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MAR 2023
We are so excited to announce a total of 13 recipients of the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Scholarship!
At Capacity
apokalupsis
despadazaoR.
Empathy Party
fuckin loud
Infierno
Is Krishna There? A Begum Akhtar Story
LES MILLÉNNIABLES
Monkeys
The Allure of Thug Life
Uninvisible
We Are Nothing Without Hantu-Hantu
Wild Hand
Applications were reviewed and recipients were selected by an objective committee of former scholarship winners, BIPOC and artists with disabilities who have participated in past Fringes, and representatives from outside arts organizations whose missions align with the program’s goal of expanding and diversifying the body of work being presented at Fringe.
There were so many outstanding applications, and our committee would like to additionally highlight honorable mentions:
#DONT
10 am in a CRV
Birds and the Curiosity
Educate. Organize. Agitate: The B.R. Ambedkar Story
GOLDEN LOVERS: A WRESTLING MUSICAL
Hija de tu Madre
Hip-Hop Raised Me
Here at the Hollywood Fringe, we seek to make the performing arts more accessible, both to the artists who produce work and for those who otherwise cannot afford to see theatre. The Fringe Scholarship Program has continued to grow over time with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Scholarship recipients will receive free registration, a black box theatre rental for three performances (and tech time), an experienced Fringe mentor, and marketing/networking opportunities with the community. And for the first time in Hollywood Fringe history, through a partnership with 905 Cole at Anthony Meindl’s Actor Workshop, all 2023 scholarship recipients will be performing under the same roof!
We are counting down the days until HFF23 - congratulations to all!
26
JUN 2022
Happy Closing Day of the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival!
HFF22 Community Awards (“The Freaks”)
voted on by Fringe patrons
Cabaret & Variety
WINNER 25 Plays Per Hour
Shubop-Dubay-Had: The No Matter Watt PreQuel
Comedy
WINNER A Terrible Show for Terrible People by Bonnie He
Gummy Worm – a new comedy by Nathaniel Foster
Dance & Physical Theatre
WINNER Flamencodanza
Drama
WINNER Battlesong of Boudica
Immersive & Games
WINNER The Ramón Show: Spiritual Cheerleading
Musicals & Operas
WINNER DI LADY DI
Chriskirkpatrickmas: A Boy Band Christmas Musical
Solo Performance
WINNER Made In America
QUEEN OF FISHTOWN
Noor Inayat Khan: The Forgotten Spy
Two Person Show
WINNER Abortion Weekend
!!!!!!!!!! CAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPP !!!!!!!!!!
AND… OUT OF THE BLUE — A Miraculous MUSICAL
International
Tommy Cooper: I Didn’t Let You Down, Did I?
WINNER AFGHANISTAN IS NOT FUNNY
World Premiere
WINNER Asexuality! The Solo Musical
Top of the Fringe
WINNER Asexuality! The Solo Musical
Chriskirkpatrickmas: A Boy Band Christmas Musical
HFF22 Sponsored Awards
selected by the sponsoring company
Black Box Live Digital Innovation Award, sponsored by Black Box Live
Noor Inayat Khan: The Forgotten Spy
WINNER TEACHING A ROBOT TO LOVE
Ella Turenne Award, sponsored by the Hollywood Fringe Access Committee
WINNER Abortion Weekend
International Fringe Encore Series, sponsored by SoHo Playhouse
WINNER Abortion Weekend
Soaring Solo Social Impact Award, sponsored by Soaring Solo Studios LLC
WINNER Noor Inayat Khan: The Forgotten Spy
Splash, Sponsored by Namba Performing Arts Space, Inc.
WINNER Made In America
QUEEN OF FISHTOWN
The No Room in the Green Room Award, sponsored by MB Stage Productions, LLC
Apocalypse at the Rainforest Cafe
WINNER Battlesong of Boudica
Chriskirkpatrickmas: A Boy Band Christmas Musical
The Theatre Theater Playwright Award, sponsored by Theatre Theater Podcast
WINNER Love Chicken
“Lvl One Gygax” and “Of Branch, Of Beast, of Beatnik”
Noor Inayat Khan: The Forgotten Spy
The Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum Wordsmith Award, sponsored by Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum
WINNER “Lvl One Gygax” and “Of Branch, Of Beast, of Beatnik”
No One Will Be Immune and Other Plays and Pieces
Noor Inayat Khan: The Forgotten Spy
The Second Coming of Joan of Arc
The Ecstacy of Victoria Woodhull
HFF22 HOLLYWOOD ENCORE PRODUCERS’ AWARD
The Actors Company
Blood Pig
Camp Ginger: An Original Musical
Still Awake
The Shape of Me
The Toughest Man in Chicago
They Call Him Mother
Tommy Cooper: I Didn’t Let You Down, Did I?
