Fringe theatre

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Performers at the 2013 Brighton Fringe Festival Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen performing at the 2013 Brighton Fringe Festival.jpg
Performers at the 2013 Brighton Fringe Festival

Fringe theatre is theatre that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter. [1] The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. [2] In London, the fringe are small-scale theatres, many of them located above pubs, and the equivalent to New York's Off-Off-Broadway theatres and Europe's "free theatre" groups. [3]

Contents

In unjuried theatre festivals, also known as fringe festivals or open-access festivals, all submissions are accepted, and sometimes the participating acts may be chosen by lottery, in contrast to juried festivals in which acts are selected based on their artistic qualities. Unjuried festivals (such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edmonton Fringe Festival, Adelaide Fringe, and Fringe World) permit artists to perform a wide variety of works.

History

In 1947, eight theatre companies showed up at the Edinburgh International Festival, hoping to gain recognition from the mass gathering at the festival. In 1948, Robert Kemp, a Scottish journalist and playwright, described the situation, "Round the fringe of official Festival drama, there seems to be more private enterprise than before ... I am afraid some of us are not going to be at home during the evenings!". [2] Edinburgh Festival Fringe was founded under the name "Festival Adjuncts", in 1947.

The fringe movement in Britain has been said to start in the 1960s, similar to the United States' Off-Off-Broadway theatres and Europe's "free theatre" groups. The term came into use in the late 1950s, and the show Beyond the Fringe premiered in Edinburgh in 1960, before transferring to Broadway and is the West End. One of the early innovators in fringe theatre was an American bookseller, James Haynes, who in 1963 created the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. Also noted in this period is the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Jerzy Grotowski's Theatre of 13 Rows, and Józef Szajna's Studio Theatre in Warsaw. [3]

The Adelaide Fringe in Adelaide, South Australia, now second-largest annual arts festival in the world (after Edinburgh Fringe), started in 1960 as an adjunct to the main Adelaide Festival of Arts. [4] [5]

Haynes, while at the helm of the Traverse, was receiving state support and even got a new theatre in 1969. In 1969, Haynes created the Arts Lab in London, but it only lasted for two years. Peter Brook along with another American Charles Marowitz opened the Open Space Theatre on Tottenham Court Road in London in 1968. Young British writers, after the May 1968 events in France, wrote agitprop plays, including David Hare, Howard Brenton, David Edgar. [3]

Meanwhile, in the United States, experimental theatre was growing due to the political protest of the Vietnam War. The Living Theatre, founded by Julian Beck, is considered the leader of the "flower power" and "hippie" movement. [3]

By the early 1970s, many fringe theatres began to receive small subsidies. After the 1973–74 stock market crash, many fringe companies were forced to close. New playwrights were established at the Bush Theatre and King's Head Theatre, both of whom survived the crash. 7:84 and Red Ladder Theatre Company were some of the surviving touring fringe groups. [3]

Fringe theatres were attractive to people in the 1960s due to their adventurousness but became less wild in the 1970s while the standards of production rose. [3]

In 1982, the first fringe festival in North America[ citation needed ] was started in Edmonton, Alberta. It was then a theatre component of the larger Summerfest but evolved to become a stand-alone event, the Edmonton International Fringe Festival, one of the largest annual arts events in Canada and still the largest fringe in North America by attendance.[ citation needed ] The oldest[ citation needed ] fringe festival in the United States is Orlando, FL, founded in 1992. There are more fringe festivals in North America than any other continent.

Festival organization

One distinction between fringe festivals and conventional arts festivals is the method used to choose participants. Typically, conventional festivals use a jury selection process, whereas many fringe festivals do not use a jury process in their selection criteria, hence the descriptor unjuried or open-access. There are exceptions to this; some fringe festivals (e.g., New York International Fringe Festival) do employ a jury-based selection process. [6] [7] [8]

All performers are welcome to apply, regardless of their professional or amateur status. No restrictions are made as to the nature, style or theme of the performance, though some festivals have children's areas with appropriate content limitations. Festivals may have too many applicants for the number of available spaces; in this case, applicants are chosen based on an unrelated criterion, such as order of application or a random draw.

The number of performances varies among different fringe festivals. Larger festivals may have thousands of performances (e.g., Edinburgh's 2013 festival had 45,464 performances). [9]

Fringe festivals typically have a common organising group that handles ticketing, scheduling, and some overall promotion (such as a program including all performers). Each production pays a set fee to this group, which usually includes their stage time as well as the organizational elements. The organising group and/or the venues often rely on a large pool of volunteers.

