Fringe or Die

Guest Review: Hollywood Fringe

2011-03-01T21:35:00.000-05:00

Guest Review: The Hollywood Fringe Festival
By Guest Reviewer: Les Kurkendaal

Guest Festival Ranking: 4 out of 5 bowties

Mr. Fringey’s Description: Baby! Sexy Baby! I luv my Sexy Baby, fringe!

Overview:
The Sunny-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe is the bomb)
1. The staff was great ! Very nic ! Very organized. If any issues came up they took care of them immediately. Ben Hill, The Fringe Director was very friendly and approachable.

2. All of the venues are great theatre spaces and within walking distance of each other so the Fringe is easy to navigate

3. The location of the fringe is fantastic . It was in the middle of Hollywood and that really added to the excitement of the Fringe .

The Flip-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe sucks or what makes it difficult)
1. It was a first year fringe and something like this had never been done before in Hollywood so it took a little while for audiences to warm up to the idea of fringe and show up to see shows . Getting butts in seats was challenging that first week!

2. A lot of the really good press coverage didn’t come out until the second weekend

3. If you brought your car to Fringe central , the parking in the lots were expensive and the metered parking sucked. I got several parking tickets that week!

Ease of Filling Seats:
What's the best way to fill your seats here marketing-wise?
Lots of flyering . Hang out at Fringe central and really talk up your show. Word of mouth.It also is very important to get press releases out on your show. A little press coverage goes a long way!

Is there a fringe central?
Yes. And it was a good one! It was at a theatre in Hollywood near all of the venues. They served good cheap beer and mixed drinks. They even had a psychic there to do psychic readings for performers! It was a wonderful party atmosphere.Everyone was very friendly and it was very easy to meet people!

Is there a showcase for out of town performers?
There were actually several showcases throughout the Fringe. There was a fringe jam almost every night where performers could perform and showcase their stuff.

Potential to Make Money:
Do you get 100% of door? If not, how much.
If the audience members purchased tickets at the door the artist got 100%. If the audience member purchased the ticket online , the artist gets a small percentage taken out of the ticket price

Do performers see other shows for free?
Each show had the ability to offer free entry to other performers .

Do you get paid each night? If not how? Were you paid on time if the money was sent to you?
We received a check at the end of the fringe . The check arrived within two weeks after the Fringe.

Navigation of the City
What city do you fly into and how did you get to your destination?
You fly into LAX and can either take a bus a cab or the subway

Can you walk to all the venues? If not how did you get around?
Yes . All of the venues are in walking distance.

Did you use fringe fest lodging? If so, how was the lodging? If not, who did you stay with?
I live in LA but I talked to many out of towners . Some people stayed with friends. Some stayed at youth hostels or inexpensive hotels in the area. I met one out of towner who found a random website online where people offer up extra rooms at their places for people from out of town and so she stayed with a person from the website for free.

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)
I would say between a men’s tube sock and a full blown stocking . There are a lot of inexpensive places to eat and drink in Hollywood but a lot of people from out of town did stuff like trips to Disneyland and magic mountain , one group even took a road trip to Vegas so stuff like that can get a little pricey.

Fringe Specs:
Age in Fringe Years: 2
Festival Dates: June 16 - June 26, 2011
Application Deadline: April 1, 2011
Applying: www.hollywoodfringe.org
Festival Cost: $175 -$250 with application

And: Venue rental is $150 - $300 per performance. Artist gets 100% of the door.

Ticket Prices: free - an average of $12

About Mr. Fringy's Guest Reviewer: Les Kurkendaal

Check him out at: www.facebook.com/leskurkendaal
What categories does your show fall under?
Storytelling ,GLBT
How long have you been fringing?
10 years

How many fringes do you do each year?
3
What has been your favorite fringe?
Minnesota
What has been your biggest money making fringe?
Hollywood
What fringe did you make your most important contact?
Hollywood – my show Christmas in Bakersfield is now going to be made into a movie
In one word, why do you fringe? Creative Freedom !

What's the name of the show (s) you are fringing this year? I will be doing my new show : Drink , Drank , Drunk , Diary of the Life of The Party at Minnesota Fringe and I will be doing Christmas in Bakersfield at Chicago Fringe

Do you use your own tech person at your shows? If so, how much do you pay them?
I use Fringe techs
Any fringes to avoid?
Hmmmmmm , I’m trying to be a kinder gentler person so I’d rather not say . LOL !!!!!!!!!

Photo by:
Mathieu Brooks

Request for Submissions for the Inaugural Tucson Fringe Theater Festival

2011-03-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

The first ever Tucson Fringe Theater Festival is now requesting submissions for the week of March 23-27, 2011. The Tucson Fringe Festival is an unjuried, uncensored festival promoting accessibility for presenting artists and unrestrained artistic freedom.

Partnering with Downtown Tucson landmarks such as The Screening Room and the Beowulf Alley Theatre, Tucson Fringe Theater Festival is looking for performing artists and companies to submit performance proposals for inclusion in the 4 day festival to be held in Downtown Tucson. The selection will be on a first-come, first-served basis. If we receive more applications than we have performance spots, we’ll hold a lottery to select artists. Any kind of performance will be considered. This includes, but is not limited to: theater, dance, performance art, clowning, sketch comedy, etc. We prefer original works, but previously performed work will be accepted if the underlying rights are obtained by the performers.

Founded by two native Tucsonans and lifelong friends Yasmine M. Jahanmir and Sara Habib, Tucson Fringe Theater Festival hopes to expand upon an already thriving theatrical community by promoting affordable opportunities for artists to craft original ideas while presenting a wider array of performance practice. Tucson has always been dedicated to the arts, and is the perfect place to host an avant-garde, innovative festival like Fringe. Downtown Tucson provides an ideal setting to bring together arts patrons of all demographics.

For the more information on the festival and how to apply, please visit www.tucsonfringe.org or email us at tucsonfringe@gmail.com

Will the Chicago Fringe Festival be a Bust or a Babe?

2010-07-03T23:03:00.005-04:00

Q: Have you performed in Chicago before? I am doing the fringe there...a bit nervous...especially as it is $10 "suggested donation" for tickets....and first year...any thoughts on the matter?

A: Well, you know how Mr. Fringey feels about fringes that are younger than three years old. They're usually a bust in terms of recouping your investment.

Unless there's a better reason to go than financial gain, you should usually look at a first year fringe as a total write off. This is true for a few different reasons.

First, fringe fans are a different breed than your typical run-of-the mill theatre goer. A fringe fan is used to seeing multiple shows in one night and multiple shows during the course of a festival. A typical theatre fan goes to see one show per month and then goes home until the next month. It takes a year or two (at the very least) to educate audience members on fringe etiquette.

However, there have been recent fringes that have broken rank with Mr. Fringey's First Year Fringe theory. The Capital Fringe was the first fringe to come along and do this and although all the data isn't in yet, the 1st Annual Hollywood Fringe may do the same.

Why? Both of these fringes gathered a lot of creative support from the artistic community and leveraged that into media exposure. The HF already has the support of LA Weekly and Backstage Magazine in an effort to review most of the shows. (Not bad for a FYF or first year fringe)

I would place my bets that Chicago has much of the same thing going for it that both Hollywood and Washington DC have. A large city, a passionate creative community and a theatre tribe that is aching to make their fringe a success. I'd place my bets that with your fringe savvy you'll do just fine. If you doubt it, read what the Chicago Fringe peeps wrote to me early on when they were sending out applications: Chicago Fringe Kicks Fringe Butt.

Baby Fringe Alert! Las Vegas Fringe

2010-06-11T23:46:00.001-04:00

Look what popped out when no one was looking. I'll look into it and keep you posted as to whether it's a true fringe or just posing as one. It's running right now (June 4 - June 13, 2010).

Question of the Week: Using the Fringe Media List

2010-06-08T20:18:00.003-04:00

Dear Mr. Fringey,

The Capital Fringe sent out a list of media contacts: 176 of them. Many have organizations associated (NPR, Washington Post, DCist, Washington City Paper) but many don't (maybe they're bloggers)? I could do a shotgun approach and send press releases to EVERYONE on the list... that doesn't seem so strategic. I know it's key to hit Washington City Paper, but any advice on narrowing down the media list?

I've got a unique show (http://www.timereneta.com/1349.html ) as it combines traditional storytelling (folk and fairy tales) with a modern frame (I make topical jokes on politics in between... well, 14th century politics... and endowing the audience as fellow 14th century bards and poets).

I appreciate your advice and look forward to meeting you at the fringe.

Best,

Tim Ereneta

A: First read my article on 5 Things to Know About Fringe Media Courtship.
Although a lot of it won't apply since we're so close to Fringe launch (we're less than 30 days to countdown) it's still worth a glance.

You're right about the nature of the list. There are a lot of blogs on the list, magazines, newspapers, Latino media contacts, radio stations, and TV stations. Most Magazines, only consider press releases about 3 months out, many of your Press Releases will go to spam, a lot of the contacts have already planned their fringe articles (many did that planning about 5 months ago - I did an interview for one Washington paper about 2 months ago) and most on the list have been hit hard by everyone and their brother pitching their show. I had about an eighth of the contacts bounce back this year which is down from 1/2 two years ago.

Everything I advocate is about personal connection and personal relationships. You can chance a blanket press release - there's a 1 in 176 chance that it'll get read by someone who is interested in 14th century politics. Probably not though.

At this point, I would send a short e-mail (no longer than 5 or 6 sentences pitching your show to the contacts and extending the invitation with a free ticket and a link to your website) 98% of these invitees won't take you up on your offer, so don't worry about selling the shirt off your back. But each of those contacts will appreciate the gesture and when they go out for their night on the fringe, they'll remember that gesture.

At this point you're looking for someone to review your show. Most reviews are actually assigned in the office by the straw system, metaphorically speaking. The writers pick straws and are assigned shows.

Your best bet would to send a few of these strategic short e-mails during the first week of the fringe, once things have started to run their course. I've done it in the past and it's worked wonders. Oftentimes you'll get an e-mail back that says, "Joey Rockstone is assigned to review your show on Thursday. Thanks for checking in."

Happy Fringing,
Mr. Fringey

Question of the Day: Fringe Post Cards

2010-06-08T20:11:00.000-04:00

Q: Dear Mr. Fringey,

Read your reviews of Cap Fringe. Wondering how many postcards I need. As an out of towner, I won't be able to pre-distribute cards many places and my trip to DC is actually a family vacation. So I can hand out cards... but not a full court press. The Fringe recommends printing 3000. That amount seems excessive to me (?). Wanted to get your advice.
Thanks....

A:3,000 cards is excessive! I don't know where they got that whack number from, especially since the Cap fringe isn't really a postcard fringe.

You hardly see any performers handing out postcards in DC. You’ll see me and if you join me, then you can feel like a freak like me. At other fringes, everybody is fighting to get a good spot to hand out their cards. In DC it’s like a ghost town.

I run 1,000 per fringe and my other fringe pals who sell out their fringe shows run the same amount. To really get the most bang for your buck I would only devote 20% to stacks around town and at Fringe central. So don’t sweat the stacks!

That means 800 should be put in the hands of ticket buyers directly.

Once you're there, you'll get an idea of which fringe shows are sell-outs. When you find out, you'll want to get outside the door when that show ends and put a card in everyone that leaves the show.

That’s it. Good luck!

Mr. Fringey

PS. The second most effective way to market your show at the Cap fringe besides the Postcard is the Shout Out!

What is this? Well, since I already know your show is going to be good, at the end of my show I’m going to shout out, “Hey everyone, if you’re looking for another great show to see, make sure you check out “so and so’s show.” I may give out up to 4 shout outs at the end of my show. This is totally cool to do at the Fringe.

Often, at the end of my show I’ll say, “Are there any other fringe performers in the audience who have a show?” Then, I’ll ask them to stand up and announce their show.

