This isn’t officially a fringe, but it is run by the same people who run the Victoria Fringe Fest – hence the Fringe Baby Alert!. Mr. Fringey applied this year with his show that isn’t very edgy, but has become a PBS special, and he didn't get in – so he’s assuming they are looking for edgy over credentials. They know best what they can sell up there. I have a friend who performed in the festival a few years ago – a show called, “Babylove,” - so I’m assuming they’re looking for something that is a little left of center. Still, it’s the best solo gig around. With performers getting $400 bucks a show and all travel and accommodations paid for it’s the best kept secret in the solo performing universe.
Save the Date
When: May 21- 31, 2009
Where:Victoria BC, Canada – Intrepid Theatre
What: An annual international festival of solo theatrical performance.
Info for Performers
You get:3 performances, a technician, box office service, and promotional assistance in a 50-150 seat theatre, hotel accommodations and travel expense.
In 2007, yours truly was praying each and every morning that ”the one” would come into his life. Like a typical, single, fringe performer who had only experienced bad things on match.com, he turned to the secrets in “The Secret.” Each morning he would rise and say “The One is coming to me now! The One is coming to me now!” Well, a few months later he got a call from a theatre in New York (officially Off-Broadway) that he was officially invited to perform his solo show in “The One Festival,” which takes place at Teatro La Tea. How’s that for karma. Here he was praying for a girl and he gets a festival instead…. And a dud at that. No pay. No audience. But a chance to vie for the best show in the festival. He’s been afraid to post this festival entry on his resume ever since. On the plus side is a fully produced show in New York. If you have a good NYC theatre fan base it might be worth it, if you don’t cringe at the thought of performing with theatre side dishes.
Save the Date
When:April 6-19, 2009
Where: Teatro La Tea Theatre – New Yawk City, NY
What: And annual festival that showcases theatrical solo performances.
And: Accepts 10 original non-published theatrical works (full length and shorts).
Info for Performers
Shows: Solo shows only. Full Length: 45 min – 1hr 15 min. Short Length: 30 minutes or less
You get:3 performances, a technician and theatre space.
Performer Split: $0
And: Two of the theatrical works produced by the festival will receive $500 cash prize, plus a full theatrical production at Teatro LA TEA at The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center in NYC’s Lower East Side. The audience will be the judges by voting for their favorite play. Only finalists with 75 votes or more will qualify for the cash prize. The performance with the highest votes will be the ONE winner!
Ripped from the pages of Mr. Fringey 's Marketing Log: Jan 21.2009.
5 Things to Know About Fringe Media Courtship
1) Most fringes don't have the staff to keep their media contact list current. Besides, many journalists and others who work in the media use their positions as springboards to greener pastures. Plan on having at least 30% - 60% of your e-mails for any fringe media contact list bounce back. Don't get sad, it's just the nature of the medium.
2) In terms of "The Fringe," many news departments (Especially magazines and the cool free weeklies) work at least 3 months out when planning content or a content oriented issue like one on The Fringe. Plan to make your initial e-mail contact with a media source 3-months out. This should be a friendly hello.
3) If you've never contacted your media source don't send a press release! That's kind of like a telemarketer calling your cell phone. Journalists especially like to write about people whom they know. You should plan on developing a relationship over a series of at least 1-2 e-mails before you send a press release. Nothing smells more like Spam than a press release to someone you don't know. It's called media courtship for a reason!
4) Google "Press Release Format," before you write and send one. Most media representatives get between 30-60 press release each day. If you're isn't formatted correctly it goes right in the circular file. The most common mistake artists make is using language that is subjective. There should be no adjectives in your press release - just facts.
5) If you get coverage, please be kind and follow-up. At the very least offer them free tickets to your show, send them an e-mail saying thank you, or if you want to be really radical and further your relationship and possibly get more coverage in the future - send them a snail-mail thank you card.
Fringe Duds: Not Nice But True Reviews from Fringe Performers..... You will Not make money, perhaps not even break-even at the SF Fringe. Sadly, the Fringe hangout, Original Joes, burned down and there is no Fringe Hangout Central or Opening Party, thus, community and making friends is difficult. The theaters are run by wonderful people, in the worst section of town.
