One of the nice things about any Fringe Festival is the community participation element. We have invented yet another way for the Fringe community to participate in the festival. On June 27, the final day of the Fringe, we are mounting an award ceremony including awards sponsored by the Fringe and local organizations. Our ace art director Gavin Worth has even created some wonderful statuettes (“The Freaks”) that will be handed to winners in various categories.

How are those Fringe awards juried you ask? Not by us; they are juried by YOU.

Anyone who follows the simple application procedure can join the Fringe as a panelist. It will ask you to login or create an account first.

By becoming a panelist you…

• Can rate and review any Fringe event directly on the Fringe website
• Walk around with a keen Panelist pass
• Potentially receive discount admission to shows for producers interested in providing it
• Influence who wins the various Fringe Awards

A few pesky rules:

• You can’t rate your own show or a show you are hosting
• You need to rate/review at least one show for your vote to be counted
• If you are discovered to rate a show you didn’t actually see, all your scores will be voided

It’s fun, free, and gives you the aura and prestige of an official wondering the streets of Fringe.

So, what are you waiting for? Apply to be a Fringe panelist today!

Read more on how the awards are won…

Ben

ps…if you have applied and we haven’t approved you yet, it’s just because we are a bit swamped. Everything will be well by Thursday.

We made it! After years of intense planning and preparation from producers, artists, community leaders, venue owners, and community members, the Hollywood Fringe Festival rises to life this very week.

Tickets are now on sale for nearly 200 Fringe shows. Opportunities to experience the unknown, discover diamonds in the rough, and explore the wonderful world of Fringe lie at your very feet.

What better way to begin our Fringe epic than a party: An evening that proves to be a once in a lifetime celebration. With hundreds and hundreds of artists converging to bring the Fringe into being, this week marks a grand step in our city’s cultural evolution.

See you real soon…

Ben Hill, Festival Director
The Hollywood Fringe Festival 2010
Tickets available at www.HollywoodFringe.org or by calling 866-811-4111

The Opening Party

An evening of the bizarre, the breathtaking, and the exotic awaits featuring talent from across the Festival at King King on Hollywood Blvd. Feast your eyes and ears upon aerialists, dancers, musicians, and hours of DJ-fueled chaos and glee as you celebrate the opening of a new Los Angeles ritual. Buy Tickets today and prepare to be hurtled into a magical world.

Panelists Needed for Fringe Awards

It wouldn’t be a Fringe without the possibility of awards for the most worthy shows. Check out our list of the 2010 Fringe Awards and consider joining the team that decides them. All that’s required is a willingness to see shows and express your thoughts. Have strong opinions on works of art? Itching to see as many shows as possible? Become a Fringe panelist and make your opinions count.

Volunteers

Interested in pitching in with the Fringe? We are hosting a Volunteer Orientation at Fringe Central this Tuesday (June 15) at 6pm. If you’d like to attend, please rsvp to [email protected]. We will discuss the various ways we need help and sign you up for slots throughout the Festival. Can’t make it Tuesday? Stop by Fringe Central (1625 N Las Palmas) anytime – we will happily put you to work.

Fundraiser Reflections

Thanks to everyone who joined us at the first annual Fringe Fundraiser Bash, it was successful on so many levels. Check out our reflections on the event and some pictures of the fringe community in party mode.

We’ve been making these promos for over a year now and each has a fun little story attached to them. As we near the release of the year’s final two promos, here begins a fun retrospective of “older” promos released before we had all the press, community, and following.

Follow this link to see ALL our Fringe promos to-date.

First, a glimpse back at our heady pre-HD days with THE PIE FREAK. That’s our publicity director Stacy Jones dressed like June Cleaver and Rollin Perry as the freaky Where’s Waldo doppelganger with the pie. That pie was quite delicious, by the way. At least the first pie was, Rollin had his way with the second one. Interested in owning a pie like this? Well, lucky for you – they are on sale at the Gelson’s Market in Franklin Village.

The music is the work of Dave McKeever, who does pretty much all the composition for the Fringe (hint, hint…hire him for your next film/pilot/orchestra). I believe we have footage somewhere of Dave setting lights for this shoot without pants (it was hot). Ken Peterson and Bryan Burgess wrote this little gem.

You might recognize the house in several of our promos. Yes, we live there and have tiny production budgets – so suspend your disbelief!

You may wonder – what does it mean?? We made this decision a while ago Fringe promos of this ilk would simply present a transformation of the ordinary world into the “freak world” when the Fringe comes to town; you can see this theme repeated in several of the promos.

And if you ever get the trivia question: What was the first freak introduced in a Fringe promo? Mr. Red Freak.

Enjoy some pie one more time…

Ben

This is the first in a series of information we will be beaming to participants, patrons, and community as we joyfully work our way through the first Hollywood Fringe Festival…

This first installment covers the visibility stages on the Egyptian Theater Courtyard and a letter from our Visibility Director Ken Peterson.

Enjoy!

Ben

__

Greetings fringers!