Houston Fringe Festival Smackdown

2010-05-26T22:19:00.001-04:00

If the Long Island Fringe VS the New York Fringe wasn't creating enough bad fringe blood, we now how a face-off in Texas.

From: Houston Press Blogs

By Olivia Flores Alvarez

Two of Houston's alternative performing arts companies are in a bit of struggle - a very quiet struggle, because neither wants to attract attention to a situation they hope can still be handled by lawyers, but a struggle nonetheless. The companies involved are Boo Town and FrenetiCore. At stake? The name Houston Fringe Festival, which both groups claim as the title to their summer multi-media arts extravaganza.

Executive Director and Co-Artistic Director of FrenetiCore Rebecca French declined to comment on the record, citing the fact that the group is still in the midst of legal proceedings "We don't want to publicize the dispute until it's settled through the courts because that's not really the publicity we want. We want to be known for the quality of our festival. This dispute is kinda a footnote." She did, however confirm some dates and relevant facts.

Between background from French and comments from BooTown Artistic Director Emily Hynds, Hair Balls has come up with a basic time line.

1997 to 2001: TheatreLab produces the Houston Fringe Theatre Festival.
February, 2008: FrenetiCore receives a $10,000 grant for the Houston Fringe Festival.
May 2008: Boo Town produces a show called BooTown presents the Houston Fringe Festival.
August 2008: FrenetiCore, working with TheatreLab, presents the FrenetiCore Fringe Festival. (Hynds says it was the Houston Fringe Festival, but confirms that over the years, they have called it by a variety of names including the Annual, the Houston, and the FrenetiCore Fringe Festival. Newspaper reports and FrenetiCore's own list of past events on its web site list the 2008 event as FrenetiCore Fringe Festival).
Following the festivals, the two companies discuss merging their efforts, decide against it after which FrenetiCore asks Boo Town not to use the name Houston Fringe Festival and Boo Town declines.
May 2009: Boo Town presents the Houston Fringe Festival.
June, 2009: FrenetiCore takes a screen shot of their web site to use in an effort to register the trademark Houston Fringe Festival.
August 2009: FrenetiCore presents the Houston Fringe Festival.
At some point in 2009, FrenetiCore applies to trademark the name Houston Fringe Festival. French says they received the trademark. Hynds believes FrenetiCore was denied the trademark and was instead placed on a supplementary listing. Boo Town lawyers are now petitioning to have FrenetiCore removed from the supplementary listings, saying the group provided false information in its application.
In late 2009: FrenetiCore registers the domain name www.houstonfringefestival.com. Boo Town already has the name www.houstonfringefestival.org.
In 2010, both Boo Town and FrenetiCore are planning to present their own versions of the Houston Fringe Festival this summer.

Make the jump for more information about the future of the Houston Fringe Festival (s)

So what's the big deal about the name Houston Fringe Festival? Why doesn't each group just name their event after itself? The Boo Town Fringe Festival and The FrenetiCore Fringe Festival are perfectly good names. French confirmed that was the initial compromise they offered to Boo Town following the first festival, which was declined. Since then the group has changed its mind and says that as FrenetiCore is the larger of the two festivals (11 nights versus five nights of performances), draws bigger crowds, has established its organization through hard work and is a better representative of the city, it now deserves the name Houston Fringe Festival.

Boo Town, unsurprisingly, disagrees. First, Hynds insists her group never called their event anything other than the Houston Fringe Festival, with Boo Town presents the Houston Fringe Festival as its full title. "I think that Houston Fringe Festival, in the Fringe community, is a better representation for the type of festival we produce," says Hynds. "It's typical for the festival in a city to be named after the city, you have Philadelphia Fringe Festival or the Cincinnati Fringe Festival.

So what's next? Lawyers. Then a few more lawyers, and finally a judge. And somewhere in between court dates and appeal rulings, a couple of monster theater/dance/art/music festivals that have the same name.

Fringe Fest Pop Ups?

2010-04-09T08:21:00.001-04:00

Three new festivals that use the "fringe" in their title have popped up on my radar recently. I haven't had time to explore them further (I have an interview set up with one of them) but I anticipate, like a lot of other "sort of" fringe festivals, they're just using the name "fringe" because it's trendy.

Remember, unless it's a performing arts festival that adheres to the true fringe philosophy of 100% unjuried, 100% uncensored, 100% accessible for artists and audiences alike, with 100% of ticket sales given directly back to the artists, it's just a fringe in disguise.

It just so happens that 2 these festivals are in my home state of Virginia.

1) Shenandoah Fringe Festival in the Staunton/Harrisonburg, VA area. March 26-28. Check them out at shenandoahfringefestival.weebly.com

2) Gettysburg Fringe Festival in the Gettysburg, VA area. June 18-27. Check them out at gettysburgfestival.org

3) The Houston Fringe Festival in Houston, TX. May 19-23. Check them out at houstonfringefestival.org

For my most recent fringe article entitled "Fringe 101," check out Richmond Grid.

New Ringling Festival Sounds Exciting for Performers

2010-03-11T21:57:00.000-05:00

Hot off the Fringe Press: Check out this festival.

The Festival sARTeé expands the energy and excitement of the Ringling International Arts Festival (RIAF), Sarasota-Manatee, October 13-17, 2010. For two weeks surrounding the RIAF, the Festival sARTeé, Oct. 8-24, showcases the region's world-class arts and culture ranging from theater, dance, music, visual art, live music and more in a variety of venues throughout Sarasota and Manatee Counties.

The Ringling International Arts Festival, in its second year, is a partnership between The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida and the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City and delights in bringing together emerging artists in theater, dance and music from the around the world for a five-day festival.

To register your act visit: http://www.sartee.org

The Capital Fringe Festival in Washington DC (A Second Look)

2010-03-08T20:09:00.006-05:00

Question: Hey, You look like an experienced Capital Fringe attendee. I am concerned about the high registration and insurance fee without any guarantee on venue, performance dates or percentage of box office. An expensive high risk investment. What has been your experience and others that you know of?

Answer: When I look at a fringe I base a decision on a few different factors and although price is a considering factor, it's not always a priority. Here's what I consider:

1) How long has the fringe been running?
2) What kind of fringe crowd does the festival usually attract for in-town and out-of-town acts?
3) How strong is the fringe audience community within the festival city?
4) How expensive is the city in terms of lodging, incidentals, and food?
5) How much money does it cost to apply?
6) What kind of platform increasing potential does the host city hold?

1) How long has the fringe been running?
This is the 5 year birthday for the Cap Fringe. For a US fringe this is usually a safe bet. If you haven't heard horrible things about a fringe at this point, chances are, they've had a decent amount of time to work out any kinks and to develop a fringe audience within the city. I've only heard great things about this fringe.

As you know, I don't recommend doing fringe festivals that are less than 3 years old. But I broke the rules with this festival and performed during years 1 and 2 because it's literally in my back yard and building my audience in DC, NY and LA has been an important part of my business plan.

2) What kind of fringe crowd does the festival usually attract for in-town and out-of-town acts?
The fringe audience continues to build in DC for both types of acts. Just ask DC performer extraordinaire Zehra Fazal who sold out just about all her shows at last years fringe and got an extended run with Headscarf and the Angry Bitch and San Diego Performer Mark Whitney who did the same thing with his show "Fool For a Client."

I think it's important to note that both performers brought their shows to the festival the year before and both had built a following there previously. Regardless, there is a large and growing and loyal fringe audience in DC, period.

3) How strong is the fringe audience community within the festival city?
The Capital Fringe has one of the strongest fringe audience communities I've seen. When they introduced the buttons the year before last and rooted down at Fort Fringe, it really helped audience members find a focal point for the fringe itself. Fort Fringe is so close to the Verizon Center area that it really helps pull in the mainstream and keep them there without feeling too much out of their comfort zone.

Add the previews that the fringe promotes and all the around town button specials and the fringe crowd in DC is, quite honestly, one step away from becoming what I would label as a group of "fringe fanatics."

4) How expensive is the city in terms of lodging, incidentals, and food?
DC offers billeting to out of town performers. I've asked for it this year, although in previous years I've made the drive back and forth from my hometown. I've usually found lodging close to my venues for under $50 using Hotels.com and Hotwire.

5) How much money does it cost to apply?
I just paid my application fee and to tell you the truth it took a bite out of my bank account - with the $30 early registration fee it came to $605. In another month, because I'm not an equity actor, I'll have to pay an additional $200 insurance fee.That brings the total amount to run my show to $805 if I don't include any advertising costs. This isn't a small bean number to most artists.

How does this compare* to some of the other US fringes?
Minnesota: $425
Boulder: $610
Orlando: $660
Indianapolis: $577

*Some of these prices may have gone up since I last documented them.

Additional things to consider are how much tickets go for (the typical price in DC is $15), what kind of split of the door you're getting (the typical split is 70% to the artists) and how big your house is (the average seating capacity is about 80 seats).

Because of all the other factors I mentioned above, if you have a really great show, you won't be able to keep the crowds away. Just ask Dog & Pony Theater Company with last year's Barebreasted Women Sword Fighting."

On average at any fringe, performers can expect to fall into the following categories in terms of gross ticket sales for their entire run of shows:
Type 1: $400 - $600
Type 2: $1,200 - $1,800 (most performers fall into this category)
Type 3 - $3,000 - $8,000

6) What kind of platform increasing potential does the host city hold?

During my first year at the Cap Fringe, I ran "The Neon Man and Me." I got a nice review in The Washington Post , DCist , DC Theatre Scene and The Washington City Paper. If you're looking to beef up your platform, DC can be just the place to do it. In addition, because of my shows there, I landed a nice review in American Theater Magazine and a great segment on NPR in their series "How Artists Make Money."

The second year, I ran my show "Slash Coleman has Big Matzo Balls," and although it wasn't well received, I still managed to make some really great networking connections and get some great exposure with some bad reviews.

To Sum it Up: To me, the Capital Fringe is the perfect host city. The city is educated enough to know about theatre but not so saturated (like NYC) that they aren't always hungry for more.

Should you risk your investment on the Capital Fringe? To me it's a no-brainer. WWJD? I think he would go. Yes, he would definitely go.

Chicago Fringe Kicks Festival Application Butt

2010-02-24T07:44:00.001-05:00

Reposted from the Chicago Fringe Website

Dear me. We are elated and overwhelmed to have seen such a response from our applicants. In our very first year, we received 155 applications. Wow. While I like to think of that as faith in the work we are doing, I know that it's really a testament to the amazing work that the other regional and US fringes have done over the last several years. People love Fringe. They were hungry for a Fringe here in Chicago. We are working diligently at every available moment, in every possible way to make this the Fringe that Chicago wants and needs. Please never hesitate to contact us and tell us what you would like to see at Fringe this September!

Here is the breakdown of the applications:
Chicagoland: 85
National: 66
International: 4

I'm touched that all of these groups, including four from outside the United States, had enough faith in us to give this a shot, to take a risk on something in its inaugural year.

This project has come to feel like a freight train - we started the engines, but now it's charging forth with its own inertia. We're hanging on to the rails, enjoying the ride.

Watch out for a blog post soon with more details about the lottery Sunday, including how to watch it broadcast from the web!

Fringe Fest in Greensboro

2010-02-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

The Carolinian talks Fringe Festival with 2010’s organizer Todd Fisher

By John Sanford Friedrich

Published in the Carolinian: Wednesday, February 10, 2010

JOHN SANFORD FRIEDRICH: What exactly is the Fringe festival?
TODD FISHER: It’s a live art festival that is basically a marketing concept – based on the Edinburough Fringe Fest in Scotland. We are pooling resources, with each artist producing their own show but more press attention for everyone. We borrowed the model and applied it Greensboro. Three or four theater groups started it eight years ago. They are making art anyway, we are providing a venue and marketing. Artists don’t have to pay a submission fee. This may be the only Fringe that is absolutely free to artists.

