Rochester Fringe Festival

Rochester Fringe Festival
Location(s) Rochester, New York
Foundation 2012
Date(s) September 15–24, 2016
Type of play(s) Theatre, comedy, music, dance, spoken word
Website

The Rochester Fringe Festival, held annually in Rochester, NY since 2012.,[1] is one of the three most-attended fringe festivals in the United States.[2] In 2015, the festival attracted over 63,000 attendees.[3] Held for 10 days in September, the festival features over 500 performances in established venues – including theatres, art galleries and cafes – as well as pop-up, site specific shows in streets, parking lots, and tents throughout Rochester's East End and Neighborhood of the Arts districts in Downtown Rochester.

Rochester Fringe is a member of the United States Association of Fringe Festivals.[4]

Since its first year, the festival's title sponsor has been First Niagara Bank.

History

2012

In its first year - held September 19–23 - the festival featured over 180 performances, and attracted more than 33,000 attendees during the course of its five-day run. Headliners included comedian Patton Oswalt,[5] the Harlem Gospel Choir, and aerial dance troupe Bandaloop who danced on the side of One HSBC Plaza at Manhattan Square Park. Bandaloop's performance was viewed by over 10,000 people.[6]

2013

Rochester Fringe expanded to 10 days in 2013 - held September 19–28 - and drew more than 50,000 attendees to 360 performances at more than 20 venues.[7] Headliners included comedians Marc Maron, Dave Barry, and "Cirque du Fringe", a Cirque du Soleil-type show created for the festival.[8] "Friday on the Fringe" - a free, outdoor, public event - again featured a free performance by Bandaloop and was seen by over 13,000 people.[9] The festival also added a new pop-up venue—a spiegeltent—and curated shows within it, including "Cirque du Fringe" and a headphone-based nightly dance party called "Silent Disco".

2014

The 2014 Fringe - held September 18–27 - grew to 60,000 attendees and more than 380 performances. Spiegeltent performances included comedian Jay Pharoah, comedy clowns 20 Penny Circus,[10] a newly-created circus show ("Mardi Gras! Cirque du Fringe"), and the return of the popular "Silent Disco." The annual outdoor "Friday on the Fringe" event was held at the newly-renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Park,[11] and featured a performance by Circus Orange entitled "Tricycle", specifically tailored for the Rochester park's layout and architecture.[12] The festival also included a free outdoor performance of "Spoon River Rochester" - based on Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology poems - which featured nearly 250 actors in costume throughout Gibbs Street (closed to traffic for the occasion) and an adjoining park.[13]

2015

In 2015 the 10-day festival - September 17–26 - increased attendance to 63,000, ticket sales by 20%, and featured more than 500 performances.[14] Featured acts included comedian Jamie Lissow (of the sitcom Real Rob), circus show "Cabinet of Wonders" in the Spiegeltent, and a site-specific, live-art theater experience called "Remote Rochester" created specifically for Rochester by artists Rimini Protokoll.[15] The free "Friday on the Fringe" event featured a performance by aerial dance troupe Grounded Aerial.[16]

Governance

Rochester Fringe Festival, a non-profit organization, is run by a board of directors made up of representatives from Rochester arts and cultural institutions, universities and businesses.[17] Its chairman is Rochester attorney Justin Vigdor, and its producer is Erica Fee, a Rochester native who produced, directed and performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as well as in London’s West End.

Participation

The bifurcated (divided into two branches) festival is partially curated by the Fringe – several headliners and free outdoor events – but the vast majority of the shows are curated by the venues themselves from submissions made by artists. The submission process takes place via the Fringe website (www.rochesterfringe.com) in March and April, and the venues work with the artists directly to create their Fringe lineups in May and June[18]

Rochester’s Fringe is an unjuried festival with no selection committee, and therefore any type of performance may participate. Shows usually run an hour or less, technical aspects are kept to a minimum, and ticket prices are low (usually ranging from free to $20).

References

  1. ↑ Rezsnyak, Eric (12 September 2012). "Show time for Rochester Fringe". CITY Newspaper. WMT Publications. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  2. ↑ Gable, Lori (23 March 2016). "Rochester Fringe Festival producer to speak at UR graduation". Rochester Business Journal. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Jeff Spevak, "Fringe Fest announces 2016 dates, NEA grant", Democrat & Chronicle, December 9, 2015
  4. ↑ "Festival Directory", United States Association of Fringe Festivals, Retrieved April 5, 2016
  5. ↑ "Rochester Fringe Festival Guide 2012". ISSUU.com. WMT Publications. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  6. ↑ Clark, Willie (17 July 2013). "Fringe Festival announces 2013 lineup". CITY Newspaper. WMT Publications. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Spevak, Jeff (3 October 2013). "Fringe Festival attendance tops 50,000". Democrat & Chronicle. Gannett Company. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  8. ↑ Lewis, Trevor (11 September 2013). "2013 Fringe Festival Headliners". CITY Newspaper. WMT Publications. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Spevak, Jeff (3 October 2013). "Fringe Festival attendance tops 50,000". Democrat & Chronicle. Gannett Company. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Rochester Fringe Festival Guide 2014". ISSUU. WMT Publications. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Staff reports (28 August 2013). "Rochester to rename Manhattan Square Park after MLK". Democrat & Chronicle. Gannett Company. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  12. ↑ De Palma, Donna (16 September 2014). "Circus Orange bringing its giant, flaming 'Tricycle' to town". Democrat & Chronicle. Gannett Company. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Adams, Beth (26 September 2014). "Spoon River Rochester Among Final Events of 2014 Fringe Festival". WXXI News. WXXI.org. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  14. ↑ Mobilia, Jennifer (14 July 2015). "2015 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival acts revealed". WHEC TV. Hubbard Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  15. ↑ Spevak, Jeff (14 September 2015). "Fringe Festival peers into Rochester". Democrat & Chronicle. Gannett Company. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Rochester Fringe Festival Guide 2015". ISSUU.com. WMT Publications. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "Board of Directors and Advisory Committee". RochesterFringe.com. Rochester Fringe Festival. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "Rochester Fringe: Before Applying". RochesterFringe.com. Rochester Fringe Festival.
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