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

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.

 

Chicago Fringe Kicks Festival Application Butt

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 Baby Alert! Chicago Fringe Festival

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

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Website: http://chicagofringe.blogspot.com