JSF: What makes a piece of art eligible to be considered Fringe?
TF: It has to be original to Greensboro or the Triad. It has to be performed live. So movies and visual art aren’t eligible because there are other film festivals and galleries for those sorts of work. The Fringe is strictly performance art so movies can only be used if they are mixed with a live performance. Out-of-area entries are considered but are informed that they will be the last to be accepted.

JSF: Do you feel the Fringe demonstrates that Greensboro has a desire for this kind of art that simply isn’t being met by the permanent venues?
TF: Great question. Yes, I do feel that there is an audience out there for this type of art and people do want to support it, just by the amount of submissions from people who are wanting to put work into the Fringe. We are inspiring artists to stay in Greensboro and do art here because they have at least one opportunity to display their work on stage.

JSF: Would you consider creating a permanent venue for this type of art? Is anyone else talking about the idea?
TF: You have to create the scene you want see, absolutely. You can’t sit back and let it happen because nothing happens that way. I think all local theatres should do one new show per year. It is difficult to do on a professional level but there are ways around it. There is some banter about this. Everybody says Greensboro needs a medium-sized theatre, with most venues currently around 100-200 seats, or the Carolina Theatre [that] has over a thousand but we need something with around 500 seats. We take what we can get. People volunteer their venues, such as the Roach, Triad Stage and this is more of a service for the community – we’re non-profit and don’t have plans to build a new theatre but we wish someone would! Universities have that medium size capacity – UNCG and A&T both have those. But this is an educational setting not just to entertain. You can have both though, and it would be nice to see the universities play a stronger role.

JSF: A lot of readers of this paper are involved in the Artistic community of UNCG. What advice do you have for those just getting out there and trying to have their own work seen by audiences?
TF: Take it off campus. Try ideas out on campus first, certainly. Submit, submit, submit. It is so much easier now for playwrights because now you can email your script- and filmmakers can send a DVD.
Look for ways to create opportunity off campus, this sort of experience speaks miles on a resume.

JSF: The Fringe Festival runs through this coming weekend. What sort of programs do we have to look forward on the final days of the festival?
TF: Five shows are left, “Chasing Suburbia” is a musical taking the myth of Perseus and putting it in modern times. This was written by Tommy Droll, a UNCG alum’ like myself. Its campy and funny. Regarding contemporary dance, UNCG graduate student Loren Groenendaal has a creation entitled “Soup” with dance and music and fun. There’s also the “Evening of Short Plays” produced by Greensboro playwrights including seven different short plays. Most are around ten minutes and involving up to thirty people. With shorter works you get a wide array of thoughts and feelings. We’re all volunteers, including myself.

Record number of Fringe Festival applications

2010-02-01T22:17:00.000-05:00

Posted by Graydon Royce

StarTribune.com

Interest in the Minnesota Fringe Festival has stayed high. The 11-day festival of theater and performing arts experienced a 13 percent jump in attendance last August and now a record 386 applications have been submitted for this year’s event. That’s up 22 percent from 2009.

A lottery (open to the public) will be at 7 p.m., Feb. 17 at Bedlam Theatre, 1501 S. 6th St., Minneapolis, to choose approximately 150 shows. There are reserved slots: ten for kids shows; ten for teens; 15 for artitst of color; 10 international and 20 national. Within those categories, though, the selections are nonjuried and by chance.

Fourteen states and three nations (outside of the United States) are represented in the applications. Robin Gillette, the Fringe’s executive director, said there is a 60-40 split between veterans and newcomers in the mix. The previous high for applications was 327 in 2007.

The Fringe Festival will be Aug. 5-15 in venues through Minneapolis and St. Paul. Last year’s event sold a record 46,216 tickets in 22 venues. The best box-office gross was 2006, with $338,181. The Minnesota Fringe is the third oldest such festival in the United States and the largest nonjuried Fringe.

Question of the Week: Fringe Theater Festival Press Kits

2010-01-31T10:42:00.003-05:00

Dear Mr. Fringey,

I'm trying to put together a promotions package to send to the Minneapolis Fringe. Don't know what they might expect to see.

When you send out a promotions package, do you do it electronically? Or do you refer a producer to your website?

Thanks,

Irene Ziegler

Dear Irene,

I think Fringe Festivals are a lot like Facebook. Facebook is kind of a closed entity. The Google search engine spiders aren't allowed into Facebook and what's said on Facebook (compared to the rest of the web world) stays within Facebook.

With that said, there isn't a lot of communication from Fringe Festival Office to Fringe Festival Office and Fringe Festival Office and the rest of the performing world. What this means is that if you send a crappy press kit out to one fringe the rumor kind of lives and dies within that office.

With that said, unless you are applying to a fringe which is juried, this is definitely an area where you can cut some costs. This doesn't mean you can cut costs to the degree that you just send a link to your on-line press kit. That's too much work to expect a mostly volunteer staff to find the time to follow your link. However, it does mean that you don't have to send your high dollar flashy kit.

When I'm applying to a unjuried fringe, I simply make some very clean B&W copies of 4 pages and include it in with my application: 1)My Bio 2) The history of my show and/or performances 3)Testimonials 4) 1 article from a news source.

You don't get any extra points for flashy presentation here or for sending a demo. It's a lottery, period and for most fringes this is perfect. Fringe administrators mostly just want to feel confident that they are choosing someone who is going to show up.

For those fringe administrators that care to speak on the subject I'd love to hear if I'm correct in this. Please leave a comment with your own experience.

10 Reasons to Hate the New York Fringe Festival

2010-01-29T12:33:00.002-05:00

As you know Mr. Fringey is partial to the Canadian and Orlando model of fringe festivals. Which is:

100% UNCENSORED
100% UNJURIED
100% ACCESSIBLE
100% of $ from ticket sales go directly to the ARTISTS involved!

Take away any one of these parts without adding another and you start losing major fringe karma points. For instance, Capital Fringe doesn't give 100% of the door, but they create a great fringe community and provide tons of support to artists from out of town.

1-1=0+1=1

Are you picking up the equation that I'm putting down.

In recent months, Mr. Fringey has been asked more than once what his thoughts were in terms of applying to the New York Fringe. This Blog entry is my answer.

1) Participating is like Contributing to Global Warming:

It used to be in the fine print, now it's published on their website. "If accepted to the festival, each company and author (where applicable) will be required to agree to contribute 2% of their gross revenues above $20,000 derived from future productions of the play for a period of seven years after the close of the festival." What the hell is this? Grapes of Wrath? We've all heard that Urinetown became a hit at the NY Fringe and then had to shuck out the dough for the greedy Mr. Thomas.

"At the ranch, the boss, Mr. Thomas, tells the men about the Farmers’ Association, which demands that he pay his laborers twenty-five cents an hour and no more. Even though he knows his men deserve a higher wage, Thomas claims that to pay more would “only cause unrest.” (The Grapes of Wrath Chapter 22 by John Steinbeck)

2. You will age 55 years for every ticket you sell.

You get $8.75 for every $15 ticket sold. You do the math.

3. Perpetuating the Starving Artists Myth One Show at a Time

You pay a whopping $600 entry fee, plus your $30 fee to get your application reviewed. Cincinnati takes 50% of the door but the festival fee is only 30 bucks.

4. Did I just sign up for American Idol?

Fringe NYC doesn't disguise the fact that they use a jury process to "insure the festival is a cross-section of the best emerging performance from around the world." Are you hiring a pastry chef or a performer? What a crock. Fringes shouldn't jury, period!

5. Doctor, I caught a case of the Bullies

It's no wonder that Fringe NYC has been awarded Mr. Fringey's Bully Award for the past two years. Rejecting all sense of the spirit of the fringe community again and again, I think Fringe NYC needs to take a behavioral modification class, but not in the NYC school system, (that's probably where they learned to bully others to begin with). If you need some proof check out my blog entry that details the nastygram they sent the Long Island Fringe Fest last year.

6. It Feels Romantic to be Completely Alone in the Big Apple

Although the NYF is only partly to blame, fringe shows in New York are a hard sell. On any weekend there are only about 10 million other shows going on there. I know performers who sell out entire runs of shows all over the fringe circuit and find themselves in miserably tiny houses at the NYF. Although your ego will always get the best of you in this situation, a small house is a small house is a small house and just because you're in NYC doesn't make it romantic.

7. Attendance Aschemndance

According to their website "In 2009, nearly 70,000 people attended Fringe NYC." Do you know how few people that is for a festival taking place in New York? That's the equivalent of one person showing up to a show at the Kansas City Fringe.

8. Are We Getting Married or Just Dating

If you are accepted to FringeNYC, part of their agreement prohibits the performance of your show anywhere in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut anytime during the months of June, July, or August.

9 & 10. There were 2 more reasons, but the New York Fringe Festival only allows blog entries that critique the festival in jest to a total of 8 reasons. Mr. Fringey was required to submit the remaining 2 reasons to the festival directors for approval with a $23 dollar application fee. Apologies to my readers

United States Association of Fringe Festival Website Update

2010-01-13T08:23:00.001-05:00

The United States Association of Fringe Festival (USAFF) website just got an update. Although from a design perspective I thought their other site looked and felt much better, the new version is much easier to use, presents the information in a way that makes it easy to understand and will most likley be better optomized for search engines which is a good thing because it lets Fringe or Die finds everywhere find the information in their Google searches.

Unlike the Rouge Fest website which was the only other place to get an entire festival listing update (which most a jumbled mess of broken links and disorganized chaos) the Calendar link on the USAFF site lists only 14 US Fringes and puts them into two columns by date and location.

This recent revision, I feel, is a good sign for the fringe world. It's like when Taco Bell added the little dog or Burger King added the King. After years of floundering around in the abyss, these are examples of companies that got focused in creating something that would have an impact and reach out and connect with people. Although the USAFF website company graphic looks a little like it it was downloaded from Word Star or a 1983 computer clip art directory, I'm able to overlook that for their larger mission.

Simplicity, cohesiveness, connectedness and community.

Nice work guys!

To check out the USAFF cleaner, sleeker, more user-friendly look, visit http://fringefestivals.us.

Nominate Your Favorite Fringe Awards

2009-12-28T20:50:00.000-05:00

It's that time again. Mr. Fringey's Top 10 Fringe Award list. This year send in your own nominations (by leaving a comment below) for the following categories or create your own categories. The awards will be posted during the second week of 2010.

1. Best City to Get Rich

2. Best “Fringe Central” Show

3. Mr. Fringe Daddy Award

4. With You Were Bigger

5. Bully Award

6. Tightest & Sexiest Ship

7. Best Party

8. Most Mysterious Fringe Experience

9. Most Anticipated Upcoming Fringe

10. Best Venue

The United States Fringe Festival Conference USAFF

2009-12-22T08:00:00.003-05:00

For the past four years there’s been a secret fringe festival meeting going on in October…. in secret…. sort of. (It’s only a secret if you’re not the producer of a fringe festival). So, for dudes like me and performers like you… it remains….a secret. The producers get together like I guess senators and heads of states do and discuss the STATE OF THE FRINGE.

Mr. Fringey caught up with Beth Marshall, the Producing Artistic Director of the Orlando Fringe Festival and the host of this year’s STATE OF THE FRINGE MEETING and asked her to fill me in on all the fringe secrets.

Q: What’s the official name for your meeting?

A: The United States Fringe Festival Association Conference.

Q: How long have you been meeting?

A: 5 years.

Q: Is it in the same place every year?

A: No, it’s hosted by a different festival each year. Next years it’s in Kansas City. Last year it was in DC.

Q: Who showed up this year?

A: MN, Indy, KC, Frigid, NYC, New Orleans, Delaware, Chicago and Washington D.C.

Q: Wait! If I take the first letter of each of the words of your conference it stands for USAFF. Does that mean the USAFF is the same as the CAFF?

