German theater, inspired by Kodak 

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In many ways, Rochester Fringe Festival celebrates local creators who live and work here year-round. But the festival also has a performer reach that’s global in scale; the Irish “Ballet Poulet” in 2023 and this year's French actor-comedian Marcel Lucont are recent examples.

Another international connection is “From Darkness a Morning Glory,” which actor and puppeteer Oscar Olivo premiered in Wolfen, Germany at the Osten Festival earlier this year. The English-language version, co-presented by Rochester Fringe and the Goethe-Institut New York, premieres at Fringe in a free, all-ages performances on Sept. 14 and 15.

But although “From Darkness a Morning Glory” was created abroad, it was inspired locally. The story, which Olivo calls “autobiographical fiction,” follows the artist as takes a road trip with his friend Amy from Berlin back to his home state of New York. Once there, Olivo visits the Eastman Kodak Company, which he credits with helping him keep his cherished memories alive in photographs.

His mother’s Kodak camera, which she always had on-hand to document family experiences, was the impetus behind many of his memories — but Olivo also acknowledged the power of nostalgia to shape how memories are viewed.

“That's exactly it, especially in the sense of me being almost blinded by the glossy pictures,” he said.

Rochester Fringe Festival Producer and Executive Director Erica Fee was particularly drawn to the nuance of the work.

"That’s something that I appreciated, because it does show the lightness and the darkness,” said Fee. “It does indicate that our memories are always seen through filters. What are the filters we put down on these memories? How do we bash through those at times and see things from a different point of view?”

She also sees corporate responsibility as an important theme in the work. “From Darkness a Morning Glory” was first staged in Wolfen, where the German film company AGFA once had a factory. The effects of pollution are still felt there today.

Olivo echoed that the environmental angle was vital to his concept.

“That was a hidden wish of mine, to be able to talk about the ecological effect that an industry has on a place,” he said. “And put in the air who bears responsibility, not just for producing the products, but ... all these effects from this production that the generations afterward have to deal with.”

The American premiere of “From Darkness a Morning Glory” takes place at the Rochester Fringe festival’s Spiegelgarden on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 15 at 2:30 p.m. Free, all ages. rochesterfringe.com.

Daniel J. Kushner is an arts writer at CITY. He can be reached at [email protected].