The Best of the SF Fringe awardees are generally Not the Best, but the most marketable or the favorite of the Artistic Director, as in “her taste”. Most of the local SF –based shows are amateur, college-ee stuff, which get huge crowds, as they are local shows. The really great shows are generally the out-of-towners (usually Canadians), who’s shows are poorly-attended because the only people seeing theater in SF, are friends of performers.
SF is a huge small-theater town and is over-saturated with cultural events. The SF Fringe is not on most people’s radar or agenda. Out-of-Towners can expect small audiences, scenic junkie-alley and possible contempt for bad Best of Fringe recipients. Great tech crew, great theater folks, but a huge challenge in marketing, socializing, and disappointing award-choices.
1) All New Fringe Duds Mr. Fringey finally got wise to what was going on here at Fringe or Die Central. After a year's worth of glowing reviews of nearly all the US fringe fests he learned that most performers are, to put it bluntly, afraid to have nocturnal emissions in the same pair of underwear that they have to share with the rest of their performance family.
In other words, no one really will come forward and tell Mr. fringey how bad a fringe sucks because they're afraid of the ramifcations. And so, Mr. Fringey has created Fringe Dud enrties, a completely anonymous way for fringe or die fans to tell others how bad a festval is without revelaing your identity. Hate one? Lay it on us in 200 words or less and we will erect an effigy in your honor.
2) Full Frontal Fringe Advice Life is too short for you to wait any longer! It's time to grab your career by the matzoballs and start making your living as the performer you've always wanted to become. And so, Mr. Fringey has deemed Fridays - Full Frontal Fridays. Once a week, Mr. Fringey will be offering you Full Frontal advice on how to take your fringe career to the next level. Expect help in identifying your barriers to success - get your artistic life in order and take charge of your creative career. Don't miss Full Frontal Fridays......
Guest Review: London, Ontario Fringe By Guest Reviewer: Abby Lynch
Guest Festival Ranking: 3.75 bowties out of 5 Mr. Fringey’s Description: Did you really post that ad on Craigslist telling everyone you learned to parachute in London England when it was all just a bad dream?
The Sunny-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe is the bomb) 1. The staff is wonderful – ready to answer any questions and help you navigate their fringe and the city. The office was open and accessible, and someone always had a minute to help. They were generally prompt and informative with e-mailed questions. In a particular feat of generosity, they even found last-minute billeting (about a week before we arrived in London) for all 7 of us, after a mis-sent email meant that we didn’t get into their initial billet pool.
2. Media coverage of the fringe as a whole is pretty good. There was a lot of preview and feature attention from the sponsoring radio station, A-Channel Morning (the morning TV new show), theatre in London website, and newspaper.
3. London is pretty cute and the audience is small, but dedicated. A lot of line flyering throughout the week meant we made friends with a number of repeat patrons and were on friendly terms with many of the volunteers.
The Flip Side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe sucks or what makes it difficult) 1. Reviews were patchy to non-existent. The London Free Press sometimes feature articles, often about local shows. There were a few reviews of shows, but there didn’t seem to be anyone in the local newspaper, TV, radio or other media really focused on reviewing theatre or the fringe – more arts and culture general interest stuff. The 2008 festival was in August (and it was the last festival on our circuit), so the lack of reviews wasn’t a problem, since we had a number of other reviews for the press packet, promotional material and such. The 2009 festival is scheduled for June, though, with the intent of making the fringe friendlier to tours. I’d be kind of wary of starting a tour there if I wasn’t sure I was going to get some press that I might be able to carry on to the next fringe. Not that a feature article in the London Free Press, (which we didn’t get, but others did) appearance on the morning news, video or interviews for websites, or radio slots are bad, but some sort of critical reviews.
2. The set stock of theatergoers is fairly small – something the fringe fans of London will admit – so the pre-existing fringe audience can only see so many shows. Many of the companies that produced in 2008 were London-based or otherwise local, and were therefore able to pull on existing fan bases – either from producing year-round (or every Fringe) in London, or simply getting family and friends to come out and see their show. I talked to a lot of people while flyering who were in town to see just one show, and it wasn’t ours. Again – the 2009 festival is in June, making it more convenient to CAFF touring artists, so perhaps the playing field will be leveled with more touring artists able to draw audience members into a show they didn’t expect to see.
