From time to time, our Festival Director Ben Hill will share some stories about how the Fringe began as well as some insight into the direction and mission of our little festival. This is his first post. Enjoy!

__

Every organization has its founding story.

Ours started in one of those crappy Hollywood apartments at the corner of Wilcox and Homewood. Anyone who lives in LA knows the scene I am setting: old carpets, ambitious roaches, curious smells, crumbling ceilings, bathrooms the size of linen closets.

Our little palace amongst the stars was our welcome mat when I moved to LA in 2007 with Fringe co-founder Stacy Jones (Hill) - my then-girlfriend, now-wife, forever soulmate.

I had come to LA as many do, eyes wide with ambitions of becoming a working actor in the city where actors worked. That ambition lasted about a week.

One ambition wouldn’t die so easily: starting a theatre festival in LA. But what kind of festival?

Our producing director and co-founder Dave McKeever and I had produced a festival in the past. It was a wonderful little event called “The Hatchery Festival” – three plays, three directors, three dramaturges, three weeks. There is nothing so pure as a festival of new works. As one actor put it, “I just love the way  the new words feel in my mouth”.

Still, it wasn’t enough. Even then I longed for artistic chaos framed in a well organized event. This couldn’t be achieved in the scope of a small festival of new plays, as noble and wonderful as it was.

Having witnessed first-hand the success of the Capital Fringe in my hometown of Washington DC not to mention that wonder-of-the-world that is Edinburgh Festival Fringe, I remember the first time I heard myself say it (it was in New Hampshire for the lore-curious): “Maybe we could do a Fringe in LA. They don’t have one right?”

And so there we were, drinking as we do in a shitty Hollywood apartment, no cares, no kids, no money; weeks into our LA experience and our lives gloriously changing all around us. We were happy as hell. 

I remember reaching for my laptop (half drunk). 

Browsing to GoDaddy.com. 

Seeing the words hollywoodfringe.org scrawl across the page as I typed

Clicking search. 

That infinite moment of quiet anticipation. The great wait.

“Hollywoodfringe.org is available, purchase now?”

Money was tight, but yes – I think we will purchase now. I like the way those new words feel in my mouth.

The date was October 10, 2007. For all intents and purposes, the Fringe was conceived in that moment. 

Things became a little more complicated after that. The shows, the artists, the tickets. Dreams born and crashed. Friends made, friends lost. That spirit conceived on a day in October – it was like a life placed in our hands that needed nurture. A calling, a responsibility, a joyful struggle. 

It all rose from that one pure moment where a magical name was shot into the universe: Hollywood Fringe.

My name is Brittany Gash and I am in love with words. (I am also the new Publicity Manager for Hollywood Fringe Festival, but I’ll get to that later.) I’m in love with how we use words to describe things and communicate our feelings. I’m also intrigued by the many ways in which we choose to ditch our words and use other methods to communicate. Some people dance, paint, act, or make music. My art is communication. I love the magic of composing a sentence or phrase that will inspire, inform, motivate, uplift or push someone to take an action.  

Here are some of the words the Hollywood Fringe has chosen to describe itself and the festival – Community. Open-Access. Freedom of Expression. Collaboration. Uncensored. Diverse. Cutting-Edge. Inspiring. Fun. (#Yaaaasss) Are those not some of the best words in the English Language? These are the things that make my heart beat fast. This is why I wanted to work with the Hollywood Fringe Festival team. Plus, the Festival is the largest celebration of the performing arts in L.A..

I have worked in the Arts and Marketing since 2006. My first grown-up job was a summer internship for the LA County Arts Commission/Ford Theatres. That summer I was given a baptism by fire in arts marketing. I experienced a multitude of performing arts genres – from live theatre, Japanese taiko drumming, chamber music and Argentine tango to Ballet Folklorico, hip hop dance and film. I was also immersed in the county’s visual arts scene. I had so much fun and learned so much about marketing, publicity, communications, and the arts during the internship that there was no turning back. 

