Fringe Festival

NYFringe Festival

written by Daniel
former participant, Director

Application Fee: 60?
5 performances
Venue: Theatres at 54 Bleecker Street
It was very rewarding and positive. I was new to the city and learned a lot about publicity and working with venues. We had a strong show with a hard-working cast and crew which made the process of fitting into the constraints of the festival very easy. Also, the festival has to lay down all these rules, but much of your freedom depends on your venue director assigned to your theater. We got along great with ours, and she helped us with all of our show's quirks and hiccups.
Competent staff? Yes
Total spent? $2,000
Recommended? Fringe is great for young companies new to the city that are putting experimental work up, but don't have the connections with the downtown scene or players yet. The Present Company has good taste and is large enough to take a chance on unknown people. It is also good if you are skilled at your own publicity because it has a good reputation. People go to this festival. It has a built in audience. You just need to convince them your show is one worth seeing.
We had a great turnout due to some favorable blog reviews that happened, sort of by chance. The reviewers that the festival lined up for us hated the show and said so. They list you in all of their materials but it is really up to you to make your show stand out. It will get lost in the pages if you don't find your own audience.
Do you feel your piece got the exposure it needed to move forward? Yes
Grade: A

written by a former participant, Producer & Consultant

Participation Fee: $500
$25000 Total Spent
Ellen Stuart Theater; La Mama
60% capacity on average.
5 performances
There's very little support from the Fringe.
I think it's a huge rip off. It's also very difficult to get press to attend. Industry is also very out of town in August so it's hard to get the right people in. Although, it's a good way to get a bit of exposure if you're in it for the right reasons.
I wouldn't recommend participating unless you are very clear about your goals and vision for your project. The Fringe is a great way to spend a lot of money on something that gives you very little return.
Good career move? No.
Grade: C