With the festival right around the corner we here at HFF are all amping up to make sure that EVERYONE in LA knows about your shows. What better way than tapping into the largest tourist foot traffic area in LA: Hollywood Boulevard! During the festival we will be having an outdoor component to Fringe Central at the world famous Egyptian Theater (6712 Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood CA 90028).

This beautiful courtyard is connected to our fringe hub and will serve as the premier area to advertise and show case your up and coming fringe shows. Below is all the information that you will need to promote your shows at this wonderful opportunity.

Hours of Fringe visibility time on the Egyptian Courtyard operation:

June 17 & 18: 2pm to 7:30pm
June 19: 4:30 to 6:30pm
June 20: 1pm to 7:30pm
June 21 – 25: 2pm to 7:30pm
June 26: 11am to 7pm
June 27: 2pm to 5pm

How to Book

There will be two stages. The first stage is reservation only with bookings available in half hour increments; the second is first come first server. Just show up to Fringe Central, mention you’d like to use the stage, and it’s yours if it is available. You can also show up at any point to promote your show to foot traffic in the area between the two stages. Fundamentally, these are reserved spaces to help you promote your shows.

To book the first stage ahead of time, email me at [email protected]. When you email me please give a couple of different options in times and dates as I am coordinating with everyone in the festival.

If you just can’t seem to coordinate everybody’s schedules in these hectic times…Again, no worries. Stop by Fringe Headquarters or the Egyptian Courtyard at anytime during the allotted times above and we’ll make sure to get you on a stage.

What’s the set up

We will have two stages set up in the courtyard at a north and south location. One will be closer to the street the other away from it. There will be no amplified sound available so make sure to bring your stage voices.

Including the two stages there will also be two information booths, areas to pass out flyer’s, instillation sites, and general areas to meet and greet with fellow artists and potential fringe audience members.

Tips

How do I make sure I have an audience?

Get there ahead of time and create a following. Hollywood and Highland/Grauman’s Chinese Theater/Madame Tussauds are all less then a block away and have HEAVY tourist foot traffic. Head down there and hand out flyer’s, invite people to the courtyard for a free sneak preview, talk up your show. We used to call it ‘doing a procession’ back in the street theatre days. Grab the crowd and they will follow.

How many times can I perform at the courtyard?

As many times as you like! Having a beer at fringe central and feel like hoping up and doing a snippet? Yes! Just printed up a stack of flyer’s at fringe central and want to pass them out at the courtyard? Yes! Just had a delicious cup of coffee after discussing the current state of the arts at a local hot spot and feel like posing in masks at the courtyard? Yes! We will have staff, freaks, fringe guides, and all sorts of fun things at the Egyptian Courtyard but you the artists will bring the party. So come down and let’s make it a party!

Questions or ideas? Please feel free to email me at any time.
I look forward to meeting and hanging out with all of you. This is going to kick ass!

Viva la fringe!

Ken Peterson
Visibility Director
Hollywood Fringe
www.hollywoodfringe.org
[email protected]

Thanks to all who came to our first fundraiser bash. I hope everyone had as much fun as we did – it blew away our expectations. With so much time already spent building this festival, it was fantastic to put faces with names. Make sure to check out the LA Theatre Review write up of the event.

Special thanks to our performers: Jon Armstrong, Ms. Red Snapper, The Poxy Boggards, and the DJ stylings of Ricky Vodka. Also thanks to Jen and the whole team at the Three Clubs for being such excellent hosts.

Freak pictures will be up on flickr asap – thanks to Brian Bentz (the orange one), Julisa Smith (the blue one), and Chris Chambers (the one with the camera).

Congrats to all the lucky winners of the silent auction. We will contact you early next week to schedule payment and pickup.

LOT 1: Ultimate Summer & Travel Gift Set from Cindy Cho Aveda
winner: Skylar Rote

LOT 2: A Gift Pack from NBC/Universal
winner: Phyllis Silverberg

LOT 3: A Gift Pack from Grey’s Anatomy
winner: Pam Noles

LOT 4: Four Passes to Arclight Cinemas
winner: Pam Noles

LOT 5: Park Dine & Play from the Henry Fonda Music Box
winner: Cody Goulder

LOT 6: Tickets to King King
winner: Fred Blanco

LOT 7: Soaps from Green Haven Soaps
winner: Vicky Adams

LOT 8: Audition Monologue Package by CINDY MARIE JENKINS, Acting Coach
winner: Elizabeth Steele

LOT 9: Sunday Brunch for Four at The Four Seasons at Beverly Hills
winner: Elizabeth Steele

LOT 10: A beautiful gift basket from Susina Bakery
winner: Diana Varat

LOT 11: Lunch for two at caffe etc in Hollywood
winner: Jaimyon Parker

LOT 12: A pack of 10 tickets to ComedySportz
winner: Fred Blanco

LOT 13: Four Passes to Madame Tussauds Hollywood
winner: Gedaly Guberek

LOT 14: $100 Gift Certificate to Musso & Frank
winner: Kan Mattoo

LOT 15: A special package from Theatre of NOTE
winner: Will McFadden