Ticket pricing varies between festivals. At UK fringe festivals, groups can decide their own ticket prices, and some sell tickets at fixed rates in one or two tiers, or in groups of 5 or 10.[ citation needed ]

Although it is unusual for the organising group to choose any winners of the festival, other organisations often make their own judgements of festival entries[ citation needed ] . Productions can be reviewed by newspapers or publications specific to the festival, and awards may be given by certain organisations. Awards or favourable reviews can increase the tickets sales of productions or lead to extra dates being added [ original research? ].

Elements of a typical production

The limitations and opportunities that the fringe festival format presents lead to some common features.

Shows are not judged or juried. Depending on the popularity, some fringe festivals may use a lottery system to determine which shows are selected.

Shows are typically technically sparse. They are commonly presented in shared venues, often with shared technicians and limited technical time, so sets and other technical theatre elements are kept simple. Venues may be adapted from other uses.

Casts tend to be smaller than mainstream theatre; since many of the performing groups are traveling, and venues (and thus potential income) tend to be fairly small, expenses must usually be kept to a minimum. One-person shows are therefore quite common at fringe festivals. [ citation needed ]

Fringe festival productions often showcase new scripts, especially ones on more obscure, edgy, or unusual material. The lack of artistic vetting combined with relatively easy entry make risk-taking more feasible. [10]

While most mainstream theatre shows are two or three acts long, taking two to three hours with intermissions, fringe shows tend to be closer to one-hour, single-act productions. The typically lowered ticket prices of a fringe theatre show permit audiences to attend multiple shows in a single evening. [11]

Performers sometimes billet in the homes of local residents, further reducing their costs. [12] [13] [14]

List of fringe festivals

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh Festival Fringe</span> Arts festival

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 different shows in 322 venues. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place in Edinburgh every August. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has become a world-leading celebration of arts and culture, surpassed only by the Olympics and the World Cup in terms of global ticketed events. As an event it "has done more to place Edinburgh in the forefront of world cities than anything else" according to historian and former chairman of the board, Michael Dale.

Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is Australia’s biggest arts festival and is the world's second-largest annual arts festival, held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, it features more than 7,000 artists from around Australia and the world. Over 1,300 events are staged in hundreds of venues, which include work in a huge variety of performing and visual art forms. The Fringe features many free events occur alongside ticketed events for the duration of the festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide Festival</span> Cultural event in Australia

The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural event in Australia.

The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is an annual arts festival held every August in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Produced by the Fringe Theatre, it is the oldest and largest fringe theatre festival in North America. The Edmonton Fringe is a founding member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals.

The Ottawa Fringe Festival is an annual fringe theatre festival in Ottawa. The festival was inaugurated in 1997. The festival takes place for ten days each June. Performances are held indoors and out.

Henry James Naylor is a British comedy writer, director and performer. He is also a playwright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traverse Theatre</span> Theatre company and venue in Edinburgh, Scotland

The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded as The Traverse Theatre Club in 1962 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes, Richard Demarco, Terry Lane, Andrew Muir, John Martin and Sheila Colvin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brighton Fringe</span> Arts festival in Brighton, England

Brighton Fringe is an open-access arts festival held annually in Brighton, England. It is the largest annual arts festival in England and one of the largest fringe festivals in the world. The programme of 2018 included 1008 events at over 166 venues across 4 weeks, in May and June.

<i>Underneath the Lintel</i>

Underneath the Lintel is a play by Glen Berger that premièred in 2001. The sole character—the Librarian—embarks on a quest to find out who anonymously returned a library book that is 113 years overdue. A clue scribbled in the margin of the book and an unclaimed dry-cleaning ticket then take him on a mysterious adventure that spans the globe and the ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Fringe</span>

The Free Fringe is an organisation that promotes free shows during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, every August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saskatoon Fringe Theatre Festival</span> Fringe festival in Saskatchewan

The Saskatoon Fringe Festival produced by 25th Street Theatre is an annual Fringe theatre festival in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. A Fringe Festival is not censored, and not juried, provides live theatre inexpensively, and a public busking forum for musicians. The 10-day international theatre, arts, and culture Festival is hosted annually in the Broadway District in the Nutana neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival</span> Fringe festival in Orlando

The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival is a 14-day annual arts festival that takes place in Orlando, Florida, every May. The festival features 850 ticketed theatrical performances on indoor and outdoor stages, produced by local, national and international artists. It is an open access performing arts festival, meaning there is no selection committee, and anyone may participate, with any type of performance.

Intrepid Theatre is a not-for-profit organization in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, that produces the annual Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival, Uno Fest: Canada’s Singular Live Theatre Event, and a year-round series of international theatre presentations and premieres for local independent theatre companies. Their mandate is to enhance the experience of live theatre in Victoria. Intrepid Theatre also created the Metro Studio and Intrepid Theatre Club – two small downtown Victoria theatre venues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sydney Fringe</span>

The Sydney Fringe Festival is the largest independent arts festival in New South Wales with over 450 events presented in over 70 venues across Greater Sydney each year during September. It encompasses genres such as stand-up comedy, music, theatre, cabaret, visual arts, and burlesque.

