See any and EVERY SHOW at the 20th anniversary New York International Fringe Festival for FREE.
Win a “Fringe VIP” Pass, a $500 value — but priceless.
The Fringe Festival, the largest multi-arts festival in North America, which this years runs from August 12 to August 28th, presents nearly 200 shows each year by some of the world’s best emerging theater troupes and dance companies. In the 20 years since it began, the Fringe begat one hit Broadway musical, “Urinetown,” and many Off-Broadway transfers. Fringe alumni include now-famous actors Bradley Cooper, Mindy Kaling, and Michael Urie, and directors Diane Paulus (Hair, Pippin), Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Rocky), and Leigh Silverman (Violet.)
Go to the 2016 FringeNYC website to see the selection this year. (and see a photo essay of some of this year’s offerings below)
We’re giving away a pass.
To enter the contest, answer the question:
What was your most memorable Fringe experience?
Please elaborate
- Please put your answer in the comments at the bottom of this blog post (below the photo essay) because the winner will be chosen through Random.org based on the order of your reply, not its content.
But you must answer the question, complete with description and explanation, or your entry will not be approved for submission.
Update: Be Specific.. Gushing about the festival in general is not answering the question.
(Those who have had no Fringe experience, you can answer an alternate question: What NY Fringe show would you most like to have seen/would most like to see and why?)
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- Please include your Twitter name and follow my Twitter feed at @NewYorkTheater so that I can send you a direct message. (If you don’t have a Twitter name, create one. It’s free.)
- This contest ends Friday, August 12, 2016 at midnight Eastern Time, and I will make the drawing no later than noon the next day. You must respond to my direct message on Twitter within 24 hours or I will choose another winner.
Obviously, you have to be in New York between August 12th and August 28th in order to see the shows.
Please remember to include your Twitter name.
Click on any photograph to see it enlarged
What was your most memorable Fringe experience? I think my first Fringe experience was the most memorable. Summertime in NYC can be pretty brutal, but somehow a number of small venues had been created somewhere in the Village and I found myself on a folding chair surrounded by black curtains. There couldn’t have been more than 20 people in the audience but energy was electric as the actors entered to perform. It was unlike any theater experience I have ever had. I don’t even remember what the show was, just the deep feelings of the entire night. I had completely left the city behind for 90 min without a million-dollar set design or “Stars” onstage. It was pure theater “magic.” @cineinthecity
I’ll be in NY for the NY Fringe but so far I’ve only ever been to the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Does that count? Anyhow, seems to me there’s a certain kind of haphazard humor that only works well in fringe shows. Of course some fringe shows are just moronic-ironic or too clever by half. Others, though, are really funny. My best experience at fringe was seeing a parody lambasting the positive thinking movement. Which – because we’re all like Minnesota Nice here – for real but also not for real – can still be very funny. Anyway it featured a terrific actress, Sharon Custer, as like the only remaining sadsack in a world gone cheerful. The other actors did stuff like walk around in their underwear. Or cartwheels- one did cartwheels and the splits. You probably know that Al Franken is a MINNESOTAN. Al used to do that Stuart Smiley bit. That had a similar angle to this show. Both were real funny.
I would LOVE to see many fringe festival events. One that stands out is “Cabtivist” because I know the author and have seen the work as it has been created. There are so many great and creative performances! hoping to win a pass.
Bukowsical! in 2007, and specifically, the satirical song, “That’s Los Angeles,” which brought down the the house. Mockingly, a tribute to California, it was truly a love song to New York, “Maybe you’ve got Sardi’s and Tavern on the Green, and maybe you’ve got restaurants that don’t close at 10:15, and maybe you’ve got Sondheim, but we’ve got Charlie Sheen; and baby that’s Los Angeles to me.” @MichaelNorwick
Seeing my ex Joe Norton’s play The Truing two years ago. I was one of four who auditioned for one of his first shows Coffee Box, didn’t get cast for the three character show. I was told I was so talented it would have throw off the balance of the cast…and here we were 25 years later at The Fringe. Thanks Fringe! @acwpatrickwhite
I am a huge fan of PigPen Theatre Company and am just in love with everything they do. I’ve seen the Nightmare Story and two incarnations of The Old Man and The Old Moon. Both were beyond magical experiences and some of my favorite evening at the theatre. Their play The Mountain Song was a big hit at the Fringe Festival a few years ago, but I didn’t know who PigPen was at the time. I so wish I could go back in time to see that show!
@TastyMeditation
My most memorable Fringe experience is back in 2003. August 14, 2003, to be exact. The night lights went out in NYC and my show, BOX, that I was producing at the Fringe Festival that year had its most important sold out performance that never came to be. From potential future producers to the critics that were booked to see BOX that evening. The show was ready. The cast was ready. I was ready to show them the most incredible play. But instead, the electricity went out. The show was canceled and we drank wine with fellow theatre companies and wallowed in our misery. But not for too long. After the second bottle of wine, we did find the entire experience truly remarkable and unforgettable! @sseely777
My most memorable experience was Far From Canterbury last year. I wasn’t expecting much but it was the one show that jumped out at me from the descriptions and I ended up loving it. The songs were good and the way the story unfolded it reminded me to give things a chance and stay with a story though it might seem offputting at first. I went to their encore show because I enjoyed the show so much and I think the positive experience helped inspire me to check out NYMF this year.
Twitter name: @VintageSnarker
Most memorable was probably the contemporary opera “Lost” in 2003. The run was totally sold out, but I was lucky enough to get a standby ticket in that small theater. I think it was the second performance. The music, performances, costumes and sets were all at a level closer to Broadway than Fringe!
twitter: @followjonathanm
Fringe NYC is such a vital part of the theatre community here in New York. As a working actor, I’ve had many friends cast in Fringe shows and frequently enjoying hearing plenty of stories about their experiences. However, I’ve never actually been to a Fringe show! With it was schedule or being broke at the time, I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing the Fringe. This year, I think that I’m most excited about ‘Peregrinus’, partially due to its beautiful costume design. While out and about in the city, I stumbled upon the cast presenting a piece from the show to a very interested audience of passerby. Always on a schedule, I couldn’t stay long but I knew I wanted to see more!
Twitter: SETurlington