A: Hardly. The CAFF or Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals has a mandate that says what a fringe is.

Q: Yeah, when I visited the CAFF website (http://www.fringefestivals.com) I kind of got the idea that the Canadians had the whole fringe thing down. When I went to the USAFF website – http://www.fringefestivals.us. It seemed like what a fringe is in the US was all over the map.

A: Exactly. There’s a real strong challenge here in the US determining what a fringe is.

Q: What does Canada say a fringe is?

A: 100% UNCENSORED
100% UNJURIED
100% ACCESSIBLE
100% of $ from ticket sales go directly to the ARTISTS involved!

Q: That’s what I always thought a fringe was, but the New York Fringe is juried, the Cincinnati Fringe only gives you 50% of the door, etc. It seems like every city has it’s own rules.

A: Which is why the USAFF is only an organization in theory. Until there’s an agreement in terms of what guides a US fringe festival it will remain but an idea. Until then there’s no legal authorization for the use of it.

Q: We can barely agree on healthcare, I doubt a bunch of artists are going to agree on something like this. It seems pretty simple though.

A: Exactly. There is a reason that the festivals overall are doing well in Canada and that’s because you don’t mess with a business model that works. We’re now the longest running fringe festival in the US. In 1997, we were $45,000 in debt and we still decided to give 100% back to the artists.

Q: So, what do you do at your secret fringe meeting?

A: It’s a producer’s conference.

Q: So, you have brainstorming sessions on what the fringe is?

A: We hold the meetings so we can act as Fringe Mentors for the new fringes. We require that new fringes attend a Newbie day as a requirement to belonging to part of the secret club. That way we can use our own established reputations to help new and emerging festivals gain recognition around the nation.

Mr. Fringey's disclaimer: Beth doesn't really say "exactly" all the time, it's just that Mr. Fringey couldn't read his notes from the interview

Guest Review: Wilmington Fringe Festival

2009-12-21T10:05:00.007-05:00

By Guest Reviewer: Darren Goins

Guest Festival Ranking: 5 out of 5 bowties

Mr. Fringey’s Description: Like that really warm pair of wool underpants that George Washington \ wore when he took that cool boat ride with his buddies.

Overview:

The Sunny-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe is the bomb)

1. The level of organization for this inaugural event was incredible. Fringe Wilmington provided

a website for the festival, free and I repeat free venues, and a pre-party to showcase work and parties each evening to keep the buzz and sense of community alive.

2. The friendliness and helpfulness of festival staff and volunteers. The festival organizers and their helpful staff of volunteers created an environment where artists could come in, quickly get set up and make the shows a go. I want to give a shout out to Odette and everyone at the Fringe HQ for bringing their A game this weekend in Wilmington.

3. Affordability. For a minimal application fee and low operating cost, artist at varying levels could get in and get started. I also commend them for securing a block rate at a nice, safe hotel that was within walking distance of all venues. As this can be an expense that can eat into some artists' profits and even make some artist unable to participate, this was a nice convenience.

The Flip-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe sucks or what makes it difficult)

1. I would not say this fringe sucked at all. I would say that as a new event it suffered from the typical struggle of new events in it will take a bit of time to build a following. I'm hoping that the Mayor's Office and others that supported the Fringe keep it up in Wilmington so that another opportunity in the Mid-Atlantic for Fringe Artist presents itself.

2. Withstanding the limitations of a new event, I hope that the infrastucture set up also gets fleshed out by a sense of community among the artist where there is a desire to support each other. This will come most certainly.

3. Some effort needs to be put forth to reach out to the community along Market Street. Making the people who live in the area feel a part of the festival and festivities can help build audience. The fault lies not solely on the part of the Festival organizers nor the community nor the artist.

Those who come should think of ways to make local residents and businesses feel empowered. Papering and handing out post cards might accomplish this goal.

Ease of Filling Seats:

What's the best way to fill your seats here marketing-wise?

Reaching out to other festival goers and trying to hit people early so they'll know about the events. Based on the proximity to Delaware State University, letting Theatre and English departments know is something I plan on doing in the future. Depending on show content, this could be something worth hitting the high schools as well.

Is there a fringe central?

There was a fringe central that was well organized and staffed with phenomenal volunteers who were willing to help.

Is there a showcase for out of town performers?

The pre-night party was set up for out of town performers and all participants to get people to come to their audiences.

Potential to Make Money:

Do you get 100% of door? If not, how much.

This artists received 50% of the door.

Do performers see other shows for free?

Performers were allowed to see each other's shows for free thanks to the Festival Badges.

Do you get paid each night? If not how? Were you paid on time if the money was sent to you? The money will be sent.

Navigation of the City

What city do you fly into and how did you get to your destination?

You could fly into Philly, Wilmington or Baltimore Washington International (with an hour and a half drive that's worth the savings sometimes in the Mid-Atlantic).

Can you walk to all the venues? If not how did you get around?

All but two or three of the venues were within walking distance. A car is most helpful.

Did you use fringe fest lodging? If so, how was the lodging? If not, who did you stay with?

Fringe lodging was at a Double Tree. This hotel with a group rate made this event incredibly convenient. The festival provided coordination of booking rooms as well. I would most highly recommend this because I did not notice other lodging in the area that would be so convenient. For the low cost of parking one could be in the thick of it all very quickly.

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)

A men's tube sock.

Fringe Specs:

Age in Fringe Years: 1

Festival Dates: October 1-4, 2010

Application Deadline: June 1, 2010

How: http://www.fringewilmingtonde.com fill out application and snail mail

And: You can apply in 4 categories - Performance, Visual, Cinema, and 24 hour film making. Performers get 2 performances over a 2 day period.

Applying: $50

Festival Cost: Once accepted the cost stopped there.

Ticket Prices: $10

About Mr. Fringy's Guest Reviewer: Darren Goins

Mr. Fringey’s tag: Jean-claude Van Dammit takes the Hippocratic oath in the boys bathroom at Salem Church Middle School.

Check him out at: http://www.darrencgoins.info

What categories does your show fall under? solo, comedy, drama, social issues

How long have you been fringing?

3 years

How many fringes do you do each year?

1-3

What has been your biggest money making fringe?

DramaRama New Orleans (The precursor to New Orleans Fringe)

What fringe did you make your most important contact?

Artscape 2009 in Baltimore

In one word, why do you fringe?

I want to get this show out to the public and get people thinking about the way gender,

specifically masculinities, impact their daily lives.

What's the name of the show (s) you are fringing this year?

Constructed

Do you use your own tech person at your shows? If so, how much do you pay them?

No.

Guest Review: Phoenix Fringe Festival

2009-12-15T10:28:00.000-05:00

By Guest Reviewer: David Gaines

Guest Festival Ranking: 3 out of 5 bowties.

Mr. Fringey’s Description: A thick safety net performance festival hiding under the title of Durham flour spaghetti. (Do you even need spaghetti when there’s so many other options out there?)

Overview:

The Sunny-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe is the bomb)

1. Seriously dedicated Production staff who bent over backwards to make their fringe (and my visit to it) a great experience.

2. A really interesting place, at the intersection of fancy high-rise building city, ASU college world, and a dedicated artist-scene that occupies funky spaces around parts of the city landscape that are like a cross between Paris, Texas, and Santa Fe. (Imagine, say a café that serves really nice soups and sandwiches, run by a mellowed ex-biker, next to a scrap-yard sculpture garden with really quite nice pieces in it.) Etc.

3. This fringe is just in its infancy, but it will grow. It has good people at its helm, backed by committed funders, and I saw some really good work there – from Moving Melvin Brown (who taps, shuffles, tells personal anecdotes, and sings like everyone from Nat Cole to James Brown) to the best of the “horror movie turned into a musical” plays I saw all year!

The Flip-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe sucks or what makes it difficult)

1. Location,

2. Location,

3. Location. It’s a long way from most other places that the usual fringe suspects live. So it’s a bit of an investment to travel there from the East Coast. Audiences are still small, so you won’t make a pile of money, but you will have a good time (at least I did), and it’s a great opportunity for a road trip (or a fly-trip) to the southwest of the country. Heck, if you fly into Vegas (which is cheaper) and rent a car to drive the 5 hours to Phoenix, you can see a show and lose money, and start having fun before you even get there!

Ease of Filling Seats:

What's the best way to fill your seats here marketing-wise ?

This is the difficulty. We didn’t fill the seats, but were never empty. There are few people strolling the streets, as it’s so hot and we didn’t find any “piazza-walking-strolling” sort of area in town. However, there is a “First Friday” festival that was great for carding people. Lots of streets blocked of and teeming with strolling folk checking out open-late shops and galleries, stalls in the streets, etc. That was great carding. But of course, as with all marketing, who knows if that’s who came?

Is there a fringe central?

Yes. It’s a café (with GREAT coffee) attached to one of the performing spaces, and there were a couple of couches there, a laid back attitude (former San Franciscan ran the place), nice rough art on the walls, and a bit of an “If there’s nobody here, we’re not open, but you’re welcome” attitude.

Is there a showcase for out of town performers ?

No, there was not a showcase, which is too bad for both out of town and in town performers. But they did try to work with out of town performers (as much as their budget allowed) to try and make it feasible for them to come to perform in the fringe.

Potential to Make Money:

Do you get 100% of door ? If not, how much.

When I did it (2009) tickets were $7, and you got $6 of each ticket.

Do performers see other shows for free ?

As I remember it, yes.

Do you get paid each night ? If not how ? Were you paid on time if the money was sent to you ?

You get paid after the festival, when they do the final accounts. This wound up meaning I got a check – I don’t know – a few weeks after the festival. That doesn’t seem unreasonable to me.

Navigation of the City

What city do you fly into and how did you get to your destination ?

I (we) flew into/out of Las Vegas and rented a car to drive the 5 hours to/from Phoenix. It made for a nice weekend before it, and the flights and car rentals are both cheaper to/in Vegas than Phoenix . That said, it’s probably cheaper to fly directly to Phoenix if you aren’t going to rent a car.

Can you walk to all the venues ? If not how did you get around ?

You could, but the venues were basically in two hub areas, and the walk from one area to the other was quite long. We drove, but a bike would probably be the perfect method.

Did you use fringe fest lodging ? If so, how was the lodging ? If not, who did you stay with?

The fringe got us a great deal to stay at a lovely hotel in the middle of town, near our theatre cluster. Others stayed in other hotels and maybe in people’s houses around town.

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)

I would say disregarding the cost of travel and accommodation, a tiny sock. But if you can’t find cheap accommodation and travel, I’d have to say the tube sock of a man with really fat feet. That is, a lot of cost up front, and then skinny towards the back end.

Fringe Specs:

Age in Fringe Years: 2 tiny toddler years

Festival Dates: April 2nd - 11th, 2010. Performances will be on the following dates April 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, and 11.

Application Deadline: XXX

And: It’s vague enough to be a sort of juried process, but vague enough to sound like a lottery. (Mr. Fringey has heard this one before… uh… from….NYC?)

Applying: http://phxfringe.org

Festival Cost: $35 application fee + $300-$525 participation fee.

Ticket Prices: $7 per ticket (plus 3% if using a credit card)

About Mr. Fringy's Guest Reviewer:

Mr. Fringey’s tag: The future world title contender for the heavy weight fringe festival performer belt.

Check her/him out at: www.davidgainesperformance.com

What categories does your show fall under ? (IE, comedy, women, religious, etc).

Comedy, clown, mime, cartoon, movement theatre, mask

How long have you been fringing ?

This is my second summer. Started in DC in July, 2008.

How many fringes do you do each year ?

2008: 1

2009: 5

2010: ? (maybe 5…)

What has been your favorite fringe ?

