Fringers,

If we’ve learned anything this past year, it is that plans can change at a moment’s notice. We must meet these changes with grace, acceptance, and fierce planning.

Today, LA County announced a new mask mandate. To give space to plan and implement a new audience and participant safety plan for our Festival without further disruptions or changes, we will be postponing our ticket on-sale date until next Friday, July 23rd, 2021 at 11:00 am. We cannot in good conscience sell tickets to a Festival without detailed health and safety requirements in regards to masks and social distancing. 

Even though this does not affect any digital events, we are a Festival that thrives in community, and moving forward with the same on-sale date will celebrate that.

Because of these changes, we are also rescheduling the following events to new dates so we can all move forward with solid information:

Town Hall #2: Welcome to Fringe 
Saturday, July 24th, 2021 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

#HFF21 Workshop: Consent & Conduct in the Fringe Community
Saturday, July 31st, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

We will update our health and safety plan as soon as we have complete information regarding the new health order. Know that we are actively working to get this information. Please look out for an email update no later than next Wednesday, July 21st.

Thank you for your patience, your empathy, and your drive to produce art in these extreme circumstances. We see you and are working to make sure your stories can take the stage.

This is a living document and will be updated as protocols evolve for live productions.

2021 Festival Policy Update

COVID-19 Vaccinations or Negative Test Results Required

Please know the Hollywood Fringe is dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of our patrons and artists, and that all our venues are complying with guidelines and regulations established by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, as well as the CDC, and the California Department of Public Health.

We know that participation this year is going to be a tough choice for some, and we encourage you to only participate in activities that feel comfortable and safe to you. If you are not comfortable with the below requirements, we encourage you to participate in the digital Fringe experience. This will allow you to view shows from the comfort of your own home. 

We also realize that some precautions that are not necessarily required by the government, but will ensure our community is safe, are necessary. 

In the spirit of community, we ask that our audience members think of those whom they need to protect from this rapidly spreading virus. Our children, immunocompromised folks, those who were unable to receive the vaccination for one reason or another, are still at risk. 

For their own sakes, and the sake of those that care for those humans, at all in-person performances, you will be required to wear a mask indoors in compliance with the current LA County mandate. In addition to wearing a mask, you will need to present proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test (within 72 hours) along with a photo ID. 

Please take a look at our full COVID-19 Audience Safety protocols here.

Learn how to expand your audience by increasing the accessibility of your show with our comprehensive Accessibility Guide at HollywoodFringe.org/accessibility 

2023 AUDIENCE ACCESSIBILITY CHECKLIST

1. Select the accessibility flags that apply to your project. (You can learn how, review the description of each flag, and find additional resources in this year’s Accessibility Guide at HollywoodFringe.org/accessibility.)

2. Provide more detailed information regarding the accessibility of your performances on your project page. 

3. Confirm your venue’s accessibility flags are up to date and accurate for your performances.

4. Submit this form registering that you have completed these steps.

5. Share your accessibility plans with your performers, box office team, and production crew so they know what to expect.

Following the steps in this checklist ensures that you will consider practices and procedures that will make potential audience members feel more comfortable attending your show. Thank you for joining us in our commitment to make fringe theatre as accessible as possible. If you have any questions, feel free to email [email protected] 

Seasonal 4-week temporary position at the Hollywood Fringe

Audience Services Coordinators (2 positions available)

The Audience Services Coordinators will assist audience members in all their varying needs and help guide and train other staff to do so as well. During the festival, the Audience Services Coordinators will run the Fringe Audience Help Desk, our (virtual & in person) info desk, ticket booth and shop all in one, with the assistance of other Audience Services staff and Fringe volunteers.