3. The venue size is variable – we were in a 300+ seat performance hall, which was not well-suited to the nature of our show, as well as our modest ambitions as a first-time tour.
Your Money Sock: How big of a money sock do you need here, based on food prices, and other expenses? (Choose one: A tiny sock, a men’s tube sock, a full blown stocking) Men’s tube sock, or perhaps slightly smaller. London’s pretty cheap.
How to Fill Your Seats: What’s the best way to fill your seats here marketing-wise? Flyering – lines for shows are certainly a good place to find a concentrated audience of fringe-goers. There’s a few main roads down town with many pedestrians, and a big indoor market with a lot of foot traffic. You can’t flier or put up posters in Covent Garden Market, but that area is a good place to find people.
Is there a fringe central? There is an office full of helpful staff right across the street from a bar that serves as the social Fringe central. It’s not necessarily dedicated to the Fringe every night, so some nights you might be looking to hang out with fringers and find the locals watching sports.
Ticket Prices:Do you get 100% of door? If not, how much? Yes - 100%
Do performers see other shows for free? Sadly no. There’s a comp list you can fill out each night and give to the volunteers on the spot, so you can easily comp anyone with a little advance notice. We also tried to use a password and comp volunteers as well, and we had to make sure to explain it to the FOH volunteers every night.
Payment:Do you get paid each night? If not how? Were you paid on time if the money was sent to you? Cash sales go directly to the artist after the show. Pre-sale and pass revenue comes in a check or cash right at the end of the festival.
Showcase: Is there a showcase for out of town performers? There is a showcase for all performers – not necessarily dedicated to out-of-towners.
Venue Location: Can you walk to all the venues? If not how did you get around? Venues are all walkable. Travel-in: What city do you fly into and how did you get to you destination? We drove – we were coming up from Washington DC and did the drive in a moderately long (10 hours or so) day. Can’t provide any advice as to how to get there via public transit, but London is a fairly large city (400,000 people) and it’s not far from Toronto, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Detroit. Billeting:Did you use fringe fest lodging? If so, how was the lodging? If not, who did you stay with? Yes. They do billeting for out of town acts as needed, and they even found us housing at the last minute – some email problems had meant that we weren’t on the billet list until right before we left for London.
Fringe Specs: Where: London, Ontario Age in Fringe Years: You know that poor 10 year old with the dysfunctional parents who mean well, but….. And: Spaces reserved for 15 local spots, 13 Ontario spots; 6 National spots; and 6 International spots. And: In 2009 18,000 patrons attended the Fringe and artist revenues topped $80,000.00. Festival Dates: June 18 – 28 Application Deadline: January 5, 2009 until all spots are filled Applying:www.londonfringe.ca – snail mail Festival Cost: $600 Tickets: $10 or lower
About Mr. Fringy's Guest Reviewer: Abby Lynch, co-producer and manager of Formerly Witty Productions Mr. Fringey’s tag: Shakespeare’s daughter headlines the Sahara Buffet on the Vegas Strip. Check her out at:formerlywitty.blogspot.com
What categories does your show fall under? (IE, comedy, women, religious, etc). Plain old comedy. How long have you been fringing? This was FWP’s first summer on the fringe circuit – I’d worked (as a technician) the year before in Edinburgh, but nobody in the company had done a fringe tour, or show, for that matter. Call us fringe virgins. Or don’t, because it’s awkward.
How many fringes do you do each year? We did 5 festivals last summer (see note about being Fringe virgins), plus a few shows in our collective home towns of Portland OR and Walla Walla WA.
What has been your favorite fringe? Piggyback Fringe (a new offshoot of Ottawa in nearby Wakefield, QC) tiny, brand new, and very low-tech, but pretty fun. Ottawa had a good social aspect, with people actually hanging out and getting things done in the beer tent, despite (as Amy Salloway said) the oppressive humidity.
What has been your biggest money making fringe? Capital (Washington DC) Fringe. We had the advantage of having a lot of friends and family in the area, however. Most lucrative fringe without an extended family nearby: Ottawa.
What fringe did you make your most important contact? Capital Fringe (but that’s because I moved to DC right after the tour). As others have said, there are valuable contacts to be had pretty much anywhere.