“Which of your children do you love the most ? ” I have had a great time enjoying the different flavors of each fringe. Orlando’s big, Cincinnati is warm and loving, Indianapolis is a big Dame-Edna hug, Phoenix is an inspiring little engine that could, the DC fringe gave me my start, and Philadelphia … well Philadelphia didn’t really open the door and invite you in, but once you were there, they were very nice to work with. But with having to book your own performance space, and not providing accommodation, they didn’t make it easy for an out-of-towner.

What has been your biggest money making fringe ?

I think maybe Indianapolis .

What fringe did you make your most important contact ?

No easy answer to this. I’ve met people that have delighted me at each of the festivals (except maybe Philly, where I was commuting, so I never saw any of the other artists) – mostly the other artists and the festival workers. But I have not yet met a guy with a cigar in his mouth and a wad of $100’s in his bulging pocket saying, “Let me take you away from all this and make you a star…” Maybe at the next one.

In one word, why do you fringe ?

The sense of comraderie with the other performers. A jamboree with “my people”, and the chance to have real contact with the audience members after the show.

And, of course, to sell T-shirts.

What's the name of the show (s) you are fringing this year ?

“7 (x1) Samurai” – (pronounced “Seven by One Samurai”)

Do you use your own tech person at your shows ? If so, how much do you pay them ?

No. I have only four simple cues, so I rely on the venue tech.

Any fringes to avoid ?

I would say no. (At least I haven’t hit it yet). But be forewarned – for Philly, you have to do all the venue finding, negotiating, and producing yourself.

Photos by:

Promo photo art by: Jonathan Benham

Mask-switching photo by: Aude Guerrucci

Photo of me in Phoenix fringe dressing room: Susan Thompson-Gaines

Guest Review: New England Fringe Festival

2009-12-13T10:56:00.001-05:00

By Guest Reviewer: Carolyn Paine, Co-Director, CONNetic Dance

Guest Festival Ranking: 4 out of 5 bowties Mr. Fringey’s Description: XXX

Overview:
The Sunny-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe is the bomb)

1. The Director of the New England Fringe Festival, Kimberly Basso, has great energy and love for what she does which makes working with her wonderful.

2. This festival has a great casual, yet very professional atmosphere.

3. This festival has great diversity in what it produces.

The Flip-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe sucks or what makes it difficult)

1. The facility the festival is held in is very small which made dancing difficult, but not impossible or less enjoyable!

2. The theatre also has a small audience seating space. Though it is awesome to perform to a full house, we had a lot of friends who couldn't get tickets because there are so few available.

3. The festival didn't receive as much press coverage/reviews as it should have.

Ease of Filling Seats:
What's the best way to fill your seats here marketing-wise?
We sent around an email to our "fans," as well as posted it on our website and facebook. Many groups also had postcards advertising their show which we would do if we participate again. But again, given the small space, it is pretty easy to fill your seats with friends and family which is nice!

Is there a fringe central?
No.

Is there a showcase for out of town performers?
It is a festival for performers from all over New England so there is no special showcase for out of town performers.

Potential to Make Money:

Do you get 100% of door? If not, how much.
No, you get 50% of door sales.

Do performers see other shows for free?
I believe so.

Do you get paid each night? If not how? Were you paid on time if the money was sent to you?
Each group receives 50% of door sales for the night they perform.

Navigation of the City

What city do you fly into and how did you get to your destination?
The New England Fringe Festival is located in Burligton, MA which is not far from Boston area, easily accessible by car. My company, CONNetic Dance, is based out of Hartford, CT so we drove up to Burlington the day of our performance.

Can you walk to all the venues? If not how did you get around?
There is one venue for the performance.

Did you use fringe fest lodging? If so, how was the lodging? If not, who did you stay with?
There was no lodging provided. Though we came from out of town, we also returned to CT that evening after the show.

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)
a tiny sock

Fringe Specs:
Age in Fringe Years: 4 years (this is four years in potato bug years, not actual fringe years)
Festival Dates: October 1-4, 2010
Application Deadline: July 1^st,2010 – until filled on first come basis.
And: Acts run from 30 – 120 minutes and your registration fee is dependant on the length of your show.
Applying: http://www.nefringefestival.com and snail mail application with no fee.
Festival Cost: $100 - $400 depending on length of show
Ticket Prices: MIA (means info is missing in action)

About Mr. Fringy's Guest Reviewer: Carolyn Paine, Co-Director, CONNetic Dance
Mr. Fringey’s tag: The Millennial 90210 of beautiful bare feet.
Check her out at: (website, blog, My Space page links, etc.) www.conneticdance.com

What categories does your show fall under? (IE, comedy, women, religious, etc).
dance

How long have you been fringing?
first time for CONNetic Dance

How many fringes do you do each year?
n/a

What has been your favorite fringe?
n/a

What has been your biggest money making fringe?
n/a

What fringe did you make your most important contact?
n/a

In one word, why do you fringe?
Perform!

What's the name of the show (s) you are fringing this year?
CONNetic Dance presents "Bitter/Sweet and Other Contradictions"

Do you use your own tech person at your shows? If so, how much do you pay them?
n/a

Any fringes to avoid?
n/a

Photos by:
Steve Crosset

Greensboro Fringe Festival

2009-12-08T11:13:00.006-05:00

By Guest Reviewer: Kati Frazier

Guest Festival Ranking: 3 out of 5 bowties

Mr. Fringey’s Description: Honest, true, and southern like a one-eyed, bubble gum chewing nine year ol’ kid.

Overview:

The Sunny-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe is the bomb)

1. There's no application fee. It is totally free to apply the only money GSO fringe gets out of you is a cut of the door. Not too shabby.

2. There is a really great variety of shows. Dance, Burlesque, and all kinds of theatre, from typical to experimental.

3. It's a young fringe. A blessing and curse. But it does mean that everyone has a shot. Things are always changing, every year the Fringe takes on something new. For example a few years ago they started "the New Fringe" a collection of short pieces of dance and theatre shows together on the same night. That's how I got into the fringe with a ten minute play I wrote called Flesh and Bone. Plus, with it being new and young the audience is still really excited about all the new work. Greensboro really has a great and diverse theatre-going crowd.

The Flip-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe sucks or what makes it difficult)

1. It's a young fringe. Like I said, a blessing and a curse. There are still plenty of people in town who give you a puzzled look when you say you're doing a show in the Fringe Festival, ("I didn't know we had a French festival." "no, no fringe." etc) Don't get me wrong, there is a definite audience here, a great one, but adding to the people who are already in on it can be a bit challenging.

2. Pretty much all of the shows happen downtown. But, there aren't always quite enough venues. Last year I was told (paraphrasing of course), "we want your show in the festival, but we don't have a performance space for you. If you can find one, you're in." Which was a bit of a struggle. But from what I can tell they are already working on this.

3. City Arts, which is the primary venue for Fringe shows, is a really nice and flexible space . . . .but has occasional strange pipe noises, which make things sound ominous. It's really not a big deal, but it bugs with my controlling nature. Fringe takes 20% of the door, the rest is yours to do with as you please, preferably convert it into singles and bathe in it, that's what I do . . . . not really.

Ease of Filling Seats:

What's the best way to fill your seats here marketing-wise?

Putting fliers in peoples hands has always worked really well for me. Going to coffee shops at busy times or hanging out on Tate St. or near the colleges and just handing people a postcard-sized flier really does wonders.

Is there a fringe central?

There's an office, but nothing I would really call a fringe central.

Is there a showcase for out of town performers?

did I mention it's a young fringe? To my knowledge there haven't been any out of town performers yet. Not that they are against it. I just don't think anyone has applied.

Potential to Make Money:

Do you get 100% of door? If not, how much.

If you find your own venue I believe you get 100%

Do performers see other shows for free?

nope, but none of the shows are very expensive. No one charges more than $10.

Do you get paid each night? If not how? Were you paid on time if the money was sent to you?

You get paid after the run, about a week later. The check arrived on time. I had no problems

Navigation of the City

What city do you fly into and how did you get to your destination?

Uhm, yeah, as I said we haven't had any out-of-towners in our fringe yet. But PTI airport is right in Greensboro. The bus system is decent. Not too hard to get around.

Can you walk to all the venues? If not how did you get around?

Usually everything is downtown, all of it within walking distance of eachother. There are some hotels nearby as well.

Did you use fringe fest lodging? If so, how was the lodging? If not, who did you stay with?

Doesn't exist, there simply isn't a need yet.

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)

Tiny Sock. There are plenty of cheap places to east downtown, the shows are all reasonably priced. It really isn't an expensive endeavor

Fringe Specs:

Age in Fringe Years: 8 years (these are southern three-legged dog years)

Festival Dates: Jan 22 – Feb 14, 2010

Application Deadline: September 30, 2009

And: Apply with video/cd and resume. (uh-oh?! - and limited to North Carolina and surrounding area residents)

Applying: http://www.greensborofringefestival.org/

Festival Cost: $0 (cool huh?)

Ticket Prices: vary, everyone gets to charge what they want as long as it is under $10. You don't even have to charge at all if you don't want to.

About Mr. Fringy's Guest Reviewer: Kati Frazier

Mr. Fringey’s tag: The Cicada is the new butterfly.

Check her/him out at: (website, blog, My Space page links, etc.) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kati-Frazier/190670787440?created#/pages/Kati-Frazier/190670787440?ref=search&sid=25002405.2860549015..1 I definitely just made a facebook fan page so I could put something here. Let's face it, I'm a bit green.

What categories does your show fall under? (IE, comedy, women, religious, etc).

Non-linear queer drama in which all the characters are assholes . . . . that's a category right?

How long have you been fringing?

I've done the Greensboro Fringe twice before and that is it. I am pretty new, just out of college and stretching my wings and various other metaphors.

What fringe did you make your most important contact?

yep . . . see above

In one word, why do you fringe?

passion

What's the name of the show (s) you are fringing this year?

The Last Year is what I am fringing this coming year. I am pretty excited about it. It may be the most inappropriate thing I have ever written.

Do you use your own tech person at your shows? If so, how much do you pay them?

yes. It's something I am still negotiating.

Any fringes to avoid?

nope

Photos by:

Me. The poster is from the show I did last year. The other is of me, drunk.

Hollywood Fringe Theatre Festival Registration Open

2009-11-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

Participant registration for the Hollywood Fringe Festival is now open. We welcome artists and producers around the world to join the Fringe in Los Angeles.

Registering for the Fringe is a 3 step process Create a Project, Find a Venue, Register with the Festival.

Do you have a project you'd like to bring to the Fringe? Create a project on our newly-launched website now. Creating a project costs no money and carries no obligation. Projects include plays, art pieces, special events, bands, films - the Fringe welcomes all disciplines and expressions. We provide online tools to articulate and promote your vision including picture/video sharing, collaboration, and team building.

Lacking resources to produce a show by yourself? Post your ideas anyway, you never know who might be interested in helping you.

We've already assembled nine top-notch Hollywood venuesinterested in Fringe programming. There are more coming including homes for film and visual art projects. Having created a project, registrants can apply online to any of these venues. If none of them fulfill your needs, you can bring your own. All venues need to be located in Hollywoodand conform to basic safety standards.

Once a venue is secured, there's one last step: Registering with the festival itself. This one-time fee of $200 entitles you to all the benefits of registration.

Need help navigating through the registration process? That's why we are here. Send an email to support@hollywoodfringe.org and our participant support team will guide you along your journey. You can also refer to our website for more information about participating in the Fringe.

The festival runs June 17-June 27, 2010 in Hollywood, CA, USA. Registration closes April 1, 2010.

Midwest Fringe circuit 2010 tour application

2009-11-17T09:03:00.002-05:00

This was reposted from the site United States Fringe Festivals, run by Matthew Foster. It's a great resource to visit!

In 2010, four Fringes in the Midwest—Kansas City, Minnesota (Minneapolis-St. Paul), Indianapolis and Chicago—are offering producers the chance to create a tour with one simple application. Two slots in each festival are reserved for the Midwest Fringe circuit. If you apply and if your application is selected in a special touring lottery, you'll be guaranteed a place in each festival. It's that simple!

