Hi there! I’m Jeannette, the Hollywood Fringe Festival Marketing and Operations Manager. I’m so excited to be back on staff and supporting Hollywood Fringe (behind the scenes)!

Some of you may remember me from this past festival, where I worked at Fringe Central as a Community Coordinator, supporting both artists and audience members by helping them find shows, assisting with events, and even busking on Hollywood Blvd! But my journey with Fringe started back in 2022 when I was a scholarship-winning participant!

I know firsthand the chaos, charisma, and charm of participating in Fringe—so if you see me at any events and want to talk about it all, or just need a moment of mutual artist panic, I’m here for it all!

As the Marketing and Operations Manager, I work on social media, newsletters, and overall planning and facilitating for the festival season! Essentially, I wear a lot of “hats”- but it’s all very stylish over here!

Here’s a little more about me (since you’re made it this far): I received my BFA in Acting and two Minors in Creative Writing and Digital Arts from the California Institute of the Arts. I’m originally from South Texas (“Remember the Alamo”). I love singing to 2000s music in my car (alone, but just know I do a great job). I also enjoy cooking new recipes, watching documentaries, writing, knitting/crocheting/embroidering, and finding time to be the best tía ever (aren’t I humble?).

But in all seriousness, I’m incredibly grateful to be part of this community and to work with the artists, audience members, supporters, and L.A. art lovers who make Hollywood Fringe the chaotically charismatic, and charming festival that it is.

Don’t be afraid to say “hi,” start a conversation, and talk about all things Fringe!

Website: https://www.jeannettesrinivasan.com

Dear Fringers,

In this last week, we’ve seen unprecedented threats to the freedom of expression in the arts in the United States. Companies nationwide are withdrawing their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion across the board. Government institutions are scrambling to align with new, daily-issued executive orders.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has new initiatives in their typical open-access arts funding that ask us to shift our work to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary while silently adding in new guidelines that do not align with our work at Hollywood Fringe.

This same NEA program funded our Scholarship Program from 2016-2023, and encouraged the start of our Access Advisory Board; programs that now would be barred under these new guidelines.

These changes to NEA funding are significant. Non-profit arts organizations like the Hollywood Fringe operate on tight budgets, and NEA grants have been key to sustaining their programs. Without this support, many initiatives—and the organization’s future—are at risk.

These restrictions also send a broader, troubling message: federal support for the arts now comes with ideological conditions. This threatens to silence marginalized voices and limit artistic freedom.

Here at Hollywood Fringe, we want to reiterate that we are not backing down on our commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. If we did not do work to make this Festival a reflection of the city around us, who would we be? To create that safe space takes work, especially in anti-racism and disability justice. Our artists and audiences deserve it.

We additionally will not be asking for money from organizations that exclude members of our community from their programming, including the National Endowment for the Arts. We refuse to take any part in this attack on our artists’ right to live and create freely.

Our Scholarship Program, Accessibility and Anti-Racism Workshops, and Access Advisory Board are not going anywhere. These programs are vital to our success as an organization, artistic platform, and community.

To our artists who identify as BIPOC, MENA, AAPI, Trans, Non-Binary, Intersex, Women, Disabled, d/Deaf and other affected artists, we will not stop fighting for your inclusion in the arts. We celebrate you and the stories you bring to our festival.

It has become essential for Hollywood Fringe (and like-minded organizations) to seek alternative funding sources to do the work that matters: from providing scholarships to first-time producers from underrepresented communities to inviting the festival’s access advisory board to assess our organizational practices, and striving to create fair conditions for both artists and staff. These may include private donors, philanthropic foundations, and grassroots fundraising efforts to sustain and expand our impact.

We will be launching our annual Commissioners Club Campaign this week, and we will need you, our community, to stand with us as we make this important appeal.

While challenges lie ahead, our commitment to inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic freedom remains unwavering. With your support, Hollywood Fringe will continue to be a home for community and creativity.

Will you join us?

The Hollywood Fringe Staff + Board of Directors

Hi Everyone! 

Hope you’ve all been doing well and getting excited for Fringe 2025! As we’ve been gearing up for the festival, artists have asked about getting a look at some sample budgets from previous participants. After asking some previous Fringers, we now have that information to provide! 

Overall though, I’ll mention that there’s really no one way to Fringe, each production is different which means your costs will likely all be a little different— do what’s best for you, your production, and your story. When looking at these budgets from last year’s participants don’t forget to count for inflation ( about 2-3% per year).

