The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) is the largest multi-arts festival in North America, and is run almost entirely by volunteers. In 2007, we celebrated our eleventh anniversary.
The festival continues to operate as the "great inverted pyramid":
75,000 Audience Members
..5,000 Artists
..1,500 Volunteers
..1,100 Performances
..1,000 Applications
.....200 Shows
...... 20 Venues
.......16 Days
.......15 Dollar Tickets
.......12 Years
.........2 Full-time Staff Members
Individual artists as well as companies submit one of our four applications which are then adjudicated by a team of nearly 100 adjudicators.
Over a ten week adjudication process, we determine which 200 shows will be accepted to the festival. The shows selected then receive a 60-page Participant's Manual which takes them step by step through what is required in order to make the most of the opportunity presented by FringeNYC. You can review a overview of the timeline for FringeNYC here.
In addition to providing the venue, venue director, box office manager, ticketing services and infrastructure to support our productions, we also host Marketing Speed Dates, during which each of our shows can sit with a team of FringeNYC marketing experts and refine their title, 40-word marketing blurb, and their icon (image). Marketing Speed Dates are followed by our Town Meeting, which is the first opportunity for participants to gather, meet the volunteer staff and hear how FringeNYC operates.
Next we host a Marketing Mixer, an opportunity for all of the shows to meet each other and sign up for marketing groups. These marketing groups cross-market with each other, and often collaborate on marketing pieces, distribution and finding appropriate online affinity groups for group sales.
Photos of all of the above events are available in "the making of" section of the archives.
Newbie Meetings commence for bringing any potential new volunteer staff members up to speed. Our volunteer staff are dedicated professionals working in every field imaginable. We're so proud to have such a diverse group making FringeNYC happen.
Participants are also kept informed via our weekly participants' newsletters, as well as downloadable offers from vendor partners and updates from their participants' website. Their website even features a venue information page, with diagrams, rep plots and video of the theatre they'll be performing in.
Our 2007 accomplishments include adding an Audience Toolbox to www.FringeNYC.org, a single page destination portal where our audience was able to find shows using the FringeNYC Slice-O-Matic , alphabetical listings, a downloadable program guide, a text only guide, FringeNYC Propaganda (our newspaper), FringeCENTRAL information, podcasts, and NEW THIS YEAR - audience talkbacks after FringeHIGH performances and the "Chronological List" - a downloadable list of every event in the festival, complete with running times (which many of our most ardent fans imported into their own personal calendaring program and/or handheld device).
Additionally, in 2007 we were able to secure an IDEAL FringeCENTRAL location. You can read more about this within the pages of this Annual Report.
Lastly, we improved the online home of FringeNYC, www.FringeNYC.org, by adding online archives for each year of the festival as well as the ability for our international participants to translate the application information into their native language.
All FringeNYC Alumni productions are offered an opportunity to market their show via our FringeNYC Fans newsletter - which is delivered to more than 40,000 members of our audience and then posted on our website. We're proud of our success stories but even more proud to receive notes and letters from our community about their FringeNYC experience. Here is just a sampling:
"We loved our Fringe experience. It was like playing in the biggest game in town, like running in the dramatists' Kentucky Derby, like carrying the ball in the Super Bowl of playwriting (or should that be playwrighting). Even more, it was like basketball's March Madness, that tournament with 64 teams playing in gyms all over the country, only it was August Madness, and it was the Fringe playing in theaters all over town. Anyway we loved it and appreciated it and could hardly believe how kind and helpful everyone was." - Aaron Latham, POGO AND EVIE ('07)
(sent with Godiva!)
"Just a little something to thank you all for changing my life every year! Can't wait for Fringe!" - Aida Lembo, ADJUDICATOR
"Man, I love your Fringe emails. You are a total sappy sap - and the fringe is luckier for that. Hell, New York is luckier for that! Happy Holidays!"
- Andrew Grosso, FORMER PARTICIPANT / DONOR
"Thank You. Thank You. Thank You... Elena, at the risk of over doing it - THANK YOU - I really feel compelled to send you a quick note today. Last night we opened and it was not only a big success (the play went well, we had nearly 100 people there, strangers lined up down the block to see the show, they howled with laughter - seriously - the show stopped at one point!) BUT we also had a BLAST. It is hands down one of the funnest (is that a word? funnest?) most fun openings I have ever had. And I don't know why that is exactly - since I was running around like a fringe chicken with my head cut off -- but it just was. I think I have to give you and your volunteers so much credit for that experience / feeling. From dealing with the subway / flood dilemma (Lauren showing up on her morning off to let us in the theatre and calming our fears) to Dan working his butt off to make participants and customers feel great to a FANTASTIC venue with great times to you recommending us for the "gay fringe" radio interview to you coming by the theatre during load in and noticing the smallest details about the theatre, like a baton that seems like it can't carry all the weight of the lights and really caring about those details - to the general air of excitement / camaraderie / fun that permeates the festival - everything. I can not tell you how much I appreciate everything Elena, truly!
Honestly, Elena - I had always worried that I wouldn't enjoy the Fringe. I don't know what my thought process was - I maybe thought - it would be too much work or I would just get lost in all the myriad of shows - I am not sure what I thought - but I never expected to be having such a wonderful unique and memorable experience. So ...again, THANK YOU. Thank you for seeing that my script could be a play and picking my little gay library play to be a part of FringeNYC. And I still have FOUR MORE shows! Yay!" - Bixby Elliot, PN1923.45 LS01 volume 2 [the book play] ('07)
Dear Elena,
I’m Leslie Harrell Dillen and performed ACTION JESUS at FringeNYC this summer. What an extraordinary experience I had. Thank you with all my heart for including me. Everything about my time at the Fringe was rewarding. The people working at the Fringe couldn’t have been more helpful and supportive. The work I saw was exciting. The atmosphere was inspirational making the need to do art actually feel relevant in today’s world.
It was a real gift to me as an artist at my age to be among so many talented young people. It gave me great hope not only for the future of theatre but for myself. On a personal note being at The Fringe was also an unlooked for blessing as I performed ACTION JESUS a block away from life changing incidents described in the show. It was a catharsis and completion of a circle in my life which surprised me and in a strange way released me into a new phase of my life as an artist.
Thank you for providing so much for artists, for giving so much of yourself and your talents to the arts! I wish you all the success and best wishes for future Fringes. - Leslie Harrell Dillen, Action Jesus ('07)