It’s really happening! The Fringe is coming to Hollywood this Summer along with hundreds of artists and dozens of venues.

Need to know more? Here is your chance to ask questions, ponder answers, and get to know the people behind the planning thus far.

Join us at 6pm on Feb 8 at Theatre of NOTE (1517 North Cahuenga Boulevard) for a TOWN HALL MEETING.

We will discuss registration, marketing, travel arrangements, production concerns, venues, connections, networking, and socializing. Everything is on the table: If you have questions, we have answers.

We look forward to meeting all of you in-person on Feb 8!

If you are on facebook, please RSVP so we have an idea of how many are attending.

A casual mixer will follow – location tbd.

Thanks for all your support and spread the word!

~ The Hollywood Fringe Team

We are excited to announce the launch of a newly minted website from the United States Association of Fringe Festivals (USAFF): An alliance of US Fringes. One of these days, our schedules will allow us to attend (and maybe even host) one of the USAFF annual conferences. This last year’s conference was held in Orlando and hosted by the legendary Beth Marshall, the director of the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival.

Here’s our page on the new USAFF site:
http://fringefestivals.us/festival/the-hollywood-fringe-festival

Regular readers of this space know that we aren’t too fond of organizations attempting to define/control/police what a Fringe is. When we began this festival, the single best piece of advice we received was to match the festival to our city. That simple rule has helped keep us on track when approached with murky decisions with no clear, good answer.

Here’s how the USAFF defines a Fringe:

Very generally speaking, Fringes are…

• Focused on the performing arts: Theater, dance, puppetry, spoken word and the like make up the Fringe core, but festivals often may include film and visual arts elements
• Uncensored: No one gets too fussy about swears or nudity but squeaky-clean content isn’t marginal or discouraged, either
• Easy to participate in: Ticket prices are low for audiences and production fees are low for artists. Show selection varies from festival to festival but is generally quite open to participation by the gamut of amateurs to professionals
• Festivals: They last from just a few days to a few weeks and involve boatloads of people at multiple venues
• Original: Fringes feature a huge array of original material—sometimes by design, but usually because that’s what Fringes naturally do well
• Rapid-fire: Typically, tech is minimal and time is a factor at our festivals. Shows are often kept brief (Fringes most frequently have shows right around 60 minutes in length) and technical requirements kept simple (minor sets, streamlined cues, nothing elaborate)

Check out the site, courtesy of our industrious friends at MN Fringe Festival.

Ben

Happy New Year, Fringers!

We have finally made it to the year of the inaugural Hollywood Fringe Festival – much has been done with much still ahead.

Here’s a quick update on our activities these days:

• Participant registration is in full swing
• We are actively seeking sponsors for our various endeavors
• Venues are coming on-board to provide homes for projects and entertainment for all
• Groundwork is laid for our great promotional push this Spring
• Special event planning is afoot to entertain and inspire
• Our support staff is actively working with artists 

This has been a team and community effort from the beginning and we’d like to thank all those who have helped us thus far; the finish line is coming into focus with every passing day.

Let this be the year of Fringe!

Ben Hill
Festival Director
The Hollywood Fringe Festival

REGISTRATIONS CONTINUE
Projects are coming in fast and furious to our website at www.HollywoodFringe.org. Registration officially closes April 1, but don’t wait until then to submit your project. Remember: To officially register with the festival, you must first secure a venue for your performances/events/exhibitions. This process can take a little time, so don’t wait until May 31,  create your project today!   It’s free, fun, and entirely online.

Interested in learning more about how the registration process works? Check out this handy article to get started.

HOW CAN I HELP? 
The Fringe needs your financial support. The size of our cash reserves in June 2010 significantly impacts the scope of the Fringe itself. Marketing and promoting an event of this scale takes a lot of imagination and (when that runs out) money from generous, committed friends. Every little bit helps. If this event is something you care about and consider important for our community, please take a moment, dig deep into those recessionary pockets, and give what you can. Consider it a sound investment into the achievable dream of an artistic golden age. 

The Fringe is a 501c3 not-for-profit, so all contributions are tax deductible.

VENUES EVERYWHERE
With the recent addition of the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, we now have 10 high quality venues to host Fringe projects. We have filmed venue tours for almost all our venues to-date; if you’d like to learn more, you can visit our website and research ones that interest you. 

We are registering Fringe "hot spots" to serve participants and patrons during the June festival. To be a hot spot, you must be a Hollywood business (cafe, bar, restaurant, store) within the Fringe zone interested in hosting the occasional artist and/or providing discounts to Fringe-goers and participants. Contact us if you are interested in learning more.

Coming soon: Ground plans, more venues, and the unveiling of Fringe Central.

WANT TO VOLUNTEER?
Volunteer registration is open: We need as much help as possible to lift this festival to its feet. The central Fringe organization and all its participating venues need assistance at the box office, in the booth, in the house, and on the street. Register today and you enter the distinguished pool of candidates powering the festival. Volunteer benefits vary from venue to venue.

NOTE TO PROJECT OWNERS
Created a Fringe project and still haven’t booked a venue? Fear not, you are not alone. Most venues are booking projects starting this month. Make sure you have applied online to all venues that interest you and expect detailed financial offers soon. If you still haven’t found a home in early February, contact us at support.

Coming soon: Housing help for visiting artists

We are proud to announce the latest venue to join the Fringe family: Musicians Institute (MI) in Hollywood, CA.

MI is a powerhouse in the world of contemporary music instruction. For those of us that live here, this is the place to witness dozens of musicians with guitars slung across their backs pouring in and out of their facility. It is a cool, cool place to learn music and I would direct those interested in taking the next step in their music career to their website.

Music will be an important part of the Fringe making their entry good news indeed. For those of us who have lived though the past several decades of contemporary music evolution, Los Angeles, Hollywood, and MI has been in the center of it all.

Are you an artist interested in performing at MI? The process is the same: Create a project on our website and apply to Musicians Institute as your venue of choice. They are providing two spaces for performance: The 50 seat “Green Room” and the 125 seat “The Passage”.

Things are rolling right along, thanks for keeping on top of your Fringe news.

Ben

I was happy to sit with Lauren Liebowitz and discuss the Hollywood Fringe Festival for her radio talk show: “How to be comfortable in your own shoes.” We discussed everything from the state of the arts in schools to registering for the Fringe itself. Thanks to Lauren for the opportunity to sound the trumpets for the Fringe. Lauren is also one of the principal venue managers at the Paul G. Gleason Theatre, a Fringe venue this June.

You can check out the full broadcast to get the complete scoop.

Enjoy!

Ben