Follow this link to see our full budgeting sample folder! 

If you’d like a template to begin to create your own budgets, Ellen created this handy in-depth Budget Spreadsheet you can use. 

What is the Hollywood Fringe Artist Access Advisory Board?

The Hollywood Fringe Festival Access Advisory Board is comprised of experienced fringe producers, community members, and access-focused professionals in the theatre industry. They meet on a regular basis to assess our organizational practices and processes, document successful approaches to equity, and identify areas of inequity that need to be addressed. 

Founding members of our Access Advisory Board: Ella Turenne, Matthew Robinson, Michelle Roshanzamir, Natasha Lewin, Peerada Meemalayath, Royce Shockley, Rufino Romero, Spencer Frankeberger 

Ruby Marez is not just a triple threat, but a quintuple threat as a comedian, drag performer, actor, writer, and first-generation Latina! Her solo show “The Ramón Show: Spiritual Cheerleading 101” featuring her drag king Ramón has garnered critical acclaim and won multiple awards at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2022, including “Best Immersive and Games Show,” “Pick of The Fringe,” and a “Producers Encore Award.” Ruby currently tours this award-winning show to colleges, theaters, and various venues across the United States. And when she’s not entertaining audiences with her solo show, she’s bringing her drag king Ramón, to festivals, comedy shows, and immersive, interactive events. Ruby is also a multi-talented writer, co-writing the original comedic pilot “Year Zero,” which was an I.F.P. finalist, (now known as The Gotham Awards) and went into development in 2018. Ruby’s acting skills have not gone unnoticed either, winning Best Actress for the short film “Corações em Fogo” at the Culture and Diversity Film Festival in 2019. Her sketch comedy duo, Arroz Con Pho, has performed at Second City L.A., in the Los Angeles Diversity in Comedy Fest, and most recently to a sold-out house at S.F.’s Sketchfest in 2023! Ruby’s creative endeavors span beyond the entertainment industry. She’s also a published writer, with her essay on growing up as both Puerto Rican and Jewish in the Midwest featured in the book “What We Brought Back: Jewish Life After Birthright-Reflections by Alumni of Taglit-Birthright Israel Trips.” Check out Ruby’s and Ramón’s upcoming shows and videos on their websites: www.theramonshow.com, www.rubymarez.com And Follow Ruby and Ramón on IG: @ramonlovesyou & @queenrubes

Diana Elizabeth Jordan is an Award-Winning Actor, Solo Artist, Theater & Filmmaker, Disability & IDEA Influencer and founder & Chief Creative Artivist Of The Rainbow Butterfly Café.  She has been cast in over 60 theater productions, film and television including CBS’s S.W.A.T. She was one of 20 actors selected from over 7,000 applicants for the inaugural Warner Media Discovery Access Talent Showcase. She performed her solo show Happily Ever After (One Woman’s Journey To Find A True Love) at the 2021 Hollywood Fringe where she received a diversity scholarship, Pick of The Fringe and an Encore Producers Award honors. She is an award nominated director, a producer, the founder of two production companies Dreaming Big On A Swing Entertainment and The Rainbow Butterfly Café. Diana is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association and one of the disabled advocates for Women of Color Unite and serves on The Hollywood Fringe Diversity Committee. Whether portraying a character, sharing a personal story, directing, or producing a project, Diana is committed to celebrating the power of resiliency and disability intersectionality through the transformative power of storytelling. www.dianaelizabethjordan.com @fromtheheartdej on twitter, tiktok and Instagram

Ana Karina Cano Actress, producer, and dancer, Ana Karina Cano is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. With a diverse background in performance and production, she has studied classical theater, acting, and improvisation at various art schools in Mexico and France. She further honed her craft in direction, screenwriting, and production at Vancouver Film School in Canada. Ana also trained in acting and audiovisual expression at UC3M in Madrid and at prestigious institutions in New York City, including HB Studio, T. Schreiber Studio, and The Acting Studio, as well as at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. Ana Karina is quickly emerging as a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, recently winning the 2025 Tec Woman Award in Mexico, recognizing her contributions and trajectory in the industry. Alongside Taylor Bazos, Ana co-founded MultilinguArt, a creative production company dedicated to producing multilingual and multicultural projects. Using her expertise as an actress and dancer, she brings captivating stories to life on stage and screen. The company’s standout production, Baby Rock, wowed audiences at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and received praise at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. MultilinguArt also amplifies underrepresented voices through its educational programs, workshops, and productions across Los Angeles and Mexico, bridging cultural divides with compelling storytelling.