Tragic Magic: A Story of Recovery
Asylum @ McCadden Theater
Emma and Richie’s Big Viking Funeral
All American
Love Chicken
A Dream at the End of Time
Asylum @ Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre
4 Seasons Total Sh!tshow
Ben and George
Criminal Genius
Gummy Worm
It’s In Our Bones
Mother Grace
Tourrorists
What about Dad
Asylum @ Thymele Arts
Looking Past Loss
Mother Nature
Signals
The Verse Violent Chorus – Part 1
Asylum @ Wren Theater
Best Wife Ever
Howard Fine
Empanada for a Dream
What Am I, Chopped Suey?
Hudson Theatre
An Intervention
Battlesong of Boudica
If I Look This Good, Why do I Feel Like Shit?
Stilettos and Steel
Why I Am the Way I Am
Studio/Stage
Asexualty! A Solo Musical
Chriskirkpatrickmas
From Here to Maturity
Happy Girl
It’s Who You Know
Lvl 1 Gygax
She Stoops to Scandal
$H!+HEADS
Zephyr
Desert Weeds
Breed or Bust
And…Out of the Blue– A Miraculous MUSICAL
Too Big For Her Britches
Ascension Day
Best of Broadwater
A TERRIBLE SHOW FOR TERRIBLE PEOPLE
ABORTION WEEKEND
AFGHANISTAN IS NOT FUNNY
DI LADY DI
DOG
GRIEF: A ONE MAN SHITSHOW
HOUSEWIFE ’52
LET’S GET SILLY.
MOST LIKELY TO….
NOOR INAYAT: THE FORGOTTEN SPY
QUEEN OF FISHTOWN
TALES OF THE TRANCESTORS
TEACHING A ROBOT TO LOVE
THE TANNER
THREE GUYS AND A GROUPON
WEST
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Cock
THE RAMÓN SHOW: SPIRITUAL CHEERLEADING
Tree
“Hot Stuff”
MUST GO ON: A RITE OF PASSAGE
21
MAR 2022
After numerous conversations and intense deliberation by our selection committee, faced with an incredibly difficult choice over many qualified applications for this award, we are proud to announce our Fringe Scholarship winners!
The Winners of the 2022 Fringe Scholarships are:
A Terrible Show for Terrible People
Lvl 1 Gygax and Of Branch, Of Beast, Of Beatnik
Terraforming Marginalized Voices
The Ramón Show: Spiritual Cheerleading 101
Yellow/Blue
With so many outstanding applications we would like to highlight 3 shows that stood out to our committee as honorable mentions:
Love Chicken
Teaching a Robot to Love
Sorta Kinda
Congratulations to all!
As an open-access festival, we seek to foster a ground-breaking community of artists and make performances more accessible, both to the artists who produce them and for those who otherwise cannot afford to see theatre. Our committee firmly believes that these productions will enrich audience experience and the quality of the Hollywood Fringe Festival’s artistic offerings through the presentation of unique and underrepresented themes.
Each scholarship recipient will receive free registration and a $550 stipend towards production costs, a Fringe mentor, and marketing and networking opportunities as a member of the Fringe community. Fringe Scholarships are available to first-time Hollywood Fringe producers who contribute to the ethnic, cultural, racial, intellectually or physically disabled, d/Deaf, and the LGBTQ+ diversity of the Fringe community.
14
DEC 2021
Lois Neville, Festival Director
Who am I:
I moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to study musical theatre at AMDA. After graduating, I started working industry events and education gigs like film premieres at The Arclight and presenting workshops at The Florida State Thespians Festival. My eyes were opened to a facet of the arts that I was unfamiliar with, but was starting to flirt: arts administration.
I joined the Hollywood Fringe team in 2010 and haven’t looked back. Through my time at Fringe, I’ve discovered my artistry is behind the curtain. My true passion is supporting other artists on their journey and creating a community where everyone feels they belong.
I’ve worn many hats at HFF over the last decade; Volunteer, Bartender, Food and Beverage Director, Partnership Director, International Ambassador, Operations Director. All of these hats make for a very full closet but have also given me hands-on experience in all of the different moving parts of the festival.
Beyond the festival zone, I hail from Seattle and I’m the proud godmama of two of the most amazing two-year-olds in the world (ask me for pictures!). I love to dance, re-watch The Office, and travel. I equally enjoy a blazer and a flannel, and I think that fact says it all.
Why Fringe?
Hollywood is my home. (Yes, I live in the Fringe Zone) I moved here shortly after graduating, and I have vivid memories of the first time I walked down Santa Monica Blvd. I was exploring my new neighborhood, and I found honest-to-gawd theatres at every turn. Right here. In Tinseltown. It was like a magical sign, and often I found myself walking Theatre Row just because it felt right.
I was first introduced to HFF in 2010 when my friend Bryan Burgess (of Bryan’s Bar, the infamous Fringe Central bar) asked if I’d put on a bright orange unitard and play a Fringe Freak in one of FringeTV’s first original productions, “A Family Affair”. I had no idea at the time that a ridiculous favor for a friend would make such a tremendous impact on my life for years to come.