Since then, I’ve worked with a variety of arts organizations and entertainers to tell their stories and share their creative and inspiring projects with the public. As the Publicity Manager of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, it is my job to tell our story and share our programs and events with the community, the media, and the world. I write the email newsletters and press releases that end up in your inboxes. I also reach out to the media, and develop partnerships with community organizations, to help spread the word about all the awesome stuff happening at Fringe. 

I am truly honored to work with not only the HFF staff (who are some of the hardest working people I’ve ever met) but the very talented and inspiring festival participants and the many organizations and businesses who partner with us to make it all happen. Plus, everyone is just so freaking cool.  

The Hollywood Fringe is growing, so we recently hired some new people to join our staff! First, we’d like to introduce our new colleague Ellen Den Herder.

Hello Hollywood Fringe!

I am so, so grateful to join the Hollywood Fringe Festival staff as Outreach Coordinator. I am new to the Los Angeles theater scene, but am ready to take the full plunge! Here’s a little bit about myself and my involvement this year…

Q: What’s “outreach” and why do you sound so excited?

Outreach is essentially getting to know you all! I get to help coordinate special events with our Outreach Director, get involved in the newest Fringe education programs, and basically meet every single one of you. I’m so excited because I love talking to new people, making friends and seeing fantastic art. 

Q: …You’re new to the theater scene, eh?

Yes! I am, but that does not mean I’m new to the performing arts. As a musician, I have worked on countless operas, musicals and classical performances all around LA as both a performer and administrator. I’ve also been to the Fringe as a patron and seen fantastic work. I have always had a passion for all art forms, but theater (and specifically, theater education) has always been a passion for me. 

Q: So, when can I meet you, you sound (insert emoji of choice here)?

You can meet me at any of our #drinkingaboutfringe “Office Hours” every Wednesday starting at March 30 at bar TBD. Come grab a drink, hang out and grow along in our Hollywood Fringe family with me!

For more information on Office Hours & all things outreach, subscribe to the Fringe newsletter or keep your eye on the Fringe blog. 

Here’s a list of this year’s Award Winners— announced just moments ago at the 2015 Award Ceremony! Thank you all for coming and congratulations to the winners!

Fringe Freaks (Community-Voted Awards):

• Top of the Fringe: Shakespeare’s Last Night Out (Or What? You, Will?)
• Fringe First (World Premiere): Alien vs. Musical
• The International Award: Loves Labours Won
• Best in Ensemble Theatre: Cookie & The Monster
• Best in Solo Performance: Shakespeare’s Last Night Out (Or What? You, Will?)
• Best in Comedy: The Poe Show
• Best in Musicals & Operas: King of Kong: A Musical Parody
• Best in Dance & Physical Theatre: Four Clowns Presents The Halfwits’ Last Hurrah
• Best in Cabaret & Variety: Thenardier’s Inn- A Les Miserables Cabaret

Sponsored Awards:

• A Little New Music Award for Outstanding Songwriting: TIE: Alien vs. Musical & King of Kong
• Bitter Lemons Outrageous Award for Theater (BLOAT): La la la Strada
• DOMA Theatre Co. New Musical Award: Adam & Eve… and Steve
• Lumpy-Cramp© Fringe Spirit Freshman Award: TIE: Getting to Know You & Hippopotamoidea
• O Face Award for Orgasmic Achievement: Elizabeth Godley as Nimrod in Four Clowns Presets the Halfwits’ Last Hurrah (Most Orgasmic Performance); Lindsay Kerns & Mason Flink for Max & Elsa: No Music. No Children (Most Orgasmic Writing); The Knock Shop (Most Orgasmic Performance)
• The DUENDE Distinction: Emily and Elizabeth Hinkler for Acting in My Sister
• The Ezra Buzzington Spirit of the Fringe Award: FEMALE PERFORMANCE: Jessica Pohly – Jason & (Medea); MALE PERFORMANCE: Jim Hanna – The 7th Annual One-Man Show World Championships; WRITING: Gus Krieger – Breaking Bard; DIRECTING: Richard Embardo – Tiananmen Annie; PRODUCTION: Tiananmen Annie
• The Inkwell Playwright’s Promise Award: Mason Flink & Lindsay Kerns for “MAX & ELSA: NO MUSIC. NO CHILDREN.” 
• The Octavio Carlin Award for Excellence in Costume Design: TIE: Four Clowns Presents The Halfwits’ Last Hurrah & Shakespeare(ish)
• The Oddbird Award for Premiere Musicals: Shakespeare’s Last Night Out (Or What? You, Will?)
• The Robot Teammate Woulda Coulda Shoulda Award: The Video Games
• The Unleashed Award: UNLEASHED PERFORMANCE: Darin Toonder (The 7th Annual One-Man Show World Championships); UNLEASHED PRODUCTION: 8:03
• Trailer Park Award (TPA): Hamlet-Mobile
• LA FPI’s 2015 “Most Wanted” List (Venues with 50% or more shows by women playwrights): Actors Company, Art of Acting Studio, Complex Theatres, Hollywood Dance Center, Hudson Theatres, i.O. West, Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, The Barn, Theatre of NOTE, Underground Theatre

The Encore! Producer’s Awards:

• Theatre Asylum: Alien vs. Musical, Breaking Bard, Hard Sexy Serious Love Conversations, Jason & (Medea), King Dick, King of Kong: A Musical Parody, MAX & ELSA: NO MUSIC. NO CHILDREN, Mudd the Magnificent: Magic & Mayhem, My Sister, Nigerian Spam Scam Scam, Orson Welles & Scatman Crothers in “A HOLLYWOOD ENDING”, Sleeping Around, Snack, The Snail, STARF*CKING, SUICIDE NOTES: In Their Own Words, The 7th Annual One-Man Show World Championships, The Legend of Bobby Darin : An Unauthorized Autobiography, THE POE SHOW, Unemployed. Finally.
• The Bootleg Theatre: 8:30, Dead Dog’s Bone; House of Rabbits: Charivari in Voyeurville; Lady into Fox
• The Complex: Nell Gwynne: A Dramatick Essaye on Acting and Prostitution; No Traveler: A Comedy About Suicide; Love Labours Won; Daughter of an Alien; Catalyst; Smile, Baby; Fish Out of Whiskey; Might As Well Live; The Blonde and…; Zip Ties; Romeo and Juliet: An ASL Love Story; The Cellar; Thumb Wars; I Died…I Came Back…Whatever; Bright Swords; Why Water Falls
• The Hudson: Dating: Adults Embracing Failure
• The Lounge: Merely Players, Pocket Universe, The Last Known Recording of the Lovely Lenore Sisters, Stupid Songs!!, Fifty Shades of Shrew
• Three Clubs: Thenardier’s Inn- A Les Miserables Cabaret; The Knock Shop; Fugitive Songs; Shakespeare’s Last Night Out (Or What? You, Will?); The Load-In
• Actors Company: Assistants: The Musical; The Video Games; Taming of the Shrew – An Exploration of Gender Expression; Mirror, Mirror the Musical; Only the Moon Howls

Here’s a list of this year’s Award Winners— announced just moments ago at the 2014 Award Ceremony! Thank you all for coming and congratulations to the winners!