Download the application (PDF)

Read the press release (PDF)

2010 Midwest Fringe dates

July 25–August 1: Kansas City Fringe Festival
August 5–15: Minnesota Fringe Festival (Minneapolis-St. Paul)
August 19–29: Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival
September 1–5: Chicago Fringe

2010 tour application rules

1. Your application is due to the Minnesota Fringe Festival office by noon Central on Thursday, December 31, 2009. You may fax, mail or scan and email your application to:

Minnesota Fringe Festival
Attn: Midwest circuit lottery
528 Hennepin Av #503
Minneapolis MN 55403
Fax: (866) 596-3224
Email: midwest@fringefestivals.us

2. Two applications will be selected in a lottery on Friday, January 8, 2010 at 3 p.m. Central. The lottery will be broadcast live (and results will be posted immediately) at fringefestival.org. Each producer or production company is limited to one application.

3. There is no application fee for this lottery. If your application is selected in the circuit lottery, you will be guaranteed a standard production slot in each of the four participating Fringes: Kansas City, Minnesota, Indianapolis and Chicago. If your circuit application is drawn, you must fill out a standard application and pay all fees by stated deadlines to each festival individually.

4. There is no wait list for the circuit lottery. If a selected company drops out, its production slot will be filled according to the rules set by each festival. Applicants not drawn for the two touring slots are welcome to apply to each festival individually.

5. We encourage (but don’t require) touring producers to bring the same show to all four festivals. This increases your chances for press and good word-of-mouth to build over the circuit.

6. Producers must abide by all rules of each festival, including:

Run time of 45 to 60 minutes
Set up and strike each performance in 10 minutes
A minimum of 80 percent scripted material

7. Any questions? Just ask!

Secret Fringe Alert: Is a new fringe baby on the way?

2009-10-24T18:55:00.003-04:00

As you know, Mr. Fringey likes to put on his fringe detective specks from time to time and do a little secret agent work.

In his last round of secret agentness, he managed to dig up some good dirt.

Although it's still too soon to say, and Mr. Fringey can't give his source away, the word on the street is that there's been a little hanky panky going on in the fringe world in an area where a lot of couples like to go on their Honeymoon (hint....hint) Some even say there may be a fringe baby birth announcement coming soon from that region of the United States known as Hawaii.

Would you apply?

Fringe Baby Alert! Chicago Fringe Festival

2009-10-16T17:51:00.002-04:00

Mr. Fringey is proud to announce the upcoming birth of a brand new baby fringe. Please help him in celebrating the occasion by telling the whole wide world. Although he talked with the parents, they didn't have access to a fringe-o-sound and so you'll notice much of the information is missing. Still, it's cause to celebrate. Wa-hoooo!

Save the Date

When: September 1-5, 2010

Where: Pilsen neighborhood, centering around Halsted and 18th street in Chicago, IL

Info for Performers

Show Length: n/a

# of performances: 5

Performer Split: Performers get 100% of the door.

Ticket Prices: n/a

Fringe Info

Selection process: Lottery and sub-lottery for 40 spots

Application Deadline: n/a

Cost: $400

Lottery Results Published: March 1, 2010

Additional Application Costs: n/a

Questions: info@chicagofringe.org

Apply

Application Deadline: n/a

Applications Published: December 1, 2009

Follow the conversations on :

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChicagoFringeFestival

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChicagoFringe

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/chicagofringefestival

Blog: www.chicagofringe.blogspot.com

Website: http://chicagofringe.blogspot.com

Mr. Fringey on NPR

2009-10-13T08:00:00.002-04:00

Mr. Fringey got a lot of love from NPR's Neda Ulaby in August, the very day after his birthday. They ran a great feature on his "21 Hour Marketing" workshop which took place as part of the Capital Fringe Festival. Listen for yourself to the interview in the NPR series on How Artists Make Money by the following the link here: Listen now > http://bit.ly/NPRFringe

The Fringe Waiting List Begins

2009-10-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Speaking of fringe waiting lists, I was just informed last night that for the National Storytelling Network Conference Fringe happening in LA this year, I made the #3 spot on the wait-list out of 101 entrants. There are only 12 spots for this fringe, but I’m crossing my fingers anyway. So, time will tell if the mobility issues that I mentioned in my previous post are beginning to plague fringes everywhere.

The Fringe Festival Lottery System

2009-10-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

“Savor obscurity while it lasts. Once you “make it,” your work is never the same.”

From “Ignore Everybody”-by Hugh MacLeod

When I asked a fellow fringe performer (one of the most talented on the fringe circuit) to suggest fringes I should apply to in Canada based on their money making potential she sent me her answer with a disclaimer that I not post it on my blog.

The reason? Well, she felt since the upswing in fringe application popularity and the fact that fringe lotteries are getting harder and harder to get into, why add fuel to the fire with making certain fringes even more popular with publishing it to my blog.

For instance, I have some friends that live in Minnesota and haven’t gotten into that festival in over three years. How’s that for hometown love? Two years ago, when I applied to the Minnesota Fringe I was wait listed at # 119 (which means there were 119 acts in front of me vying for a coveted spot) and by the time the fringe lottery rolled around, I had moved up the waitlist to #18. Last year, I was waitlisted at 90 (out of about 165 open slots) and by the time the lottery rolled around I moved up to 78. Is the motion on the waitlist disappearing because performers are holding onto their positions tighter?

I’m not sure. I got into Montreal two years ago and cancelled out at the last minute. The same thing occurred for me with the Capital Fringe last year. Things come up. Life happens. I knew I’d be missing out, but I cancelled out anyway. It’s the fringe, it’s not Carnegie Hall.

I think every performer seeks the fringe for their own reasons. For me, it usually involves visiting a city I’ve never been to before, being a part of an artistic community of solo-performers, and balancing that with my ability in that particular city to recoup some of my costs.

If I post on my blog that everyone should apply to the Capital Fringe because it’s my favorite fringe, does it lower my chances of getting in? Does it skewer the application process? Am I shooting myself in the foot?

It reminds me of the same thing the surfing community went through about 10 years ago as surfing grew in popularity and technology made it easier for more people to find waves, and surf in conditions that had at one time been prohibitive. Wet suits were better surfboards were cheaper and more accessible and more and more surfers were exploring the world and telling others about their findings. Should magazines publish secret spots? Would publishing the whereabouts of an undisclosed location make it over-run with crowds?

In a world where everything is now on a Google Map, I’m not sure what to think about this anymore.

What are your thoughts of the lottery system and how it’s been working for you?

Find a Fringe Festival Review by City

2009-10-05T21:41:00.008-04:00

The following Fringe Festivals have been reviewed so far. Click on the link below and you will be taken to the appropriate page:

United States

Canada

International

Scotland, Edinburgh

If you’d like to review a fringe write to me at slashcoleman@gmail.com.

Fringe Festival Review: The Long Island Fringe

2009-10-05T08:00:00.002-04:00

As you know Mr. Fringey announced the birth of the Long Island fringe during the summer and so from Sept 25-27, Mr. Fringey packed his show and headed to the LI Fringe to participate.

To critique the fringe really is a general critique of all first year fringes. As you know I highly recommend against signing up for first year fringes. Venues tend to be empty, it’s extremely hard to get people to see your shows and unless you have a motive other than money and applause, it’s somewhat of a losing investment. Although there are rare exceptions to this rule, I still recommend waiting until a fringe reaches its fifth birthday before participating.

Long Island though fell into the same category as the New Orleans fringe for me. I went because I wanted to check out a really cool place. And it is that. Even though it’s miles away from it’s big brother, NYC, the towns on Long Island, are heavily influenced by that unique NYC pulse, but a have a unique back woods beach vibe.

If I was doing a traditional fringe review I’d have to describe the LI fringe as “your best friends little brother who has autism and seems really cool when he flaps his hands like a seal and counts clouds.”

On the + side:

a. The venue is one of the best on the entire fringe circuit. At the center of the venue hub is the Tilles center and the other fringe venues spoke out form the center within the same building. Walking from venue to venue is a breeze. The Tilles center is a beautiful state of the art performing arts facility (One of the nicest I’ve seen in the country) that seats about 3,000. It comes with a professional, extremely well-trained tech crew, ushers that wear the monkey outfits and a box office that you’d expect to find when buying tickets for the opera. Where most fringes feel like a bunch of hippies collecting money in envelopes and passing along moonlighting band sound guys to run your tech, this fringe makes you feel like a rock star.

b. Most of the performers were from Long Island or NYC which means most of them have received most of their artistic influence from NYC. Because of this, many of the performers were top notch. Not what you’d usually find at a fringe. I saw some of the best performances ever at this fringe, performances I would have easily paid $60 a ticket to see elsewhere.

c. he events organizers Bob Goida and Deb Kasimakis treat you like royalty. Performers see all shows for free, you get 100% of the door, the participation fee was beans ($200) and they provided you with an opening night four star spread and meet and greet that kicks off the event in style.

d. This fringe actually had a mascot, which I thought was pretty darn cool.

On the - side:

a. From the beginning the LI fringe ran into problems. Early on, the New York Fringe sent the LI Fringe a “cease and desist order” telling the organizers they couldn’t use the “fringe” name. (This is why Frigid didn’t use the “Fringe” name). And so, the LI Fringe ultimately became the “2009 Experience Long Island Fr*^g* Festival. From a future marketing perspective it’s sure death. Names are everything and it makes the festival sound more like a cheesy outdoor local family art event. I anticipate that unless they find a better name, the festival will be hard pressed to become accepted by the fringe community.

b. The fringe takes place on CW Post Long Island University campus. It’s beautiful, and has a really impressive performing arts program, but to be honest, connecting a fringe to a college with a large commuter population, (from a marketing perspective) is extremely tricky. Students don’t see shows on campus on weekends. In fact, students aren’t even a part of the fringe demographic. (Regular theater patrons aren’t part of that demographic either). Even when a professor requires students attend an event, it’s hard to get them there, especially when they have to pay. And so a campus environment can be somewhat isolated especially to arts patrons from the outside community.

GO: If you want to make some connections in the city and get a chance to perform on one of the best stages in the country.

SKIP IT: If fringing for you is about recouping a monetary investment and you don’t like to perform in an empty venue.

5 Ways to Make a Fringe Fan a Fringe Fanatic

2009-10-02T09:40:00.004-04:00

I’ve participated in enough Fringe Toddler events (fringes that are between one and three years old) to know that hanging up a shingle that reads “Open For Fringe,” doesn’t mean a whole lot in terms of audience turn out. Even when a city has an extremely established performing artists support infra-structure, it doesn’t mean much when it comes to the fringe. The demographics are just different.

Below I list 5 ways fringes can take responsibility and boost their contacts into cash, turning the audience members in their seats into long time fringe fans.

1) At first year fringes, audience members tend to see their friends shows exclusively. They aren’t yet educated enough to know that other shows are going on. When fringe performers hand these types of audience members their postcards, advertising their own show, it’s like handing someone a strange reptile with a virus.

REMEDY: It’s a fringes responsibility to educate the audience before each show with a little Fringe 101 talk. This should also be reprinted in a fringe program. See my entry "Fringe 101" on what to include and what not to include.

2) In all the cities that get high reviews from fringe performers there is a sense of community. People like to belong to something. In these cities, fringe goers aren’t just fans, they tend to be fringe fanatics. How can you turn a ticket buyer into a fringe fanatic?

REMEDY: Create a way for fringe goers to participate.

~ Get acquainted with Minnesota’s button system that makes fringe goers feel that there are a part of a unique and secret club. Wear the button, get discounts in the community, feel like a cool kid and when you pass other button wearers in the street it makes for a great conversation starter.