All these years, hats and walks down Santa Monica Blvd later, and I have only fallen more in love with this festival and community. HFF is my longest relationship by far. With Fringe, I found a home and a community that inspires me. The Fringe Zone is my neighborhood, the people in the theatres are my friends, and the artists who share their stories and hearts on these stages are my community.
Thank you for being a part of Hollywood Fringe. Thank you for showing up and sharing your talent, your story, and your spirit with this festival. You, as an individual, are a vital contributor to the Hollywood Fringe. Our festival is merely a platform for the many voices that show up each year. I serve at the pleasure of every artist who chooses Fringe, and I am humbled by the opportunity to do so.
Ellen Boudreau Den Herder, Executive Director
Who am I:
I’m an arts programming specialist that’s been working in nonprofits around Los Angeles since 2014.
As HFF’s Programs Director, I’ve sought to create programming that connects HFF with the LA Theatre community at large. I helped create Fringe Scholarships, HFF’s initiative to help expand and diversify the pool of artists participating in the festival, as well as ran our workshop series and events. Other programs I’ve championed are the Access Committee, the Artist Fund, and our accessibility initiatives. You’ve probably seen me running around the Festival grounds, hopping between shows with an iced coffee in hand and a huge smile on my face. Fringe is my favorite time of year.
Outside of the Fringe, I’m a visual and performing artist, administrator and community programs professional. I’ve worked in programming and engagement with companies such as B.R.I.D.G.E Theatre Project, Grand Vision Foundation, and The Industry Opera LA. I’ve also participated in Cornerstone Theatre Company’s Summer Institute and the Arts for LA ACTIVATE program to further hone in my community-first practice of engagement and programming. As an artist, I’ve dabbled in improv comedy, songwriting and composing, immersive installation work and video art.
As a person, I’m obsessed with my cat, Toast and rewatching network comedies that I can quote by heart.
Why Fringe?
Before joining the Fringe staff in 2016, I was a classically trained musician and arts administrator, searching for community through the music world, and I just wasn’t finding it. From orchestra management to opera stage managing, I jumped job to job looking for a space to call home.
My first introduction to theatre was working at a call center in 2013 selling theatre subscriptions and I kept hearing about this thing called Fringe from my desk partner, Les Kurkendaal, who toured (and still tours) Fringes around the country (and also, I would get the pleasure of working with Les again in 2016 in the creation of the Fringe scholarship program).
Although I didn’t see my first Fringe show until 2015, the name stuck around and when I saw a position for Outreach Coordinator pop up, I made the decision to apply and see what happens. My life changed that year, as I found my home, my family, my community, and I’ve never looked back.
The Hollywood Fringe participant base is an incredibly special community– I’ve never seen any other group of people support each other with such vigor and enthusiasm. The kindness you all show each other (and me) inspires me to be a better person every day, and I wouldn’t want to work in any other environment.
Why Fringe? Because I can’t imagine my life without it.
To the Fringe Senior Staff from the new executive team
As a team, we couldn’t be more thrilled to set off on this new adventure with a senior staff that we have both had the pleasure of working with since the beginning. Bella Luna and Stina Pederson, this festival would not happen without your passion, hard work, and dedication to this festival and community. Your contribution is what makes this all possible.
14
DEC 2021
Greetings, Fringers-
For over ten years it has been my honor to witness the genesis and evolution of the Hollywood Fringe Festival; a community like none other that has sparked inspiration, inspired creation and created joy for thousands and thousands and thousands.
And so with a heart full of the fringeships and memories that have nurtured me these many years, I pass the torch to the next generation of leaders to continue this tradition into the many years that follow.
It’s a bittersweet thing to say goodbye to something you’ve loved (and feared) so very hard that your identity is hardly recognizable in its absence. All the same, this movement was created to outlast, outlive (and sometimes outfox) its founders. It was a gift to generations yet to breathe, yet to act, yet to be inspired by the brilliant light cascading down from its participants.
Sitting in a parking lot outside a theater in June 2010, I recall tearfully thanking that first class of Fringers, knowing that past this premiere year, things would never, ever be the same.
To my own joyful discovery, I felt the same every year after the curtains fell, for the Fringe will never be finished; its journey will never be complete. Every year brings forth the new and I am forever surprised by the happy surprises we encountered as each year passed.
There are simply too many to thank in this simple note, so I will simply thank you – the Fringer reading this right now. Thank you for your support, your confidence, your willingness to explore, to challenge, to believe in something greater than yourself. Thank you for being with us on this journey, it’s been all for you all along.
Let’s always celebrate the spirit of 2010 and endeavor to keep this warm community in our hearts; especially when we are miles apart.
I love you all. And I love the Fringe.
Fringe On.
Ben Hill