In one word, why do you fringe? Because we can. I know that’s not one word. We decided to create a show and put it out there, and we did. Liked it enough to keep on doing it, too. What's the name of the show (s) you are fringing this year? ”On the Sly” in 2008. I think a bunch of us are looking at varying fringe projects for 2009, but not necessarily as a group.
Do you use your own tech person at your shows? If so, how much do you pay them? We did – I functioned as production manager, tour manager, and stage manager (I just like job titles). Pay was same as the performers – you get what you make.
Any fringes to avoid? Fraser Valley (no longer called a fringe, and no longer a CAFF member). Very nice people running the festival, but not a lot of people attending it, or even aware of it in the town (as a whole – this was not a case of getting low numbers when everyone else was fine).
Guest Festival Ranking: 4 and 1/2 (although it has been 3 years since I have been there).
Mr. Fringey’s Description:The Fat Marlon Brando Fat Elvis Fringe – eatin’ good, eatin’ big and livin’ the Big Kahuna life.
The Sunny-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe is the bomb):
1. The fringe is in a very centralized in location. All venues are walking distance from the box office and from each other. There is a huge outdoor contingent, which unlike other fringes, contributes to the indoor shows by attracting crowds and giving them something to watch while they are waiting between shows.
2. Great audience turn-out. Edmonton really turns out for the fringe, and they are willing to take a chance on out-of-towners and riskier shows.
3. Staff and Volunteers. This is one of the best run fringes in the world, with very experienced and committed volunteers and a great year round staff. It definitely makes the process a lot easier to know that people are nice and know what they are doing.
The Flip Side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe sucks or what makes it difficult): 1. Billeting can be a challenge. Edmonton gets a huge out-of-town and international turn-out and finding housing for everyone can be a challenge. Housing can often be far from the fringe site (one year we had to drive about 25 minutes each way...I would hate to think about what that would amount to in gas these days!) Some people bring bikes with them or buy them when they are there.
2. Because it’s so packed, this fringe can be competitive, especially when you are from out of town. While people are willing to take a chance, you do have to do some marketing, and you are very dependent on reviews being good.
3.Edmonton has recently changed their ticketing policy to having no front of house, and only selling tickets at the main box office or at a handful of established box offices. This eliminates last minute walk -up traffic. No more hanging out at the beer tent and saying, "Hey, this show starts in ten minutes, lets go!" (At least that would be much rarer.) In the end this process cuts down on the number of volunteers needed and might have a lot of benefits, but from what I have heard it has been a somewhat bumpy transition.
Your Money Sock: How big of a money sock do you need here, based on food prices, and other expenses? (Choose one: A tiny sock, a men's tube sock, a full blown stocking) How much money did you spend on this one when all was said and done? Hard to know for this, as it depends greatly on the location of your billet. I would say prepare a medium sock to account for food and possibly hotel if your billet is too far. (If you are far and have a car you might want to be prepared for gas prices too.) You can save money by eating festival food which is cheap, but GREASY.
How to Fill Your Seats: What's the best way to fill your seats here marketing-wise? Reviews are key. Some people do Saskatoon Fringe just to get the Edmonton review in early as the Edmonton press will sometimes send reviewers up to Saskatoon.
Is there a fringe central? MAJOR fringe central. One of the biggest outdoor fringes as well. Lots of outdoor performers, vendors, beer tents, etc.
Do you get 100% of door? If not, how much. Pretty much. If people buy in advance there is a service fee.
Do performers see other shows for free? Only if you get comps through the performer.
Payment:
Do you get paid each night? If not how? Were you paid on time if the money was sent to you? There are specific payout times. If you need to leave before the last one (usually the day after the festival is over) they will forward the cheque. They are very prompt with payment.
Showcase: Is there a showcase for out of town performers? Yes, a showcase for all performers. And a parade.
Venue Location: Can you walk to all the venues? If not how did you get around? Yes, it’s all walking distance.
Travel-in:
What city do you fly into and how did you get to you destination? We drove, but you can fly into Edmonton and take a cab.
Billeting:
Did you use fringe fest lodging? If so, how was the lodging? If not, who did
you stay with?
They set us up with housing (3 times) and once we stayed in the Strathcona on the main drag (Whyte Ave). The billets were nice but very far away so we had to drive in every night. There are some affordable hotels in the area if you plan ahead.
