge, and studio spaces, as well as holistic services, 30+ weekly classes, and a wide array of community happenings. Our 2025 Fringe roster features dozens of our favorite artists from all over Philly and around the country, ready to transcend the bounds of DIY performance. Come see one show and stay for the next, all under one roof on vibrant Baltimore Avenue.

Accessibility:

Studio 34 is...

• up a flight of stairs

• mask-optional (unless otherwise noted)

• a sober space