~ Get acquainted with the San Fran Fringe’s on-line audience review system. Updated constantly, audience members can read about how fringe go-ers felt about different shows. It makes audience members feel involved. These aren't ego stroking reviews, these are down and dirty hoest reviews meant to help fringers get the most bang for their buck.

3) About ten years ago the post office started doing what Mc Donalds had been doing for years. Selling the add-on. Their “Do you want fries with that?” became “Would you like stamps, delivery confirmation, etc, etc. etc.?” Add-ons can increase business by nearly 25% - even more if you’re working with a specific demographic.

REMEDY: Although it shouldn’t be this way, cross pollination at the fringe is done completely by accident. A performer will announce at the end of his/her show other shows going on in the fringe. It’s called a “Shout Out!” If event organizers were smarter they’d push shout outs more (when appropriate with the show itself). It’s a great advertisement for more ticket sales. It's a guarantee that ticket sales will rise in one fringe season.

4) The Boulder Fringe has a killer nightly event that features fringe performers, a host and a very entertaining show. Montreal has the same thing. Again this is giving the public access to participate in the artistic process, to rub shoulders with artists and it’s a good dose of fringe education.

REMEDY: At the very least a fringe should provide a free showcase for local performers a month before the event and another one for out of town performers right before the event. This can work wonders in spreading the fringe word to potential ticket buyers. Want to bump it up a notch? Then do the nightly thing.

5) The fringe itself is a golden product. A product with a lot of potential as far as bringing in revenue. The increase in fringes in the past three years shows that communities are hungry for the fringe. (To give you an example, The National Storytelling Conference now runs a fringe and they don’t even have a clue of what a fringe is) Yet, for most fringes, that product can be very incestuous. Usually run by artists rather than business people, most of these artists don’t realize that there are boundless opportunities for education and marketing that just don’t begin and end when the fringe begins and ends. As a result that golden product collects a lot of dust

REMEDY: Smart fringe organizers would do well to get emotional support and creative brainstorming ideas from their artist friends and leave the business to the experts. Go on Facbook and find some of your old pals that majored in business, bring ‘em onto your team. The Capital Fringe has done a great job at working outside the box, doing things like running artist business workshops throughout the year. Things like this ultimately help in spreading your fringe word and turn fringe fans into fringe fanatics.

Guest Review: Philly Fringe Festival

2009-08-12T07:19:00.008-04:00

By Guest Reviewer: H.R. Britton
Guest Festival Ranking: How many bow ties would you give this fringe? 4 out of 5

Mr. Fringey’s Description: Lenny Bruce meets Martha Stewart.

Overview:
The Sunny-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe is the bomb)

1. Provided you find and arrange a venue, you're always guaranteed to be part of the festival. You can plan on it, as opposed to other festivals which either judge you, or pick you out of a hat.

2. You can set your own schedule.

3. Philly is a friendly city, and the audiences are enthusiastic.

The Flip-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe sucks or what makes it difficult)

1. It can be a hassle to have to find and arrange the venue.

2. You're responsible for providing your own light & sound people, as well as your ownbox office person.

3. As I'm a solo performer, I find it a bit of a hassle to go to the Fringe Central to collect the 'will call' tickets before the show.

Ease of Filling Seats:
What's the best way to fill your seats here marketing-wise?
I've tried a number of things. I take a small ad out in the program guide. I put cards out in nearby coffeehouses and bookshops. Sometimes I stand out on the street and give out cards and talk to people. I've never been disappointed with the size of my houses

Is there a fringe central?
Yes. There's a ticketing center, and there's also a late night hangout for the artists.

Is there a showcase for out of town performers?
There's not a specific "out of town" showcase. However, leading up to the Festival there are events where fringers can get to know one another and perform excerpts from their work. There's one called "The Binge" and there's a "late night cabaret," which may be unofficial, and of course, at the night-time artist hangout there are performances too.

Potential to Make Money:

Do you get 100% of door? If not, how much.
Tickets at the door: 100%. Tickets through the fringe Box office have about 8 or 10% deducted

Do performers see other shows for free?
As I remember it, you get to see shows for $5

Do you get paid each night?
At the door ticket proceeds go directly to the theater company, since they're administering their own box office.

If not how? Were you paid on time if the money was sent to you?
The proceeds from the tickets sold online and at the Fringe Ticket Central come later, maybe a month or so.

Navigation of the City

What city do you fly into and how did you get to your destination?
You can fly, bus or train into Philadelphia. There's pretty good public transportation to the airport, and the train station is right downtown. NYC and Newark are also relatively nearby airports.

Can you walk to all the venues? If not how did you get around?
You can walk to a lot of the venues, especially the ones in the Old City. Otherwise, there's a bus and subway, and you can plot a trip on the Transit Authority's website.

Did you use fringe fest lodging? No

If so, how was the lodging? If not, who did you stay with? One time I stayed at the youth hostel on Bank Street, which is okay. One time I stayed with a friend.

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

Fringe Specs:
Age in Fringe Years: 13 going on 43.
Festival Dates: September 4 - 19
Application Deadline: April 3, 2010.
And: They also have a Facebook application
Applying: $80 on-line at http://www.livearts-fringe.org/
Festival Cost: Mandatory Fees: $80 application fee, Marketing Fee: $100 for 50-word description; $200 for 50-word description and photo. 10% fee for box office ticket sales. General Liability Insurance $95-$177, Sandwich Board rental fee $40.

Ticket Prices: You set your own in whole dollar amounts

About Mr. Fringy's Guest Reviewer: HR Britton

Mr. Fringey’s tag: The man in the overcoat with the anxiously comic stories and monologues.

Check himout at:

www.OvercoatTheater.com

www.myspace.com/overcoattheater

What categories does your show fall under?
Solo show, storytelling, travelogue, religious rant.

How long have you been fringing?
last 4 years, plus one in 2001

How many fringes do you do each year?
1 to 3

What has been your favorite fringe?

Hard to say, obviously. I really liked the close knit and supportive feeling of San Francisco's fringe. I think Philly is fun and accessible.

What has been your biggest money making fringe?
Probably Philly.

What fringe did you make your most important contact?

At what fringe? FringeNYC. I got a great review of "Jesus Rant" in BackStage, also, through that show I got a paid gig at another solo festival.

In one word, why do you fringe?
Exposure

What's the name of the show (s) you are fringing this year?
"Jesus Rant" (in Ottawa) "Melting in
Madras" (Frigid New York, Philly)

Do you use your own tech person at your shows? If so, how much do you pay them?
At Philly and New York. For the run, I paid one helper about 150, give or take.

Any fringes to avoid?
No.

Photos by: Ignacio Carballo
Cards by: Amy Mees

Guest Review: Frigid Fest (New York City)

2009-08-12T06:54:00.006-04:00

By Guest Reviewer: Chris Harcum

Guest Festival Ranking: 5 out of 5

Mr. Fringey's Description: A wing and a prayer and a staple gun filled with frozen gummy bears.

Overview:

The Sunny-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe is the bomb)

1. It's contained. 30 shows in 3 venues with over 150 performances in 12 days on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. 2 venues are in the same building. The other venue is a short, easy walk so you can catch almost any performance back to back to back.

2. It's connected. Horse Trade and EXIT Theatre/San Francisco Fringe Festival + Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals = a truly fringe-tastic experience.

3. It's a smooth ride. The Horse Trade people really care and help you.

The Flip-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe sucks or what makes it difficult)

1. It's in its third year. It's getting a good reputation. It hasn't made household names yet but it's becoming tough to jump in there. It's not going to get bigger so you have to pounce on the entry. The online entries are 1/3 of the number of participants. That registration filled up in under 2 minutes this year. The next 1/3 are Canadian participants. The final 1/3 are drawn from a hat at midnight on Halloween. That's how I got in when I was in it in '08.

2. It's still a fringe. You need to have your game together. Your show needs to be at a performance level, your marketing plan needs to be in place, your tech needs to collapse or expand at a moment's notice and you have to hustle. Some people are good fringe citizens and some are self-involved jerks. From my experience, Frigid has more of the former. Actually, last year's Frigid only had 2 groups I did my best to avoid.

3. Canadian fringe people have a frisky tradition of handing out postcards and busking at other people's shows to generate audience. New Yorkers have a caustic tradition of hating this because of the guys hawking specials for strip clubs in Times Square. You can always tell the Canadian participants by this. I know it works elsewhere but in NYC it's like watching your kids lose a soccer match.

Potential to Make Money:

Do you get 100% of door? If not, how much. 100%

Do performers see other shows for free? Yes if they are available.

Do you get paid each night? If not how? Were you paid on time if the money was sent to you? Yes.

Fringe Specs:
Age in Fringe Years: 3
Festival Dates: Feb 25 – March 8
Application Deadline: October 31
And: “Our audience numbers were up more than 20% from last year, almost a 50% increase from our first festival only three years ago, this is amazing.”
Applying: $35: On-line at http://frigidnewyork.info
Festival Cost: The Kraine Theater $850, The Red Room $550, UNDER St. Marks $675

Ticket Prices: $15 and under.

Navigation of the City

What city do you fly into and how did you get to your destination? Laguardia, JFK or Newark International. Public transportation from any of these airports can get you to midtown. The F, V and 6 subway trains are close.

About Mr. Fringey Guest Reviewer:

Name: Chris Harcum

Show Name: American Badass (or 12 Characters in Search of a National Identity).

Check him out: www.chrisharcum.com

Bully Award: The New York Fringe

2009-08-12T06:51:00.002-04:00

As if the New York Fringe Festival didn’t have a bad enough reputation already, it gets this years, Bully Award once again for basically telling the Long Island Fringe Festival that it couldn’t use the name “Fringe” in it’s festival name.

I guess having Brooklyn and Ellis Island, isn’t enough, they have to have the word fringe too? Warning to all you other fringes out there who may get a cease and desist warning in the future- you’ve been warned.

Here’s a letter that the good peeps in charge of the LI fringe sent to The New York City International Fringe Festival

Dear NYCIFF,
We would like to take this opportunity to address issues which have been brought to our attention. The New York City International Fringe Festival has managed to get a service mark, the equivalent of a trademark, on the words “Fringe Festival” in the state of New York. This is the equivalent of service marking the words “Pet Shop”, “Bakery” or “Drug Store”, generic phrases used to describe a type of service.

Well, our friends at the NYCIFF have decided that we are confusing people by referring to ourselves as the Long Island Fringe Festival and have demanded that we stop immediately or face legal action.

First of all, if they had actually looked closely, they would have known that the name of the festival is “Fringe 2009 - Experience Long Island”. While it is true that we are the first Long Island Fringe Festival, that is just what we are and that cannot be ruled on in a court of law, it is just a fact.

When we started to put together the festival in September of 2008, it was meant to be a tribute and a celebration of the long and proud tradition of Fringe, an event that started in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1947 at the first International Performance Festival, not on New York City in 1992, and is now an annual event celebrated by 100’s of Fringe Festivals world wide.

If anyone should be allowed to lay claim to the words fringe festival, Edinburgh should be in front of the line with no one behind them. In the true spirit of theatrical collegiality, however, they have let this celebration of creative arts expand and encircle the globe with the spirit and name Fringe Festival. This is what the original fringers had set out to do, entertain and enlighten the general public with a wide range of creative talent assembled into a Fringe Festival.

With an abundance of dancers, musicians, poets, playwrights, visual artists and more on Long Island and around the world, it seems that the more opportunities there are to showcase these people the better. Unfortunately The Present Co., organizers of the NYCIFF, believes that they are the only one who should be allowed to be called a “Fringe Festival”.
May I also add that this seems to be a selective enforcement as no other fringe festival in New York has been told to stop other than the Long Island Fringe. It is also strange that instead of trying to contact us and discuss their concerns, they instead went directly to a lawyer and decided to threaten a lawsuit.