Fringe Specs: Age in Fringe Years:Hot and 27 and built like a brick house.
Festival Dates: Aug 14 – 21
Application Deadline: Nov 21, 2009 And: In 2008, North America’s largest and oldest Fringe festival hosted over 1200 shows & performances from 207 companies in 27 venues.
With 77,204 tickets sold for indoor shows (218 Sold-Out Shows!) and an approximate outdoor attendance of 503,638 – the Edmonton Fringe is truly “The Big Kahuna” of fringe festivals!
Festival Cost: $636
Ticket Prices: $10-$12 (with service charge) You can set your prices, but I recommend choosing the highest amount, unless you show is less that 40 minutes.
About Mr. Fringy's Guest Reviewer: Alix Sobler
Mr. Fringey’s tag: Fringe thesis meets Prime Time meets the cable access channel.
Mr. Fringey absolutely loves it when a new fringe baby is born. This one, in Long Island, New York, looks good from all the calculations too, in terms of size, weight, and birth mother. Although Mr. Fringey is somewhat reserved in committing to a new festival because the return isn't usually worth the investment, if you're looking for a great way to make it out to New York, this fringe seems to be the way to do it. With a built in audience connected to Long Island University, my prediction is that this fringe won't suffer the same ticket sale problems that Frigid Fest and the New York Fringe suffer from. Stay tuned for a review of this one when it's all done.
Long Island Fringe Festival
Save the Date
When:September 25-27, 2009
Times of Fringe: September 25 -3pm-11pm
September 26 12pm-11pm
September 27 10am-7pm
Where: CW PostCollege of Long IslandUniversity
Info for Performers
What: Shows must be between 30 and 45 minutes only!
You get: At least 2 performances a day.
Performer Split: Performers get 100% except for certain main stage events where the split is 50/50.
Ticket Prices: No more than $10
Fringe Info
Selection process: Jury/Lottery Combo (15 juried spots and the rest by Fringe lottery)
Application Deadline: January 30, 2009
Cost: $50 or $100 for groups of 3 or more.
Additional Costs: Venue rental from $5 - $200/show.
Guest Review:Minnesota Fringe Fest
By Guest Reviewer: Courtney McLean
Guest Festival Ranking: 4.75 bow ties (knock off .25 for % of earnings and massiveness of the festival)
Mr. Fringey’s Description: The Harvard-bound-home-schooler who grew up learning about the birds and the bees from Swiss, polyamorous, mathematic ex-patriots.
The Sunny-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe is the bomb)
1. Extremely well-organized: venue techs, nice venues (actual theatres!), lots of staff to help you.
2. Extremely well-promoted: huge audiences & practically a built-in theatre community that loves the Fringe.
The Flip Side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe sucks or what makes it difficult)
1. Due to all the amenities MN Fringe provides, the artist payback is less than most Fringes it seems - 65% of ticket sales. I think it's worth it, but it can be a turn-off
2. There are sooooo many shows to compete with (150+) and by the second week, there's the top 20 shows that seem to be getting the most press and if you're not in that group, it's hard to get butts in the seats.
3. They're working on this, but there are some venues that are far away from the central area that makes it quite difficult without a car to go from show-to-show (there's only 30 minutes between shows here). Although MPLS has a lot of bike lanes, so that would be a good way to go.
Your Money Sock:
How big of a money sock do you need here, based on food prices, and other expenses? (Choose one: A tiny sock, a men's tube sock, a full blown stocking)
You could do this Fringe with a tiny sock, easily. It's a $400 app fee and then the rest is cake. Billeting is FREE here (there's a form with your application), so your housing is covered. If you bring a bike or buy one for the week off Craig's List ($50 maybe?), your transportation is covered. MPLS is an easily bike-able city and it's gorgeous here around Fringe time. Artists all get unlimited rush passes to see other shows for free. The only thing you need money for is booze and food. Buy some groceries to stash in your hosts' fridge and take advantage of the drink specials and take advantage of other Fringers who will buy you drinks.
How to Fill Your Seats: What's the best way to fill your seats here marketing-wise?
