Category Archives: Fringe

Promotional Photos for The Ferment

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Four young people standing near the trolley track look off camera.

Many thanks to actor Emily Harris, our Sonja Somone, for organizing a super fun photo shoot with photographer Anne McHale for The Ferment over the weekend. Also featuring cast members Madelyn Ebersole, Ryan Jay, and Lara Elizabeth Zelinski.

Young woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing glasses and a denim shirt holds a pink smoke grenade in front of wild green plants.
Four young people looking at something off-camera stand near the trolley tracks
Three young women rest near a brick wall in an industrial location
Two young women stand at a distance from a passing trolley
Person in a purple button down shirt holds a pink smoke grenade high into the air
Young woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing glasses and a denim shirt holds a pink smoke grenade in front of wild green plants.
Young woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing glasses and a denim shirt holds two pink smoke grenades high into the air while walking down the middle of a street.
Close up of two women staring at a heavy chain and lock on a rust-colored fence.
Young woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing glasses and a denim shirt holds a pink smoke grenade in front of wild green plants.

Performances: Thursday, Oct. 8 at 6:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 at 9:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Electric City Trolley Museum, 300 Cliff Street, Scranton, PA. Tickets are $15 at scrantonfringe.org.

Common Play Factory Announces Cast for THE FERMENT

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graphic in bright yellow on a grungy pink background with text listing the cast information from the post.

SCRANTON, PA – Sept. 17, 2026 – Common Play Factory presents THE FERMENT, a revolutionary romance in audio by Alicia Lynn Grega. Episodes One and Two of the eight-episode limited series will be recorded live with audience participation at the 2026 Scranton Fringe Festival (Oct. 1-10).

This production is made possible with the talents of: Emily Harris as Sonja Somone, Michael Blaustein as Noel Torres, Ryan Jay as Whip Lewis, Lara Elizabeth Zelinski as Lorna McHale*, Madelyn Ebersole as Lindsay Kazak*, Rachel Lucille Woodworth as Felicity Somone*, and Andy Hicks as Dr. Lucian Barnes* (*and other roles). Original theme song by Mollie Edsell. Sound design by Andy Hicks.

Origins of The Ferment
THE FERMENT is a prequel to Alicia Grega’s feature screenplay Comfort Station No. 8, set roughly a decade later in the same fractured world – a United States dissolved into regional Free States. THE FERMENT opens in 2040 as the new Pacific Free State prepares to hold its first elections. The story follows reluctant college student Sonja Somone as she meets a group of young activists and falls for their charismatic leader.

Climate catastrophes are forecast to displace millions of people in coming decades as housing costs continue to rise and there’s no clear consensus on who will care for the most vulnerable. It’s hoped that The Ferment’s fictional, protopian setting will give audiences restless about the midterm elections and future of our democracy a way to process complicated questions without the baggage of current partisan positions.

The playwright was further inspired by the feeling of companionship provided by public radio broadcasts, audiobooks and fictional podcasts. The intimate power of a single voice to remind us we are not alone was especially clear during recent pandemic years. More than half of the U.S. population reports feeling isolated and one-fifth of people feel lonely a significant part of each day.

THE FERMENT hopes to reach people wherever they are via podcast, while staging episodes one and two live at Scranton Fringe to bring people together in-person for uniquely stimulating, shared live experience.

“People need to gather more, in general,” Grega said. “It’s one of the reasons I felt this show needed to be experienced live – despite its audio format. When asked what would make her life better, no time to think about it – Sonja confesses she doesn’t want to feel alone anymore. We need each other to survive.”

Performances: Thursday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Electric City Trolley Museum, 300 Cliff Street, Scranton, PA. Tickets are $15 at scrantonfringe.org.

About Common Play Factory
Common Play Factory (CPF) is a Scranton, PA-based performance company founded by dramatist Alicia Lynn Grega.

Contact us at dramastruction@gmail.com.