Pastiche Queen (They/Them) is a non-binary latindigenous, interdisciplinary performance artist from Denver, CO currently based in Hollywood, CA. Their work as an actor and slam poet has been featured on AppleTV’s “Dear: Viola Davis”, Facebook’s “Queer Community Leaders of Color Initiative”, and The REDCAT Theater Artist-In-Residency Program. Pastiche’s most recent one-person show at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, “Level One Gygax”, won The 2022 Theatricum Botanicum Wordsmith Award for advancing the artform of storytelling as well as being an Access Scholarship recipient. You can see them most Tuesday’s at Da Poetry Lounge.

Terrell M. Green (MSDMM) is an artist, advocate, and educator based in Los Angeles, CA. Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, Terrell has attended: University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism (M.S. in Digital Media Management); Marymount Manhattan College in NYC (B.A in Theatre Performance); The British American Drama Academy at Oxford University’s Magdalen Campus in Oxfordshire, England (Professional Certificate in Shakespeare Performance); and marionette puppetry training in Cork and Dublin, Ireland. For the past 10+ years, Terrell has created arts-integrated youth programming in literacy enrichment, social and emotional learning, sexual and reproductive health, and conflict resolution. Terrell believes that art access is a tool to combat public health issues and uses media and storytelling as data collection metrics. Terrell’s work and advocacy have been featured in American Theatre Magazine, Philly Mag, Philly Gay News, Shoutout LA, Voyage LA, LA Sentinel, Annenberg Media, The Philadelphia Inquirer, WHYY, and Philly’s KYW news radio.

Jon Gentry is, in the words of one Hollywood agent, an “overeducated” actor. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, he received his BA in English from Harvard where he served as President of BlackCAST (Community and Student Theater).He holds his MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater. As a teaching artist, he co-directed an original production of “Child Life” in collaboration with the UCSF Children’s Hospital and led a series of acting workshops with community centers throughout the Bay Area. He is currently on the acting faculty at the Los Angeles Performing Arts Conservatory where he specializes in teaching the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique.Regional theater credits include Clybourne Park, Marcus; or, the Secret of Sweet, A Christmas Carol (A.C.T.), Romeo and Juliet, All’s Well That Ends Well (Shakespeare Santa Cruz) and Trouble in Mind (Aurora Theater Company). TV/Film: Meeting Matt Damon, Outlaw Empires (Discovery), Griot’s Lament, Fishers of Men, Zero Sight: Bad Call. Most infamously, he voiced Fallout 4’s ‘Preston Garvey,’ going viral for iconic lines and winning the hearts of fans worldwide.

TL Forsberg is an internationally celebrated singer & performer in the Deaf Culture, American Cultural Ambassador on Disability, award-winning playwright, Theatrical ASL Interpreter, and trauma-informed Speaker & Coach.  Renowned as “The Deaf Lady Gaga,” her life story is featured in the award-winning documentary, ”See What I’m Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary.” She plays Olivia on ABC’ Disney’s “Switched at Birth,” and the band’s rock star stylist in VH1’s Reality TV Rock Star Series, “SuperGroup.” As a musician, she opened for Alanis Morissette & Tori Amos, Fishbone and Esthero and wrote the theme song, “Deaf"initely for Miss Deaf International. Her critically acclaimed, award-winning solo show, “The Book That Won’t Close-Confessions of a Love Addict,” celebrates diversity within the d/Deaf Culture, won an Encore Awards at The Binge Fringe Festival, Whitefire’s SoloFest two years in a row, a diversity scholarship in the 2021 Hollywood Fringe where it was nominated"Top of The Fringe", won “Best of Broadwater’s,” (Producers Encore Award) and “Namba Arts Solo Splash Award" for cultural education and female empowerment. 