The organizers of Fringe 2009 are not difficult to find. Our names, phone numbers and e mail address are public knowledge and are posted on many websites. So it makes us wonder how a little first year festival could cause such a problem for a well established event such as the New York City International Fringe Festival.

To anyone out there who was confused we apologize. Fringe 2009 is in no way connected to the NYCIFF and we definitely want that to be clear. We are our own festival of Fringe, the first on Long Island, and we are proud to have done this and for that we offer no apology.

“Fringe 2009 - Experience Long Island”

Guest Review: Saskatoon Fringe Festival

2009-08-12T06:33:00.007-04:00

By Guest Reviewer: FIELY A. MATIAS

Guest Festival Ranking: 5 BOWTIES OUT OF 5.

Mr. Fringey’s Description: Benjamin Franklin meets Will Rogers in drag.

Overview:

The Sunny-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe is the bomb)

1. THE STAFF: I loved the Fringe staff at the Saskatoon Fringe Theatre Festival! Very friendly, very helpful and everyone of them came to see my show. I'm still friends with them! I was billeted, all my questions were answered in a timely manner whenever I called, I was paid on time and always treated with a friendly smile!

2. THE AUDIENCE: They came out in droves! I was scheduled into a 160-seat venue and had several sold out performances! The audience was fun, welcoming, playful and numerous! Very friendly city!

3. THE MEDIA COVERAGE: The media coverage at the Saskatoon Fringe was amazing! From the newspapers to the radio to the television stations (big and small) -- the coverage of this Fringe was so well-rounded and complete! My show (and my ugly mug!) appeared several times in the StarPhoenix, I was interviewed by two radio stations, and appeared on two television programs (one national, one local). Lots of press -- it was great!

The Flip-side: (Give 3 reasons this fringe sucks or what makes it difficult)

1. FRINGE CONFUSION: There are two Fringe festivals of sorts in Saskatoon. The street fair (buskers, live music, dry ribs and tons of carousing teenagers) and the theatre festival. In one sense this works, the street fair brings people to your venue area but many seem unaware that there is a theater festival going on -- they're there for a burger and some drinks. So, there are plenty of folks to whom you may attempt to sell your show but many times they are happy simply catching a busker show or two, eating and leaving. And the newspapers/media are covering the theatre festival while printing about the street fair. The drawback - sometimes the theatre festival gets lost amongst all the food carts and buskers. This can make it difficult to sell your show -- but not impossible. Keep plugging away with your press, flyers, posters and chatting people up -- the good people of Saskatoon are very open to hearing about your show!

2. HOT GYMNASIUMS: I hesitate to even mention this as my venue was a hot gym and I had the third highest selling show of the fest in 2007. It's clear, the heat doesn't keep audience away! Hot venues and sweating are to be expected at many Fringe fests but in July on the plains in Canada -- kids, it gets hot!

2. AGAIN, THE DRY RIBS: I loved and hated dry ribs - all at the same time! If you have never had a deep-fat fried beef rib, you can't begin to imagine the agita involved! Love the taste, hate my waist! Get ready to gain weight on all the yummy street fair food! :)

Ease of Filling Seats:

What's the best way to fill your seats here marketing-wise?

Like any Fringe -- get out on those streets and chat people up! Whether it's postcards or giant posters attached to the top of your backpack (my personal fave that worked well for my show!), talk and talk and talk and have fun and talk some more! Get your press out on time with great, colorful professional photos, go see other Fringe shows -- be seen! Make yourself as accessible to the press, the potential audience and other Fringers as possible. PS. Really, in my experience, flyers are a bother to audiences waiting in line. Be creative and that will get you more audience than shoving flyers in people's hands that end up in garbage anyway.

Is there a fringe central?

Yes, there are Fringe offices where the staff works/lives -- :) -- and tickets are sold. Signboards for each show are displayed outside of these central offices. PS. In 2007, a performer could sign up for a free sandwich board for the entire fest. Decorate it as you wish!

Is there a showcase for out of town performers?

Not that I'm aware of. There were press/marketing opportunities but not outright one-night-only showcases for either local or out of town performers. Edmonton and Vancouver have this down pat -- I would love to see this event take hold in Saskatoon!

Potential to Make Money:

Do you get 100% of door? If not, how much.

Yes!
Do performers see other shows for free?

Not in 2007. We all used 'passwords' that immediately put us on a 'Comp ticket' list and got us into shows. Oops -- was I not supposed to mention that? :)

Do you get paid each night? If not how? Were you paid on time if the money was sent to you?

No. I think I was paid twice -- once half-way through the fest and a final payment the day after the fest closed. I was paid on time and correctly by check.

Navigation of the City

What city do you fly into and how did you get to your destination?

I drove. I was touring the CAFF across Canada. Driving around Saskatoon was easy -- there's one road in and one road out if you're heading east to west. :)

Can you walk to all the venues? If not how did you get around?

Absolutely! I found that all the venues were centrally located and within easy walking distance of each other. And you can always get some dry ribs from that street fair along the way!

Did you use fringe fest lodging? If so, how was the lodging? If not, who did you stay with?

Yes, I was billeted by the Fringe at a volunteer's house. I loved it! The billetors were wonderful people, I had plenty of room and privacy (a private upstairs apartment to myself), located very close to the Fringe. Thanks, Saskatoon!

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)

A tiny sock. I didn't find Saskatoon expensive.

Fringe Specs:

Age in Fringe Years: 37 (Wow!)

Festival Dates: July 30 - August 8

Application Deadline: September 2, 2009

And: The "Best Little Fringe" in Canada.

Applying: On-line application form http://www.saskatoon.org

Festival Cost: $650.

Ticket Prices: $12 or under.

About Mr. Fringy's Guest Reviewer: Fiely Matias (17 Fringe fests)

LOUNGE-ZILLA! (Orlando, San Francisco, Atlantic/Halifax, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Vancouver Fringes) THE NAKED GUY (Orlando Fringe) SQUARED, THE GAME SHOW (Orlando Fringe) NOT SHIRLEY MACLAINE (Seattle, Kelowna, Sudbury Fringes - none still in existence)

Mr. Fringey’s tag: The freest fruit on the tree.

Check her/him out at::

http://www.loungezillasings.com

http://www.facebook.com/ fielymatias

http://www.thenakedguyonline.com

http://www.myspace.com/loungezillasings

What categories does your show fall under? (IE, comedy, women, religious, etc).

Comedy, cabaret

How long have you been fringing?

17 years! I'm that old! My first Fringe was in 1992 (Seattle and Vancouver if I remember correctly) and I have performed at the Orlando (4 times), San Francisco, Vancouver (twice), Kelowna (defunct, I think), Seattle (defunct, I know), Edmonton, Saskatoon, Ottawa, Sudbury (defunct?), Atlantic/Halifax - if you include non-CAFF Fringes like the FringeNYC (twice) and Prague, I have performed in 17 Fringe fests.

How many fringes do you do each year?

Varies -- some years one or two, some years I tour, some years not at all.

What has been your favorite fringe?

Oh gosh -- you're asking me to pick my favorite child. No can do. Let's just say, I've never met Fringe that I haven't liked. There's been many great experiences at each Fringe in which I've participated!

What has been your biggest money making fringe?

Top 4: Orlando (biggest), Edmonton (second biggest), Vancouver (third), Saskatoon (4th) -- all fairly close in dollar amount!

What fringe did you make your most important contact?

Orlando Fringe (Beth Marshall). Among oher contacts, she invited us to perform at the CAFF member annual meeting which introduced me to all the other Fringes. Thanks, Beth! PS. I have made alot of great contacts in all the Fringes.

In one word, why do you fringe?

FREEDOM! If you allow me more than one word: I Fringe because it's an artist's dream come true in that it is a non-censored, non-juried playground for theatre performers to express their creativity however they like. And if you saw my shows, you'd understand why this appeals to me! :) Bonus: I have made some great, lifelong friends over the past years Fringeing around North America!

What's the name of the show (s) you are fringing this year?

I'm writing a new show this year so look for me in 2010 with several shows: 'LOUNGE-ZILLA!' - we have yet to perform in Montreal, Winnipeg, among others -- 'Bitches of The Kingdom', a new musical in which the storybook princesses comically bemoan their treatment and exploitation in the Disney animated films -- 'The Naked Guy', a live sitcom hit that played to sold out houses at two separate Orlando Fringe fests (100-seats sold-out for entire run & 250-seats sold-out run)!
Do you use your own tech person at your shows? If so, how much do you pay them?

No. I use the Fringe-provided tech and have had great experiences!

Any fringes to avoid?

The ones I'd tell you to avoid are already gone! :)

Photos by:

Eric Esteban, Orlando Florida

Hungry for the College Market?

2009-03-27T10:34:00.002-04:00

The reality is that breaking into the college market is a b^&ch and it takes some tried and true strength to do it. The learning curve is huge to say the least.

If you want more info on taking on the college market check out these great links:

1) My blog article on NACA - http://fringeordie.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

2) This is the best blog article I've read on booking the college circuit. It's very truthful: http://www.concertsinyourhome.com/articles/college_tour4.html

3) My friends article on NACA (Her name is Jeri Goldstein, she wrote the book "How to be Your Own Booking Agent. I interviewed her for my book and we plan to do some cross promotional stuff once my own book comes out) - http://www.discmakers.com/community/resources/ffwd/2008/CollegeMarket.asp.

4) Derek Silver's (the owner of CDbaby.com) article on the college market was awesome, especially his article on how to create a flyer and postcard for that market - (it's a very different beast). I used all the advice he gave in this article and it was very helpful: http://www.cdbaby.net/college2.

Sort of Fringey Alert: Spirit in the House

2009-02-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

Fringe Baby Alert!

Spirit in the House

About Spirit in the House

Comedy writer, playwright, spiritual pioneer, Dean J. Seal, has created a festival in the twin cities that qualifies as a festival that’s sorta fringey. Since he’s the former executive director of the Minnesota Fringe, there are fringe elements to the way the festival is run and therefore it’s good enough to garner Mr. Fringey’s “new fringe baby” status. Although it’s three years old, this year seems like the first year that it’s relatively kink free. Mr. Fringey traveled out and performed in the festival 2 years ago (the exact same time as the bridge collapse) when it ran during the same time as the MN Fringe Fest and to be honest, it was an extremely hard show to market. But, hey it’s only three years old – a mere infant in it’s-sort-of-like-a-fringe years

Save the Date

When: Feb. 27 to March 8th, 2009

Where: Minneapolis, MN - Hennepin Ave. United Methodist Church

What: Show to promote Interfaith Dialogue through the performing arts. It is a way for people to express their spiritual life, learn of other faith traditions, and explore the spirituality of others in a safe environment.

And: Last year there were 30 live shows and four films; this year there will be 20 live shows and 15 films.

Info for Performers

You get: 5 performances, a technician, box office service, and promotional assistance.

Performer Split: 2/3rds of door.

Ticket Prices: $10

Fringe Info

Selection process: Jury/Interview process

Application Deadline: Dec. 15th, 2008

Cost: $25 Application Fee

Additional Costs: $375

More info: Dean Seal at sealtotal@aol.com

Apply

Download application at: www.spiritinthehouse.org

Send to:

Dean J. Seal c/o Spirit In The House
3425 Girard Ave. S.

MPLS MN 55408

It's Sort of like a Fringe Fest Alert! Uno Fest:

2009-01-30T08:50:00.000-05:00

It’s a Sort of Fringe Baby Alert!

Uno Fest

About Uno Fest

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.

Performer Split: You generally get $400 per show.

Shows: 45-90 minutes in length. Solo shows only

Fringe Info

Selection process: Jury

Application Deadline: December 1, 2008

Cost: $35 Application Fee

Additional Costs: None

Questions: Janet Munsil, Producer (250)383-2663 at info@intrepidtheatre.com

Apply

- Download application from www.intrepidtheatre.com

- Send snail mail application.