Cincinnati Fringe Festival Fringe

Cincinnati Fringe Festival

14 days of theatre, art, music, film, dance, and EVERYTHING between - that's Kinda WEIRD. Like YOU!

CINCINNATI Fringe Festival Website

Festival Overview

Type of Festival

Cincy Fringe is a smaller festival with the majority of our ~12 venues being built-out in non-traditional spaces (e.g. art studios, coffee shops, church basements.) All venues are within a 15-minute walk of Fringe HQ, Know Theatre of Cincinnati.

About our Audience

Cincy Fringe attracts a diverse and broad range of patrons of all ages, but our fanatical core of die-hard Fringers definitely skews 35+. Most of our regulars are fervent arts supporters in general.

Festival Stats

Cincy Fringe draws approximately 10,000 entries each year. We keep our upfront costs for artists VERY low and then split box office 50/50 (after ticketing fees are taken out). Productions have had an average payout of $1,076 over the past three years. Single Tickets are $15, a 6-ticket pass is $75, and our All Access Pass is $250. All details regarding payouts can be found in the most recent edition of the Cincy Fringe Artist Handbook.

Artist Information

How Artists are Accepted

Cincy Fringe is a curated festival. Your application includes required and optional work sample submissions and will then be reviewed by a minimum of 4 members from our adjudication panel, which is comprised of 40 theatre professionals, educators, and journalists. The core artistic team at Know Theatre/Cincy Fringe then takes the panel's feedback and notes to decide which 32 productions will comprise our Primary Lineup. Within our selection process, we’re also dedicated to achieving the following goals, which take into account our desire for representational equality, as well as being mindful of audience feedback and sales comparisons from over the years. Cincy Fringe always tries to feature: -50% local productions, 50% out-of-town/international productions -50% returning artists/groups, 50% new artists/groups -Inclusion of underrepresented voices -Balanced scheduling -10-15 Solo Performance productions -15-20 Plays, Musicals, and Interdisciplinary productions -3-8 Physical Theatre/Dance productions NOTE: Our goal by curating programming is NOT to censor or judge your work based on content or quality - OR to pick our favorites. We curate to ensure patrons a lineup that features a rich variety of styles, forms, themes, skill-sets, representations, and intended audiences. We also find that curation helps us avoid accepting productions that are radically similar to each other (in style, content, etc.) Since we present a smaller lineup than most other Fringes, this type of curation can be very beneficial as patrons can feel compelled to see as many shows as possible knowing that no two productions are alike.

Benefits of Applying

We offers FREE billeting for Out-of-Town Productions ONLY. Every production receives 2 comp tickets per performance, the total of which they can use in any combination desired. All Primary Lineup productions are eligible for one of our 6 Pick of the Fringe Awards (Audience Pick, Fringe Next Audience Pick, Critics' Pick, Artists' Pick, Full Frontal Pick, Producer's Pick). Winning a Pick Award gives you an Encore performance of your show on the final day of Fringe. Cincy Fringe's Print Media Sponsor, Cincinnati CityBeat, reviews ALL productions in the Festival. Additional coverage is sometimes provided by the Cincinnati Enquirer, Behind the Curtain Cincinnati, The Sappy Critic, and other online bloggers. As an artist in the Festival, you also receive an Artist Pass, which gives you free walk-up entry to shows (if seats are available) and discounts on drinks at the Fringe HQ bar along with at neighboring shops/restaurants. Additionally, we always have snacks on hand for artists at Fringe HQ and can certainly help out with any additional requests there may be!

Costs and Deals

Application costs range from $0-60. Production Fees range from $25-75. There are no other required costs for producing at Cincy Fringe. 50% of box office goes to productions (after ticketing fees) and over the past three years payouts to artists have averaged $1,076.

Tech Information

While some more traditional theatre spaces, the majority of venues are temporary build-outs in locations like church basements, art studios, and coffee shops. We outfit all spaces with a basic lighting plot, a sound system (but NOT a playback device), drapery, and audience seating; you shouldn’t expect anything more complicated than that. The majority of venues don’t even feature the typical amenities of a true theatre space (wings, crossover, etc). At the end of the day, we’ll match you with the venue that best suits your needs but you should be prepared to have the bare minimum. Venues are grouped into Large, Medium, and Small Capacity, which determines a Primary Lineup show’s maximum number of performances (5, 7, or 8, respectively; assuming you meet availability requirements). Venues feature a playing space between 10’x12’ and 25’x15’, generally falling on the smaller side. Additionally, Cincy Fringe employs technically-minded individuals to help run your lights and sound, if needed, and to oversee the general operations of your venue. While they are paid professionals and NOT volunteers, areas of expertise and background vary (stage managers, designers, TD’s, etc) so we take every measure to ensure your Venue Technician understands their equipment, responsibilities, and all Festival policies. NOTE: Productions receive ONE, three-hour technical rehearsal prior to opening their show. This slot is the only period outside your load-in, performance, and load-out times that you are allowed in your venue. No additional tech time or access will be granted. Your call time for each performance is 30 minutes prior to your scheduled performance time. This allows you 15 minutes to load in and 15 minutes for the audience to be seated. At the end of your show you’ll then receive 15 minutes to load out of the space. These times are strictly enforced and there are no exceptions.

Performance Schedule

Cincy Fringe shows MUST be between 45 and 60 minutes, and generally average 50-55. Productions receive either 5, 7, or 8 performances, based on their venue capacity and availability.

OTHER

EVERY SINGLE NIGHT of Cincy Fringe ends back at Fringe HQ (Know Theatre) for the Fringe Bar Series. These after-parties are the heart and soul of Fringe and help us achieve an amazing community atmosphere. Above everything else, we cherish how Fringe Festivals bring together so many differing perspectives and experiences to create a delicious melting pot of creativity and passion.

cincinnati, oh

Fringe HQ/Know Theatre
1120 Jackson Street
Cincinnati, OH, 45202

Cincinnati is where North meets South and East meets West - it's got a little bit of everything. Overall, though, you'll find us obsessed with food and beer, and very friendly! (And, yes, we're aware how much all our sports teams stink. Ha.) NOTE: Try as we might, Cincinnati's public transportation system is not amazing. It's a city that's been largely designed for cars since the 1950s and the hilly terrain isn't amazing for avid bike riders. You'll generally find it easiest to have a car while in town, but it's not imperative and housing accommodations can be arranged based on the fact that you won't have personal transportation while here.

CINCYFRINGE.COM

Important Dates for this Fringe

2020 - Current Year

Festival Dates

May 29 - June 13, 2020

Application Dates

Apps Open: September 2019
Early Bird Deadline: 11/17/19
Final Deadline: 12/8/19

Other Important Dates

Lineup Notifications will be sent to applicants in the first week of February 2020. Also, note that for the 2020 Cincy Fringe we will be moving our Dark Days from Mondays to Tuesdays.