TL mentors artists to reclaim their stories, embrace their voices, and live with authentic integration. For more information on her Theatrical ASL Interpreting and embodiment coaching for actors please visit www.tlforsberg.com

Matthew S. Robinson* is a playwright and director who has made several Fringe shows including “Olivia Wilde Does Not Survive The Apocalypse”, “BlackBalled” and “Mary’s Medicine.” A member of the Fringe Access Committee and Scholarship Panel, he is committed to fostering more inclusion and access to the performing arts throughout the Los Angeles area. www.matthewsrobinson.com

Spencer Frankeberger is an award-winning Greek-American actor, director and producer, and an improviser. He is a graduate of iO West, Second City Hollywood, UCB, and ComedySportz LA. Recent credits include: Impro Theatre (Summer Camp, Process, & Book It!), Late Night with Chucky (Host/Comic swing) at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, and Squeaky the Rat and The Infinite Husk (premiering at SXSW in 2025). He is also a board-certified music therapist with 15 years of classroom management experience and a tour guide on the World-Famous Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood. He has an MFA in Film Production from Florida State University and is the commissioner of a couple Fantasy Football leagues. Hollywood Fringe Festival credits include: Coasterthon Catastrophe: An Amusement Park Musical (Winner: Trope Buster Award; Winner: Encore Producer’s Award; Nominee: Sustainability Award), Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon, Jamba Juice: The Musical (Winner: Encore Producer’s Award – sold out run), and Wounded, by Jiggs Burgess (Director; Pick of the Fringe; Off-Broadway run). He is a huge theme park enthusiast with a theme park podcast called Theoretical Thrills (IG/TikTok: @spencer101f; www.spencerfrankeberger.com)

Michelle Roshanzamir* is the Executive Director of Donna Sternberg & Dancers and Founder/Consultant at MVR Creative.  Receiving her BFA from CalArts, and MBA (and minor in Theatre/Arts Management) from CSULB.  The work she does centers around helping creators, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders bridge the gap between the vision of what they want to do with the business side to actually make it happen.  She helps leaders develop the business strategy; develop and run programs and events; develop systems and operations; and create a plan of action so you can remove the stress, increase revenue, and bring your vision to life.

Kevin Neighbors I am a theatre and film artist. As an actor and writer I have produced a solo show titled. VERSATILE: stories from inside the closet of a half black gay man. Premiered at the White Fire’s Black Voices Theatre Festival. I have also written a one act play White Room and comedy vignette series, Things White People Say, hosted at the Sacramento B Street Theatre.

Natasha Mercado is an actress, director, producer, writer and theatre arts educator. She was born in a small town in Maryland, lived in New York for a minute, moved to LA and became a clown. She has extensive experience in NYC and LA with sketch, improv and character. She’s also studied with some of the best clowns including Dr. Brown, Chad Damiani, the Idiot Workshop, Eric Davis, the London Clown School, Stefan Haves and Philippe Gaulier, to name a few. Her work has been featured on Adult Swim, HBO, TBS, Más Mejor, (Broadway Video’s premium comedy studio powered by Latino voices) and stages across LA. Natasha created the first ever monthly clown show at UCB Franklin called “Send in the Clowns”. Currently, she is touring her award-winning solo clown show “Tree”— accolades include an encore run at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Stage Raw’s “Top Ten Shows in LA” 2022, Times Colonist’s “5 Must See Shows” 2022, the Hollywood Fringe Scholarship 2022 and Victoria Fringe “Pick of Fringe – Best Physical Theatre 2022”. “A master comic storyteller… non-stop hilarity" Inger Tudor, Stage Raw. Natasha has worked as a producer and director on both coasts. For 5+ years, she has professionally produced events for the Upright Citizens Brigade to bring customized comedy programs to groups across the country including improv, sketch, storytelling and public speaking intensives. These workshops focus on creating an inclusive environment to help people get out of their comfort zones and reach a higher place of understanding with others while having fun. She has virtually taught adults and children at Stomping Ground Comedy Theatre along with a workshop called “Playful Mindfulness” sponsored by the National Alzheimer’s Association to implement improv into the world of caregiving. In 2020, she was named an “Emerging Content Creator” by the National Association of Latino Independent Producers. She also leads private and group clown workshops in for people interested in exploring techniques that implement vulnerability, physicality, emotion and other tools to give their performance a unique edge.