Qualifications

• High school graduate, some college preferred
• Customer service skills
• Knowledge of (or interest in learning about) ADA compliance and accessibility in the performing arts
• Passion for creating inclusive spaces and the performing arts
• Commitment to equity and diversity
• Desire to work with others, as this a team effort festival
• Cash-handling experience a plus
• Knowledge of Google Drive, Slack, Excel, Square, and/or ZenDesk a plus
• Strong consideration given to bilingual applicants. English/Spanish ideal, but not required
• Is a plus if you have a car that you’d be willing to drive (gas reimbursement available)

Responsibilities (on site & from home) during festival (June)

• Staff our Fringe Audience Services Help Desk (in-person in Hollywood) Friday – Sunday 5:30 pm – 10:30 pm August 6-29, 2021
• Process ticketing and merchandise sales at Fringe Audience Services Help Desk
• Maintain a clean and organized work space
• Manage merchandise inventory
• Assist with festival events like Awards (August 29, 2021)
• Coordinate implementation of customer service goals & initiatives

What to Expect

• $18/hour
• Paid training
• Approximately 15 hours/weekend on site, with the opportunity to add additional hours if asked (but not required)
• Collaborative work environment
• During the festival, there is a varying pace from slow afternoons to loud and busy nights

How to Apply

To apply, please upload your resume/CV to this google form and answer the three questions within the doc as accurately as you can. Applications are due on Monday, July 19, 2021 at 11:59pm

About the Fringe:

The Hollywood Fringe Festival is an annual, open-access, community-derived event celebrating freedom of expression and collaboration in the performing arts community. This year’s 11th annual festival offers livestream and in-person experiences. This hybrid approach is a pivot to embrace the new and continue to create an accessible and inclusive immersion into the performing arts for all.  

Participation in the Hollywood Fringe is completely open and uncensored. This free-for-all approach underlines the festival’s mission to be a platform for artists without the barrier of a curative body. By opening the gates to anyone with a vision, the festival is able to exhibit the most diverse and cutting-edge points of view the world has to offer. Additionally, by creating an environment where artists must self-produce their work, the Fringe motivates its participants to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurialism in the arts.

The Hollywood Fringe Festival is a non-profit company. The festival gives 100% of box office revenue back to participating artists and venues—that’s over 3.4 million dollars since the inaugural festival in 2010. Donations are essential for both day-to-day festival costs as well as the growth of festival programs and resources. To learn more about the Fringe, read on here!

This year, we’re located square in the heart of Gather.Town. 

Let me walk you through the experience you’re about to have. Gather is a combination video-chat platform and video game we all get to enjoy together. To gather! 

The best way to enjoy this platform is on a desktop or laptop computer. Chrome is the recommended browser. 

Once you click the link you will be asked to enter your name and choose your avatar and clothing. (You will do this each time you enter, so fear not, you can change your costume the next time you swing by.)

Click next 

You will then allow Gather to use your camera and microphone. Just like in Zoom. 

Click “join the Gathering” 

You then have the option for a quick tutorial and then walk through the doors of Fringe Central 

(wouldn’t it be great if every social gathering or new life experience had this option in real life?)

You can also .. 

Click skip tutorial to move swiftly into Fringe Central. 

The Basics

• You can move your avatar around with the arrow keys. Up goes up, down goes down, the rest you can figure out from there.
• If you ever find yourself lost in the virtual world or stuck in the crowd, you have two options. One of them is holding down the G key and you can pass through other people. You won’t be seen or heard while you are in ghost mode, you can pass through the crowd unabated.
• If you ever get lost, you can always click on your name at the bottom of the screen and choose “respawn.” That will take you back to the central room where you joined.
• If you’d like to dance, you can hold the Z key. Look at you go!
• If you’d like to follow a friend into a different room or area, you can right-click (or double-finger click) on their avatar and you’re automatically following them around until you press a key to move somewhere else.

Safety

We hope this is never needed but it’s important to us that you always feel safe. 

• If someone is bothering you, you can always block them, and you won’t be able to hear from them in chat or in video. 
• Our Code of Conduct applies to our virtual spaces and we take conduct seriously at Fringe. If you are harmed in any way in this space or any other at the festival email [email protected] 

The Hollywood Fringe staff look forward to helping guide you through the site along the way. Ask us questions at Office Hours, feel free to play around in the space as you figure it out. 

Remember, Have a wonderful time in our shared space! You will always be in control of your experience and we are here if you hit any walls (virtually or otherwise).

Want to do a deep dive to make the most of your virtual experience? Gather has you covered. Check out their support center.