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The Atlanta Fringe Festival was conceived in 2010 by a small group of art and theatre lovers. The festival debuted in Atlanta, Georgia. May 9–13, 2012. The festival has attracted performers from all over the United States, including actors, dancers, comedians and aerialists. In its inaugural year, the Atlanta Fringe Festival received over 40 performance submissions. Like the original Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Atlanta Fringe is a non-juried event that showcases both professional and experimental theatre. Unlike the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which started on the fringe of the Edinburgh International Festival, the Atlanta Fringe isn’t based on a main festival. AFF is currently accepting submissions for the second annual edition of the festival, slated for June 6–9, 2013.

Bob Slayer is an Edinburgh Comedy Award winning comedian, musician and promoter. He has been part of a new economic model for venues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which has made the event fairer and more affordable for performers and audiences. Acts that have performed at his venues have won and been nominated for a number of prestigious awards.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is the organisation that supports the running of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world. The Society was established in 1958 to provide a centralised information and box office service for the Fringe, which had grown in numbers since eight theatre companies had effectively "created" the Fringe by performing uninvited alongside the Edinburgh International Festival in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holden Street Theatres</span> Theatre in Adelaide, South Australia

Holden Street Theatres (HST) is a South Australian performing arts theatre complex in Hindmarsh, an inner-western suburb of Adelaide. It is housed in the heritage-listed All Saints' Anglican Church complex. The complex includes three performance spaces: The Studio, The Arch and The Bar, and is home to the Holden Street Theatre Company.

FringePVD is a fringe arts and theater festival in Providence, Rhode Island, founded in 2014. In recent years it has been located in the Olneyville neighborhood of the city. To date it is the largest fringe festival in New England.

References

  1. ↑ "Fringe theatre definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary". macmillandictionary.com. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 Kemp, Robert, More that is Fresh in Drama, Edinburgh Evening News, 14 August 1948
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Banham, Martin (7 March 1996). The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Theatre. ISBN   9780521446549 . Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "1960: Introduction". Fringe Vault. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  5. ↑ Sutton, Malcolm (24 February 2017). "Adelaide Fringe: World's second largest arts festival 'still a fringe', as attention turns to interstate". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  6. ↑ Batchelder, Xela (2006). The world's largest arts festival, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Mechanics, myth and management (PhD dissertation). The Ohio State University.
  7. ↑ "Create & Showcase". Festival City ADL. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  8. ↑ Caust, Josephine (2019). "Open Access Arts Festivals and Artists: Who Benefits?". The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society. 49 (5): 291–306. doi:10.1080/10632921.2019.1617811. S2CID   197704849.
  9. ↑ "Edinburgh Fringe ticket sales up 5% - BBC News". BBC News. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "FringeNYC Application - 2014 Application". Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "How Fringe Tickets Work". nofringe.org. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  12. ↑ "Billet HOST Form | Boulder International Fringe Festival". boulderfringe.com. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "Toronto Fringe Billet OFFER form | Performers Site: Toronto Fringe July 2016". performers.fringetoronto.com. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival - HOST AN ARTIST". Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Asheville Fringe Arts Festival". Asheville Fringe Arts Festival. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  16. ↑ "| Boulder International Fringe Festival". boulderfringe.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  17. ↑ "Charm City Fringe Festival". charmcityfringe.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  18. ↑ "Elgin Fringe Festival". elginfringefestival.com. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  19. ↑ "Hamilton Fridge Festival". hamiltonfringe.ca. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  20. ↑ "Hollywood Fringe". hollywoodfringe.org. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  21. ↑ "New 2018 Fringe Festival KC - Kansas City Fringe Festival". Kansas City Fringe Festival.
  22. ↑ "Fringe North". Fringe North. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  23. ↑ Holman, Rachel HOLMAN (23 May 2016). "First-ever Paris Fringe seeks to challenge 'traditionalist' French theatre". France 24.
  24. ↑ "Windsor Fringe 22". www.windsorfringe.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  25. ↑ "Sibiu International Fringe Festival 2016". SIBIU FRINGE. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  26. ↑ "Gothenburg Fringe". Gothenburg Fringe Festival.
  27. ↑ "Butterworth Fringe Festival - Penang, Malaysia - 12 & 13 Aug 2017". Butterworth Fringe Festival.
  28. ↑ "Fringe Manila – Manila's Arts Festival". www.fringemanila.com.
  29. ↑ "Rainforest Fringe". www.rainforestfringe.com.


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