Hey, everyone! If you’re looking for little nuggets of last-minutey Fringe goodnesses, check out Minnesota Fringe on Tumblr. We won’t be updating this blog any longer, but we do love to update—so we’ll see you at Tumblr!
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Come out and share some post-autumnal equinox drinkies at Fringe Speakeasy: 5 p.m. at Bedlam! MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL — Minnesota Fringe Festival today announced a 13 percent increase in attendance over last year’s festival, setting a new all-time attendance record for the festival. The 11-day performing arts festival closed yesterday in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Preliminary numbers show 46,189 tickets were issued to an estimated 15,100 patrons of the 2009 festival. Gross box office revenue was over $330,000 from 162 different productions at 22 venues in Minneapolis and St. Paul. In 2008, a total of 40,926 tickets were issued, generating $297,374. The previous festival attendance record was set in 2006 with 44,692 tickets issued with gross box office of $338,181. “To say I’m thrilled is a tremendous understatement,” said executive director Robin C. Gillette. “This has been a monumental year for Fringe, absolutely. I don’t think there’s barely a Minnesota Fringe record we didn’t shatter.” Four Humors Theater’s “Sideways Stories from Wayside School,” presented at the University of Minnesota Rarig Center Thrust stage, set a single-performance attendance record with 402 tickets issued to its Saturday night show, a new high in Minnesota Fringe’s 16-year history. (A list of the top-attended shows by number of tickets issued and by percentage of house capacity follows.) “Although we weren’t worried, we knew this year that we couldn’t take anything for granted,” she said. “Our participating artists brought what may be the strongest lineup to the festival ever, our volunteers and staff were tireless, and the audiences turned out like never before. The response was phenomenal.” Visits to the festival’s Web site, fringefestival.org, increased by 35 percent over last year. Nearly 3,200 audience reviews had been submitted to the festival’s Web site as of 11 a.m. Monday, an immense increase over last year’s 2,200. “Fringe’s success is a heartening sign for all Minnesota performing arts attendance this fall,” said Gillette. “In many ways, Fringe is a wind-up to the next theater season. I think our festival having such an amazing year bodes well for everyone.” “In baseball terms, this was one hell of an opening pitch,” she said. Minnesota Fringe, the third oldest Fringe in the United States, celebrates its 17th year in 2010 from Thurs., Aug. 5 through Sun., Aug. 15. Applications for next year’s festival will be available on Mon., Nov. 16 at fringefestival.org. The festival lineup is determined by public lottery in early February. Top ten shows by number of tickets issued Top ten shows by percentage of house capacity NOTE: All numbers are preliminary and have not yet been subject to a full audit of box office receipts. For the first time in festival history, we had a tie. Not just one tie, even, but two! To break the tie, we held a public coin toss (similar to the lottery that we use to determine the festival lineup) at Fringe Central tonight. Congratulations go to contenders at Augsburg Studio (“Parry Hotter” and “Sarah, Your Ovaries Are Drying Up“) and at Playwrights’ Center (“Two Short Operas” and “The Dumb Waiter“) for jobs very well done. And without further ado, we have the 2009 Fringe Encore lineup: Buy tickets to Encore performances now!
Congratulations to all our Encore performers and to all 162 participating companies in this year’s Minnesota Fringe Festival.