Fringe Freaks (Community-Voted Awards):

• Top of the Fringe: Women
• Fringe First (World Premiere): NO HOMO – A Bromantic Tragedy
• The International Award: Love Is.
• Best in Ensemble Theatre: NO HOMO – A Bromantic Tragedy
• Best in Solo Performance: The Wake
• Best in Comedy: Women
• Best in Musicals & Operas: Bronies: The Musical
• Best in Dance & Physical Theatre: Into the Fog
• Best in Cabaret & Variety: Fancy: Secrets from My Bootydoir

Sponsored Awards:

• The THIRTY90NE Golden Elephant Awards: Women (Golden Production); Joseph Lee— Vengeance Can Wait & Catherine Waller— The Creeps (Golden Performer); Brandon Baruch— No HOMO- A Bromantic Tragedy (Golden Playwright); Joe Greene, Heidi Powers, Tom Moore, Rebecca Eisenberg and Ryan Bergmann— Bronies: The Musical (Golden Producer/Director)
• BGBA’s Innovative Women in Theatre Award: Sardia Robinson— From a Yardie to a Yankee
• The Imagined Truth Award for First Play: Melanie Thomas— The Cave: A Folk Opera
• Bitter Lemons Award for Family Fare (BLAFF): Beau & Aero
• Bitter Lemons Irreverent Fringe Femmes Award (BLIFF): Women
• Bitter Lemons Outrageous Award for Theater (BLOAT): Belli Gemelli: An Opera Sitcom
• O FACE Award for Orgasmic Achievement of a Performer: Lee Turnbull— Love Is
• O FACE Award for Orgasmic Achievement of a Production: The Wake
• O FACE Award for Orgasmic Achievement of a Writer or Composer: June Carryl— La Bete
• The DOMA Award for New Musical: Lydia Trueblood: The Black Widow of the Atlantic Coast
• The DUENDE Distinction: Into the Fog
• The Lumpy-Cramp© Freshman Participant Award: Beau and Aero
• The Unleashed Award: Star Cross’d
• The LAFPI Most Wanted Award: Schkapf, Theatre of NOTE, iO West, Three Clubs, Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, Hudson Theatres
• Trailer Park Award: Fancy: Secrets from my Bootydoir
• Veterans for Virgins Award: Beau & Aero
• The Ezra Buzzington Spirit of the Fringe Awards: June Carryl— La Bete (Female Performance); Michael Shaw Fisher— The Werewolves of Hollywood Blvd: A Damnable Rock Musical (Male Performance); Colin Mitchell— Linden Arden Stole the Highlights (Best Writing); Jessica Hanna— No Homo – A Bromantic Tragedy (Best Directing); Ben Moroski— The Wake (Best Production)

The Encore!- Producer’s Awards:

• Theatre Asylum: Friends Like These, Gimplecapped: A Journey of “Inspiration”, Linden Arden Stole the Highlights, Man’s Dominion, Meet & Greet, “The Mermaid Who Learned to Fly”, NO HOMO- A Bromantic Tragedy, Odessa, Reborning, Riot Grrrls Save the World, Schachner Vs Schachner, Seven Seductions of Taylor Swift, The Wake, Into the Fog, Woof Woof
• The Complex: 52 Pick Up, Beau & Arrow, Belli Gemelli – A Opera Sitcom, Boss: The Untold Tony Danza Story, David & Leeman – Magic and Other Dangerous Things, Jackass- A Prom Story, Love Is, Memoirs of a Bartender, Open Mike, Schoolcraft and Murray, Starcross’d, Stumbling Along, Poofy du Vey in “Burden of Proof”, Things Being What They Are
• The Lounge: Bronies: The Musical, I Want To Bury My Testimony, Lincoln Adjacent, Waitless, Independence, La Bete
• The Lex: Zombies From Beyond
• Three Clubs: Fancy: Tales from My Bootydoir, Lydia Trueblood: The Black Widow of the Atlantic Coast, Some Girls(s), The Cave
• Actors Company: Angels and Whiskey, Bonnie’s Future Sisters, Death by Powerpoint, Eddie, Rapture, Ravens and Writing Desks, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Most Massive Woman Wins, Twelfth Night
• Cupcake Theatre: Snow White: the Musical, The Last Five Years, RSVP: RIP, That’s Why I Hold On