MINNESOTA FRINGEMinnesota Fringe connects adventurous artists with adventurous audiences by creating open, supportive forums for free and diverse artistic expression.
Through our summer festivals and dynamic year-round programming, Minnesota Fringe is an artistic disruptor for local and national artists — to take bold risks, develop new ideas, and hoist themselves to the next rung of their artistic ladder. As the producer of the largest performing arts festival in the Midwest, our annual Minnesota Fringe Festival event fills nearly 50,000 seats with audiences viewing dozens of works at hundreds of performances by more than 1,000 artists on a variety of stages in late summer. We also the Minnesota Family Fringe featuring productions for kids and families interested in new, adventurous work. |
Logo for Fringe
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Festival Overview
Type of FestivalAfter 25 years of significant growth, the 2019 Festival will showcase nearly 700 performances of over 130 shows in more than a dozen professional theaters for over 40,000 attendees.
Amidst many changes over the past quarter century, Minnesota Fringe remains steadfastly committed to core principles: producing opportunities for artists of a wide variety of backgrounds, abilities and experience levels; novel ways of engaging with the performing arts; and a continued commitment to accessibility for artists and audiences. |
About our AudienceFestival patrons fill over 40,000 seats each year and represent the full spectrum of age, race, ethnicity, gender identification, ability, and geography. Attendees are loyal and passionate, which is no surprise in a region known for its performing arts scene. Minnesota Fringe takes place in a metropolitan area often ranked in the top 3 nationally for seats per capita and in a state that is home to more than 400 theaters with citizens that consistently demonstrate their support for the arts.
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Festival StatsTicket prices to the 2019 Festivals are $14 (adult) and $6 (child) for a single show.
Patrons will also have the option to purchase limited discount admission packages in various increments that equal either $12 or $10 per seat. Admission packages are transferable between Family Fringe and Fringe Festival which run in tandem. Traditionally, Minnesota Fringe pays festival artists 70% of their box office receipts. In 2019, a 100% box office payout is available for producers who pay a higher up front producing fee. |
Artist Information
How Artists are AcceptedIn the interest of fairness, Fringe Festival artists are selected by random luck of the draw through an un-juried and un-curated lottery process. Anyone can apply to be a festival artist and, if the application is chosen in the lottery, they have a guaranteed slot that year. If their lottery number isn't chosen, artists are placed on a waiting list for openings in case other selected performers need to drop out. Family Fringe artists are selected by a jury comprised of artists, producers, board, and staff using a rubric based on artistic vision, production feasibility, style and aesthetic, and inclusion.
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Benefits of ApplyingAll producers in Fringe and Family Fringe benefit from venue rental, workshops, unified auditions, publicity, professional technicians, house managers, and access to an artist liaison.
Additionally, artists receive unlimited access to the entire festival plus comps to give out for their own show. All participants are eligible to win one of several Golden Lanyard Awards: Audience Picks (3 recipients): Vote for your favorite production of the Festival! 'Spirit of the Fringe (1 recipient): Vote for the "Fringiest" production you saw in this year's Festival! Who made the boldest choices, took the most risks? Which piece took audiences on an adventure? 1 award will be given. Venue Picks (12 recipients): The top selling production at each traditional venue (based on the first 4 performances). Fringe with Benefits Member Pick (1 recipient): A special award for our year-round champions, Fringe with Benefits members, to select their favorite production. Fringe with Benefits members: check your email for your digital ballot during the Festival. Artist Picks (3 recipients): Vote for one favorite company/production showcasing artistic achievement -- a prestigious, peer-given award! Underdog (First Year Producer) Award (1 recipient): Vote for the company -- producing here at Minnesota Fringe for the first time -- which has taken the boldest risks, been the most ambitious newbie, and wowed you with their first show! Staff-driven Awards Members of the year-round Fringe team will recognize a production based on their organizational role... and/or their own fringe-tastic, creative prerogatives! |
Costs and DealsApplication fee for the Fringe Festival Lottery is $30 per tier (up to 3 tiers). Application to Family Fringe is free. Production fees for the Fringe are based on tier (house size) and payout option (70% vs 100%): Tier 1 - Up to 99 seats $400 (70%) or $1000 (100%) Tier 2 - 100-199 seats $450 (70%) or $1250 (100%) Tier 3 - 200+ seats $500 (70%) or $1500 (100%) Family Fringe - $350 (70%) or $950 (100%)
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Tech InformationAll Fringe managed venues are fully equipped theater spaces staffed with a lighting designer and sound technician as well as a complete front of house staff.
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Performance ScheduleEach show in the festival receives 5 performance time slots. Performances are typically 45-60 minutes (maximum length).
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OtherNew in 2019: Independently Produced (IP)! Traditionally, Fringe selects, staffs, and manages every venue in our Festival. This year, we’re inviting producers to select any venue in the metro to join the festivities. Have a favorite space you already perform? Got an idea for a non-traditional performance? Didn’t get chosen in the lottery? No worries. You can still be part of the Festival. IP Submissions will open after the February Lottery.
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTAMINNESOTA FRINGE
79 - 13th Avenue NE Suite #112 Minneapolis, MN 55413 One visit to Minneapolis and you’ll quickly see we’re all about art—right from the nation’s first-ever sculpture garden to the world-class museums, and even the bizarre House of Balls. Don’t leave without catching a show on the Hennepin Theatre District, or seeing the five-story Kobra mural of Bob Dylan. Tour a glass factory in Northeast then ride over to Artcrank, the bike poster show put on by Minneapolis’s finest designers. This isn’t an art scene. It’s our creative community. WWW.MINNESOTAFRINGE.ORG |
Important Dates for this Fringe
2019 - Current Year
Festival DatesAugust 1-11, 2019
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Application DatesDecember 1, 2018 - February 14, 2019
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Other Important Dates
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2018 - Past Year for Perspective
Festival DatesAugust 2-12, 2018
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Application DatesNovember 30, 2017 - February 15, 2018
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Other Important Dates |
2020 - Future Year
Festival DatesJuly 30, 2020 - August 9, 2020
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Application DatesDecember 1, 2019 - February 15, 2020
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Other Important Dates |
Past Festivals
CHECK OUT SHOWS FROM THE PAST MINNESOTA FRINGE! https://www.minnesotafringe.org/2018/shows
Contact Us:dawn@fringefestival.org
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