Finally, the extreme cuteness of Fringe is now available in handy sticker form! For windows, bumpers, notebooks and more, you can take Wobbles (Fringe’s pet kitty) home for just $2. Available at all venues and at the concierge desk at Fringe Central. (Photo courtesy Scott Pakudaitis… Squirrels and Fringe, man. Squirrels and Fringe.) UPDATE: Jeff, our tech director, made himself a WobblesBook Pro:
MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL — Minnesota Fringe Festival, the Midwest’s largest performing arts festival, opened with a remarkable 19 percent jump in attendance over last year’s event, the festival announced today. Preliminary numbers for the first four days of the annual eleven-day performing arts festival—Thurs., July 30 through Sun., Aug. 2—show that 16,814 tickets were issued, a massive increase over last year’s 14,133 tickets. “I’m elated, absolutely,” said executive director Robin C. Gillette. “We’re issuing tickets hand over fist. It’s been an astonishing opener.” Of this year’s 162 productions, nine ten companies sold out their first performances and a total of 18 19 performances sold out. Among the sold-out shows are Bring Your Own Venue productions—a Fringe program dedicated to site-specific work—and two shows at Gremlin Theatre, Fringe’s first St. Paul venue. Traffic to the festival’s Web site, fringefestival.org, increased 46 percent. By 11 a.m. today, the site had received over 1,400 audience-submitted show reviews, well on pace to eclipse last year’s total, and previous festival record, of 2,200. “The people of Minnesota have really hooked in to this year’s festival,” Gillette said. “We’ve been working very hard all year round to increase our outreach efforts and make Fringe the most accessible, affordable and welcoming performing arts event in the region.” “The response and the engagement has been extraordinary on every level, from our volunteers to ticket buyers to our sponsors and the press,” she said. “And, honestly, adding this many more people to Fringe’s world makes it that much more fun.” Minnesota Fringe, celebrating its 16th year in 2009, runs through Sun., Aug. 9 at 22 different venues in Minneapolis and St. Paul. More information at fringefestival.org. Note: This was updated at 3:35 p.m. Thursday, July 30
Projectile Thinking presented by Stages Theatre Company with Jon Ferguson (first performance)
Parry Hotter and the Half-Drunk Twins presented by Empty S Productions (first performance)
Two Short Operas: Mr. Berman’s Bath-Size Bar and There’s a Mastodon In My Backyard presented by the Dead Composers Society (first performance)
Friday, July 31
Parry Hotter and the Half-Drunk Twins presented by Empty S Productions
Saturday, August 1
2 Sugars, Room for Cream presented by Shanan Wexler & Carolyn Pool Productions
June of Arc presented by Sandbox Theatre (first performance)
Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter presented by Paul von Stoetzel (first performance)
Rumspringa the Musical presented by Best Weird Dog (first performance)
Joanie Luvs Chachi and So Do I (Redux) presented by M. Ziegler Ensemble
Squawk presented by Walking Shadow Theatre Company (first performance)
Sunday, August 2
Jurassic Dork presented by Jonas Goslow
Allieteral Selection: The True Tale of a Wayward Wallaby presented by Jane McGough
Re:Trace presented by Ready at Will (Raw) Dance Collective
Parry Hotter and the Half-Drunk Twins presented by Empty S Productions
Two Short Operas: Mr. Berman’s Bath-Size Bar and There’s a Mastodon In My Backyard
Two Short Operas: Mr. Berman’s Bath-Size Bar and There’s a Mastodon In My Backyard presented by the Dead Composers Society
Animal Cracker Genocide presented by Ben San Del (first performance)
The Flickering Wall presented by Illusion Theater
Your Lithopedion presented by Opium, Fireworks and Lead (first performancThursday, July 30
Projectile Thinking presented by Stages Theatre Company with Jon Ferguson (first performance)
Parry Hotter and the Half-Drunk Twins presented by Empty S Productions (first performance)
Two Short Operas: Mr. Berman’s Bath-Size Bar and There’s a Mastodon In My Backyard presented by the Dead Composers Society (first performance)
Friday, July 31
Parry Hotter and the Half-Drunk Twins presented by Empty S Productions
Saturday, August 1
2 Sugars, Room for Cream presented by Shanan Wexler & Carolyn Pool Productions
June of Arc presented by Sandbox Theatre (first performance)
Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter presented by Paul von Stoetzel (first performance)
Rumspringa the Musical presented by Best Weird Dog (first performance)
Joanie Luvs Chachi and So Do I (Redux) presented by M. Ziegler Ensemble
Squawk presented by Walking Shadow Theatre Company (first performance)
Sunday, August 2
Jurassic Dork presented by
Allieteral Selection: The True Tale of a Wayward Wallaby presented by Jane McGough
Re:Trace presented by Ready at Will (Raw) Dance Collective
Parry Hotter and the Half-Drunk Twins presented by Empty S Productions
Two Short Operas: Mr. Berman’s Bath-Size Bar and There’s a Mastodon In My Backyard
Two Short Operas: Mr. Berman’s Bath-Size Bar and There’s a Mastodon In My Backyard presented by the Dead Composers Society
Animal Cracker Genocide presented by Ben San Del (first performance)
The Flickering Wall presented by Illusion Theater
Your Lithopedion presented by Opium, Fireworks and Lead (first performance)
A record nine ten shows—nine! ten!—sold out their first performances this weekend. And a grand total of 18 19 shows were sold out. Congratulations, everyone!
Thursday, July 30
Friday, July 31
Saturday, August 1
Sunday, August 2
UPDATED!!! We accidentally left one out: “Sarah, You Ovaries Are Drying Up: The Musical” presented by Crankador Productions sold out their Saturday slot. |
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