GO SEE OTHER SHOWS and pass out your cards/flyers!! And come out to hang out with everyone, every night at Fringe Central (see below) and meet people - most of us are pretty into meeting the out-of-towners. Don't be a dick and have fun. Also, MN Fringe gives you a press list with your producer handbook. Don't rely on press, but definitely make the effort to reach out to them. This town loves Fringe and the press supports it, particularly the Onion, the City Pages, and radio stations like KFAI and the Current. Don't be shy!
Is there a fringe central?
I believe they have brought Fringe Central back for good! This past year it was Bedlam theatre and it was great! In 2006 and 2007 (my first and second years), they had different locales for each night, but the Fringe Central is so much more convenient and easy to know where everyone is going to be.
Ticket Prices:
Do you get 100% of door? If not, how much.
Artists only receive 65% of the door. A lot of people see this as a downside, but for the numbers of audience you can potentially turn out and the amenities you receive like PROFESSIONAL light and sound techs, house managers, ushers, beautiful venues that are actually theatres and not art galleries with sunlight and horrible acoustics.
Do performers see other shows for free?
Yes, but they get rush passes, so they aren't admitted till 10 minutes before a performance. If your show is sold out, an artist doesn't get in, but the good news is that you're making the most money you can.
Payment:
Do you get paid each night? If not how? Were you paid on time if the money was sent to you?
You get paid in one check 2 weeks after the Fringe closes. I have been paid on time each year I've participated.
Showcase:
Is there a showcase for out of town performers?
YES! In fact, sometimes there's more than one. The main one happens the night before the Fringe opens.
Venue Location:
Can you walk to all the venues? If not how did you get around?
You can walk to most of the venues, but it's much easier with a bike or car. Buses are frequent, but with only 30 minutes between each show, it's advantageous to have a bike or car or friend with car to help you travel. There are some venues that are too far to bike or bus to in time, so having a car is best.
Travel-in:
What city do you fly into and how did you get to your destination?
MSP airport (Minneapolis/St. Paul) and the Light Rail will take you right into downtown for pick-up or bus accessibility. Super easy to get to your destination.
Billeting:
Did you use fringe fest lodging? If so, how was the lodging?If not, who did you stay with?
I have never used the Fest Lodging (FREE!), but all the experiences I've heard about have been positive. My boyfriend lived here, so I stayed with him the second year and a friend of a friend the first year.
Fringe Specs:
Age in Fringe Years: Oh, to be 16 years old again with the knowledge and clear skin I now possess.
Festival Dates:July 30 – Aug. 9, 2009
Application Deadline: Jan. 30, 2009(that’s not a postmark deadline—be careful!).
And:Located in the Minneapolis neighborhoods of Uptown, West Bank, Northeast and North Loop
What categories does your show fall under? (IE, comedy, women, religious, etc).comedic, feminist, science fiction, satire
How long have you been fringing?
Three years
How many fringes do you do each year?
Varies - 2-5+
What has been your favorite fringe?
Minnesota
What has been your biggest money making fringe?
Capital Fringe 2007
What fringe did you make your most important contact?
I cannot possibly narrow that down! It's between Minnesota and Capital (DC) Fringe
In one word, why do you fringe?
FUN.
What's the name of the show (s) you are fringing this year?
Standing On An Amputee
Do you use your own tech person at your shows? If so, how much do you pay them?
I have before and I pay them, depending on their role, $50-$150 for the run of the show. It's not much, but as a self-produced solo performer, I hope that anything is good. If I were to reap unexpected profits, I would pay it forward as I could.
Any fringes to avoid?
We had a racist jerk for our tech in Kansas City, MO. He was subsequently fired once we made our difficulties with him known, but Kansas City has a ways to go in other areas: venue quality and proximity, offering artist billeting, and getting the performers together at Fringe Central. We didn't meet too many people and those we did meet were pretty clique-y.
Photos by: Craig VanDerSchaegen and Mark Rosenberg
"Welcome to Fringe or Die. Home of Mr. Fringey, The Famous Fringe Festival Fact Facilitator and his Fellow Fringe Friends Full of Fresh Fringe Opinions. As you navigate through the information contained here-in, it might help to think of this site as your friendly bohemian courtship counselor, sent here by the International and National Fringe Theatre Festival Goddess to help ensure that your love of fringe performance leads to Fame, Riches, Adventure and lots of Fringe Karma Points."
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