Half a decade has eclipsed since the onset of Lansing’s Renegade Theatre Festival, making the capital city’s annual Mecca of edgy, alternative theatre predate your Twitter account. Not that its age has shown through in delicate cracks and inconsistencies – quite the opposite, really. In fact, this year’s Renegade Theatre Festival has much more in common with a sleek, aged bottle of Pinot noir than some dusty, forgotten relic of cultural phenomenon past.

“This season we really wanted to put an emphasis on new plays,” said Chad Badgero, the fest’s co-founder. “Our committee really felt drawn to the idea of developing new work and giving voice to playwrights both locally, and beyond that may have a play they had wanted to see mounted. I think we were all hoping to get maybe two [to] three new plays submitted. So I was thrilled that we received 23 new plays.”

In true renegade style, eight of those 23 were eventually chosen to give the festival’s fifth year a competitive edge – adding a fresh and innovative perspective to Renegade staples like Shakespeare on the Grand (an outdoor, abbreviated interpretation of the Bard’s most iconic works). With the action unfolding Aug. 20-22, attendees are invited to rotate from performance to performance along Lansing’s Old Town strip, taking in samplings of participating theater companies, actors, and playwrights from all over.

Everything from the traditional (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) to the provocative (Dark Play, or Stories for Boys – a performance by Badgero’s own Peppermint Creek company) will be on display for audiences to soak in at will.

“Also, we're hosting a forum for audiences and everyone involved in the Lansing theatre with industry professionals about ‘How To Grow A Festival’ and the benefits of a festival on a community,” adds Badgero. “We have about five speakers from Lansing, as well as around the country that will be speaking on what makes a great festival and how that can benefit a community and city.”

Onstage renegades coupled with a full-fledged discussion of festival fun. Oh, did we mention that this whole thing is completely free? My, Renegade Theatre Festival, you’ve aged so awesomely.

For more info, visit renegadetheatrefestival.org.

Some people have suggested that the recent closing of the BoarsHead Theatre and the folding of Icarus Falling theatre troupe are signs of a diminishing theatre scene in Mid-Michigan.

"Funding goes away in poor economies. We had a good run though," said George Orban, who served as Interim Director at the BoarsHead until it's closing.

While certainly regretting the demise of these beloved members of the theatre community, Kent Love is optimistic.

"At the same time that those [BoarsHead and Icarus Falling] closed, there is new energy," said Love, the Director of Communications at the Wharton Center.

Located on the campus of Michigan State University, the Wharton Center is Mid-Michigan's largest venue for theatre and other performances. Hosting everything from Broadway mega hits like Jersey Boys and Chicago to Shakespeare interpretations to the Detroit symphony, the Wharton Center offers something for anyone looking for cultural enlightenment.

Leslie Donaldson works with The Arts Council of Greater Lansing and describes the Council's work as "kind of a Chamber of Commerce for the arts" within the Lansing area. She says the Council advocates for funding for various arts groups, including "professional actors are a part of the group that we want to support."

Currently, the Arts Council is working on a 10-year Economic and Cultural Development Plan, which was created in order to support creative entrepreneurship. The Plan is implementing a "Creative Many Census" in order to get an idea of how many artists live in Ingham County and how they make a living.

A rising star in the Mid-Michigan theatre community is Williamston Theater, located 15 miles east of Lansing in downtown Williamston. It's a professional theater, meaning it has a contract with the actors union, and is currently in its fourth season. According to Executive Director John Lepard, its audience has grown 15% each season.

Lepard believes the theatre is a big part of making Williamston a cultural destination. Coupled with the restaurants in the downtown area, larger crowds are coming to this small town.

"Audiences only want to park once," Lepard said, touting the pedestrian-friendly downtown Williamston. "We're lucky to be going this strong in this kind of economy."

Chad Badgero, founder of the Peppermint Creek Theatre Company, takes great pride in how his company has always attempted to push the boundaries. Swearing. Drugs. Nudity. These are staples of stories that Badgero and his troupe want to share. Having done the play Corpus Christi in which Jesus and his disciples are all gay, one may believe that Peppermint Creek is simply in it for shock value. Badgero would strongly disagree.

"We, more than any other theater in the area, are taking on more current issues," Badgero says. He knows that his theatre company has gotten something of a controversial reputation but also points out that the audiences coming to their performances know that the material will be done professionally.

"People in Lansing value theatre, and we are fortunate to work in an environment that is open-minded.

Badgero attributes much of Peppermint Creek's success to having spent the past three seasons at the Creole Gallery in the hip, thriving neighborhood of Old Town Lansing.

"Old Town has grown exponentially, and is still creating itself, just like [our theatre]," Badgero says.

Having great vision, Badgero sees how the theatre community in Mid-Michigan can truly thrive.

"[All the theaters] are vying for the same audience, but grants are fostering collaboration."

Ultimately, Badgero wants to see a community performing arts center.

"People want to create theatre, but need a venue."

Peppermint Creek will be performing the play Caroline, or Change at the Creole Gallery Sept. 9-12 and 16-19.

Mike Siracuse has the pleasure of serving as business manager at the Riverwalk Theatre. Siracuse has a rather simple philosophy: "Keep the shows affordable and we'll still have an audience."

He points out how supportive the community has been for all the theaters.

"For being a small city, Lansing has a lot of theatre."

Riverwalk Theatre has 27 events planned over the next year, which Siracuse says is double the number of events when he started there 15 years ago.

Everyone involved in the Mid-Michigan theatre community mourns the losses of the BoarsHead Theatre and the Icarus Falling Company. However, no one believes that those are signs that theatre is on its way out in the area. Take talented individuals, add in a strong sense of community and some adequate funding, and it becomes crystal clear that theatre has nowhere to go but up.

Pictured: A production at Peppermint Creek

"It's very funny. Cleverly written and hilarious," Director Tom Woldt said.

Three actors play 15 characters in 15 restaurants in five scenes. One minute the audience is in a German restaurant, the next minute a Texan barbeque one and so on.

The show addresses love from all angles, and situations most audience members have experienced themselves or seen on television, whether it be first dates or post break-ups.

"It has some intense messages. How do relationships play out in restaurants? Because a lot of them do," Woldt said.

While this musical comedy does not have any well-known songs in it, Woldt guarantees audience members will leave the theatre humming at least one of the 15 genres of songs presented throughout the performance.

"That's part of the cleverness of the play. It serves up different ways of looking at it [love] or thinking about it," Woldt said.

To begin the rehearsal process for such a uniquely written show, Woldt and his cast spent hours around a table dissecting the script; working through characters and situations before hitting the stage to begin the blocking aspect of the art.

"Whenever we work on a scene, I normally let the actors run on their feet and more on their own without my direction," Woldt said.

After the first run-through, Woldt combines his ideas with the actors to create what audience members see during the performance.

"It's a very exciting and challenging project," Woldt said.

At each performance, a few audience members will be chosen to sit onstage and participate in the restaurant atmosphere for the evening. Woldt said he wants to create a genuine experience for the audience on and off the stage. Audience members who sit onstage are eligible for actor interaction from waiters or the relationship-challenged characters.

"It can be a lot of fun for the brave people who sit on stage, and for the people watching," Woldt said.

Because the show is centered on adult relationships, adult language, innuendos and humor will be used. It is advised for mature audiences only.

"It's a rare opportunity to see the wide range of music and the method of actors changing from one character to the next in three to four seconds. It's exciting encouraging patrons to sit on stage with the characters," Woldt said.