Shark Grant

Stupid, Absurd, Brilliant

You walk into Shark Grant truly not knowing to expect, confronted only by the music stylings of a solitary DJ off in the corner, playing a beat that gradually goes off the rails only to be anchored by the occasional disembodied utterance of "SHARK GRANT". A stoic MC donning a captain's hat steps out to begin the show, revealing that the MC is in fact a multibillionaire clutching the fates of hapless souls who should come to state their case for their artistic endeavors, accompanied by two other rich celebrity "Sharks" that'd be at home in any other shark-business themed reality show. The show only escalates from there, for the show I saw in the best of ways. The sharks are equal parts belligerent and oblivious, peppering their contestants with the dumbest of questions. Games are played. Sharks are thrown. The highlight lies with the contestants however, each presenting what can only be described as a fever dream's conception of art. For me, there was Crocodiles on meth. Communist Toon Town. Telepathic stand up. Each show has a different set of panels, keeping the improv fresh and unhinged. I offer my endorsal to this production, and I should hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Kudos for Improv

Improv is hard, and worth the risk for me to see. This one did not land for me.

Saturday Night's Performance was Great

I went to this show not knowing what to expect and I ended up having a very enjoyable evening. The most entertaining contestant was a guy named Dan who was pitching his show about a singing group that "was similar to but was not the Beatles." His improv included having the audience sing the song "Twist and Shout". It provided a wonderful communal experience for all. It is too bad he did not win, I would have liked to see what he could do for the finals.

MUST See!

One of the best shows - Fringe or otherwise - we have ever seen! You walk in, and a juggler entertains you. Surely, you are not appreciating his craft, and he asks for applause - and you give it - he is great!!! And then, the emcee Victoria comes on. Pay attention to Victoria. She is magnificent. Reads her scripted lines - but you feel that she wants to scream past the script. The word "deadpan" doesn't give her enough credit -she is PERFECT in her craft! Each of the contestants embodies equal parts pathetic and defiant applicant. And the three judges - triumph in their interpretations of dilitant funders of the arts. A MUST SEE!!!

I Shark Can’t

Who will get the 💵💵💵

Unpredictable, lively and fun show! No two shows are the same which makes returning to see it a must. The artist grant requests range from the ridiculous to poignant and serious and the sharks never know what they are going to get. Come on in…the water is fine! 🦈

Creative and Fun

Anyone who has seen shark tank will appreciate this arts twist on the theme. Clever show playing off of how damn difficult it is to find the arts. And a fun time on top of that!

Silly & Random

Initially a neat, well-produced concept with a really sleek sideshow before deevolving into mumbly, fast-paced challenges that were hard for the audience to understand. A decent idea, but very piecemeal slapdash at the end.

Worth your time, and money

Who wouldn't want to invest an hour for some laughs, and grants? I laughed hard, the participants were breathing hard from their actual attempts at winning the obstacle course, everyone laughed, you got to place a vote as an audience member. Who's gonna get that monaaay?!

Shark-Spoofing Sharks

A funny spoof on Sharks, America's Got Talent, and other tv shows about competing for fame and/or fortune. This was also a humorous way for other Fringe Artists to promote their shows in the daily change of contestants. Winner will be announce at final performance.

I had hoped the "sharks" would be in shark costume

The overall idea of this show was silly and fun but when compared to some of the other productions in the festival it's hard to give a 5 kitty rating. I loved the survey monkey QR code but there were too many downside at play in the show I attended. The Texan shark didn't maintain her accent throughout, and thus might have done better with another background story. At the Friday night show it seemed there were some of the cast members' friends in the crowd who were competing for attention with the performers. It was actually to the point of significant distraction. The almost performative, exaggerated laughter and howling from the friend group in the back was too much to sit through. It made me want to leave- but because of the way the venue is set up, leaving would have caused more ruckus. Also- weird twist to have a broke shark- I'm not sure this was intentional... and then the outed broke shark's dad won? The incongruity of it all broke my brain a little bit, not unlike that hobbling contestant's toe.

Fund these shows!

Some of the shows featured, truly need to be funded! The obstacle course was great, and would’ve loved to see the inflatable shark used more. Promotional video for each Shark was absolutely on point.

Why Wasnt One of the Investors Called Shark Cuban?

I saw this show with some chums and it had its moments of glorious stupidity, where the audience was all in on this great concept, but other times the show was wading in the shallow end. Of the three contestants in my showing, the female artist got about 50 seconds of stage time while the two male artists got about 15 and 20 minutes respectively. I still had a good time though, it had 2 AM basic cable vibes (in a good way)