Greetings, All-

We have scheduled another Town Hall to focus on promotion, ticketing, and next steps for participants, venues, and partners alike. Hope to see you there!

Here are the epic details…

WHAT: A(nother) Fringe Town Hall

WHERE: Fringe Central (ArtWorks Theatre & Studios, 6567 Santa Monica Blvd.)

WHEN: Wednesday, April 13. Doors @ 6:30. Show @ 7pm. Complete @ 9pm.

A mixer will follow at Three Clubs (1123 Vine Street) where drink specials will be plentiful. Look for the “cocktails” sign on the NW Corner of Santa Monica and Vine.

Please rsvp on facebook or by emailing Fringe Support.

…and yes, we will record the event for the benefit of those geographically, practically, or spiritually unable to make the meeting.

Ben

Greetings, Fringers-

Fringe Guide Ads in our fantastic printed program are due Friday, April 15.

Participants can take advantage of special discounted rates (sometime as much as 50% off) making this an inexpensive means of promotion for your project.

We make every effort to place ads in the most appropriate relation to your project; we can’t guarantee the ad will be on the same page (pesky desktop publishing limitations).

Check out last year’s guide for some inspiration; ads can range from placed text to elaborate graphical designs.

To purchase an ad, follow this link and as always, contact support with any questions.

Ben

Greetings Fringers-

The day is here: For those seeking marketing through the printed Fringe guide, we need your registration completed by end of day today (Friday) so we can make our print deadline. This means that you have booked your venue and paid the Fringe registration fee.

Still don’t have a venue? Don’t panic. There are many venues on our site that still have slots available. Act quickly, though, as the good times go first.

If you are having issues finding the right match, check out this article and contact us if you still have questions.

If you don’t make this deadline you can still register, you just won’t benefit from the printed listing through the Fringe Guide.

Let us know if you have any questions!

Ben

Here is the first in a series of success stories from past Fringe participants who have gone on to further victories and achievements.

To kick us off, here is a testimonial from Mr. Aaron Kozak.

His show is enjoying a new life with a recent Theatre Unleashed production. I understand tickets are selling-out fast, so make sure to reserve yours soon if you are interested in seeing last year’s “Fringe First” award winner.

Got a success story? Send it to [email protected]

Ben

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Dear Fringe Freaks of the past and future,

Last year, after placing the deposit down on The Complex’s famous Dorie
Theatre; I immediately said to myself, “Well, I hope this goes well
because you should not have done that.” I had very little money to
use, all my own, and my production team essentially consisted of me,
myself, and I. I knew I had solid actors that would be come on board,
but that was pretty much all I had going for me. I really wasn’t
expecting anything huge, nor did I ever plan to make all my money
back, but it still felt like a risk considering the cost of doing five
shows in prime-time slots with my limited resources. However, I really
wanted to get my play “The Birthday Boys” on it’s feet in Los Angeles,
and the Fringe Festival seemed like it would be an awesome place to
world premiere. So, I closed my eyes, handed Matt the check, and
committed myself to making it something special, or something that at
least wouldn’t embarrass me.

We rehearsed the play in my living room because my space fell through. I only printed business cards because I couldn’t afford full on postcards or posters, and the Complex worked out a long payment plan. We were as rinky dink as it gets to be flat out honest with you, but my actors were really hungry and it just came together. We won some awards, some nice press, and though I didn’t make all my money back, the loss was manageable.

The whole festival felt like going to summer camp. It was my best LA
experience in five years of living here because the people involved
are such a damn good time. We drank beer and sangria, then walked down
the street to see plays, then drank more sangria, then we watched one
of the British Invasion guys, then more drinking. And let us not
forget how much we enjoyed the corn hole. Also, wasn’t there a giant
hot dog or a peanut that was walking around at one point? Did I make
that up?

[editor’s note: It was indeed a giant ketchup bottle.]

Since then, I’ve had two runs in LA. The first was part of the
extension series for Theatre Asylum, where Rachel Stoll, the Overlord
of Twitter, came on board as our marketing department, which helped us
reel in some more reviews. The latest staging is running this very
weekend (and the next two weekends) as a Theatre Unleashed production.
I’m really excited because TU invited me to be a playwright in
residence, which should be a lot of fun. That run actually came about
because Greg Crafts, a founder of the company, was staging his show
“Friends Like These” next door to me, and we would talk shop
backstage. Also, once I realized I could not run the house, lights,
sound and concessions at the same time; I ended up just sending all my
patrons to eat his show’s food. It was pretty hilarious.

I’ve had several readings in New York in preparation for a run at the end of
the year with the Art Effects Theatre Company. I have prospective runs
in Chicago, Colorado, and possibly Australia…thanks to Chris
Galletti, who came to the 2010 Hollywood Fringe with “Mission of
Flowers.” And in May, the original cast is headed to Texas to be first
play performed in over thirty years at the Historic Texas Theatre in
Dallas, which is where Lee Harvey Oswald was captured after shooting
President Kennedy. Not one of these thing would have come about, had I
not entered the festival. It threw me out there, giving me momentum,
credibility, and connections to people who are making things happen.
Also, I went to the Price is Right, which was really the icing on the
cake.

Anyway, the whole thing was a blast. I loved it and highly recommend
it. I’m very excited about the future of this festival, and I wish you
all the best in your creative endeavors.

Sincerely,
Aaron Kozak
[email protected]

PS – I would LOVE to act in a play this year, so please email me if
you’re looking for people to audition.

And now a welcome letter from our eternally gifted Fringe Art Director Gavin Worth…

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Hi Fringers!

Picture this: San Francisco, 2007. It was a freezing cold night in the dead of winter. A lonesome saxophone plays somewhere in the distance. A poor (yet ruggedly handsome) artist sits at his drafting table working furiously: drawing, erasing, redrawing. All of a sudden, he jumps to his feet and yells “Eureka! I’ve got it!” He lifts up a sheet of paper with five strange figures drawn on it. He looks at them solemnly, and says, “You will be the new mascots for the Hollywood Fringe Festival.” That poor (yet ruggedly handsome) artist was me. Those strange figures were the Fringe Freaks, which you’ve probably seen on on the Fringe website, on postcards, and even running down Hollywood Boulevard.

I’m Gavin Worth, the Art Director of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. I started working with the amazing Fringe team way back in 2007 and was responsible for coming up with the branding and design of all things Fringe. It’s been amazing experience so far… it was simply awesome to see everything come to fruition in 2010, and we have even bigger plans for 2011. You’ll be seeing the Fringe Freaks popping up in even more places: think huge Freak mural on Santa Monica, among other things. I can’t wait to make it, and I can’t wait to see the amazing things that everyone in the Fringe community is going to make in Hollywood this June.

Also, feel free to check out some of the artwork I do on my website at www.gavinworth.com. And to answer the question that I keep getting: yes, I’m still ruggedly handsome, but I have an even better haircut than I did in 2007.

Happy Fringing everyone!

Gavin