Samantha Bowling is a mixed (Cherokee, Powhatan desc.) writer/comedian and actress based in LA but originally from the land of Goetta and Skyline chili, Cincinnati OH (Miami and Shawnee territory). Her one woman show “This Was Never Supposed To Be A One Woman Show (A One Woman Show)” premiered in 2023 to sold out audiences and critical acclaim at the Hollywood Fringe Festival where she won The Producers Encore Award, as well as several nominations including Best Solo Performance, The Cultural Envoy Award and Best Immersive Show. Her second solo show Missions won The Eastwood Revival Encore Award. Her writing credits include the zombie apocalypse comedy feature Zombesties, the existential queer black comedy pilot The Damned, the Dark comedy pilot The Deathwishlist, part of the narrative video game Life Is Strange Double Exposure, and several tv shows currently in development. Her acting credits include Life Is Strange (Double Exposure), “Tomb Invader” on Syfy, “Blood Brother” on Amazon, “Back to Awesome” on Apple TV. In her spare time she swims, plays banjo, fosters puppies and practices yoga. She has a thicc ass, a big heart, and a very good pittie-mix, Bowie. She is repped by FRP Talent.

Mayuri Bhandari is an Actress, Dancer, Figure Skater, and Yoga Professor. Performing in both Bollywood and Hollywood industries; she is the first South Asian figure skater to showcase figure skating on Indian National Television and is a National figure skating champion. She has worked with Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Hrithik Roshan. Her short film BINDI received recognition at film festivals in Athens, Berlin, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Mayuri’s work was recently featured at the United Nations Women’s Event in Los Angeles. She has appeared in popular Indian TV shows like “Dare 2 Dance” (Indian SYTYCD). She has starred in film and television shows such as Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix), Dave (FX/Hulu), Rebel (ABC), Nightingale (Prime), 911: Lone Star (FOX), and Dare 2 Dance/Just Dance (Star Plus). Her voiceover work includes Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony), Ms. Marvel (Disney), Shantaram (Apple), Netflix, and many audiobooks (Penguin Random House). She has also done several theater productions- starring as the lead in Clown Bar at the Hudson Theater and AA Sketch at the Ruskin Theater Co. in Los Angeles. Mayuri fuses her art with activism; she is an advocate for women’s empowerment, indigenous rights, and environmental activism. She’s a yoga and dance professor at Loyola Marymount University.

Becca Khalil is an actor, writer, director, and collaborator born and raised in Philly before moving to this lovely city. Becca is Egyptian American and is Hella conscious of inclusivity and the need to keep laughter a central part of every day ♡

Chris Grace I’m a gay Asian comedian and actor that loves scallion pancakes. I believe in joy, learning, connection, and truth.

To apply for the Access Advisory Board, fill out this application: https://forms.gle/7ezHj1ctUgBZVJMA6

The Hollywood Fringe would never try to put a label on you, the artist. You are free to be. But your show? You’ve gotta categorize that, and we’re here to help. You can register your show in any category you wish, but try to match what area best represents your show!

Here are some things to think about as you choose your category.

1. Awards: the category you choose will be the category you are voted in. The top-voted show in each category receives a “best of” award.

2. Marketing: Your show will appear in your chosen category in the guide.

Your show may fit into multiple categories; choose the one you believe fits your show best! You can change your category up until the printed guide deadline on April 15th!

Cabaret + Burlesque: Cabarets are not quite full musicals but use music as a storytelling device. Same thing for burlesque, but on the dance side of things! Each is often high glamour and raucous fun.

Clown and Alternative Comedy: These are styles of comedy that make a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style. For more traditional improv, sketch, and stand-up shows, consider choosing “Comedy & Variety Acts” below.

Comedic Theatre: A more traditional (can still have experimental elements) play that leans funny.

Comedy + Variety Acts: Stand-up, improv, sketch + other variety acts like magic, sideshow, live podcasts, talk-shows and more!

Dance + Physical Theatre: These shows are movement-based! Whether you are tango-ing, tap dancing, tumbling, trapezing, or juggling, this storytelling performance is all about getting physical to tell your story.

Dramatic Theatre: If you have a dramatic piece of theatre told through a more classic theatre lens this category is for you. These shows traditionally will follow a more structured narrative displaying more dramatic themes even if they display comedic moments.

Events + Workshops: The Hollywood Fringe Festival is also a time to share that knowledge! This is the perfect category for you if you have a workshop to teach some theatre practices or host an event you think would benefit the Fringe Community. This category is not up for awards at the end of the festival.

Immersive + Games: More than breaking the fourth wall, these performances have audience agency at the core of their experiences.

Musicals & Operas: These are storytelling works set to music, often performed by live singers and/or instrumentalists.

Solo Theatre: The one-person show has a long legacy in theatre and at the Fringe! Traditionally, a solo show takes us on a defined narrative arc featuring one performer. Just because you are a solo performer, that does not mean you must choose this category.