ARTS: Rochester Fringe announces Fringe 101 sessions, Artist Mash-Up 

The Rochester Fringe Festival today announced the schedule for its Fringe 101 information sessions, which give local performers interested in participating in the annual arts festival an opportunity to learn more about the process. The hour-long sessions, led by Fringe Producer Erica Fee, begin this weekend on Saturday, March 15, and continue on Saturday, March 22, and Wednesday, March 26. The sessions will take place at Writers & Books (740 University Ave.) and are free to the public, but attendees must RSVP by email; see press release below for additional details.

The festival also announced a new event, Artist Mash-Up, which will take place on Sunday, March 30, at Blackfriars Theatre (795 E. Main St.). This is an opportunity for artists or arts groups interested in collaborating on Fringe shows to meet with John Haldoupis, artistic director of Blackfriars Theatre, who will speak about the kinds of collaborative works that are of interest to Fringe venues. This session is also free, but RSVPs are required. (See below for more information.)

The submission period for 2014 Fringe Festival shows is currently open, and will close on April 16. To submit your show, go to rochesterfringe.com.

The full press release appears below:

2014 FRINGE 101 INFO SESSIONS START THIS WEEKEND

April 16 is submission deadline; April 5 is BYOV deadline

Blackfriars to host special Artist Mash-Up on March 30

Rochester, NY - Thinking about submitting your show to the 2014 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival(Thursday, September 18 - Saturday, September 27), but still have questions - even after reading through all the information at rochesterfringe.com? Then the upcoming 2014 Fringe 101 information sessions are for you!

The hour-long sessions with Fringe Producer Erica Fee are free, but attendees need to RSVP by emailing [email protected]. They will all take place at Writers & Books (740 University Avenue) this and next Saturday, March 15 and 22from 11 a.m. to noon; and on Wednesday, March 26from 7 to 8 p.m.

In addition, Blackfriars Theatre will host a special Artist Mash-Up on Sunday, March 30 from 7-8 p.m. for artists and arts groups who may be interested in collaborating on Fringe shows, and Blackfriars Artistic Director John Haldoupis will speak about the kinds of collaborations in which venues may be interested. Attendees should RSVP to this free get-together by emailing [email protected].

The submission process for this year's Fringe opened on February 19 and will run through Wednesday, April 16 at midnight. Once again, submissions will be accepted ONLY atrochesterfringe.com, but will go directly to all venues chosen by applicants. Because venues may begin making offers to shows immediately, there's an advantage to applying sooner rather than later.

Submissions will be accepted by:Bernunzio Uptown Music, Blackfriars Theatre, Eastman School of Music'sKilbourn Hall,Eastman School of Music'sSproull Atrium (next to Max of Eastman Place),George Eastman House (Curtis and Dryden Theatres), Geva Theatre Center Nextstage, Java's, The Little and Gallery r (RIT-affiliated shows only), MuCCC, RAPA, The TheatreROCS Stage at Xerox Auditorium, and Writers & Books.

There is no fee to apply, and the $100 (one performance) or $150 (multiple performances) registration fee is due only after the contract with a venue is finalized. That fee goes toward the show's inclusion in the program guide and website, a centralized box office and more.

The "bring your own venue" (BYOV) option is available again this year for unique, site-specific work; proposals must be sent to [email protected] by April 5.

"Non-traditional venues have been some of the highlights of fringe festivals worldwide," explains Fee. "Shows have taken place in empty swimming pools, elevators, taxi cabs and phone booths. We'd love to see some of that creativity here in Rochester!"

Background:

Last year's First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival ran September 19 - 28, growing from five to ten days in its sophomore year and drawing more than 50,000 attendees to downtown Rochester. A highlight was the return of world-renowned aerial troupe, BANDALOOP, dancing on the side of the 21-story HSBC Plaza, as well as the North American fringe festival debut of the Magic Crystal Spiegeltent, which sold out every performance of its world-premiere Cirque du Fringe. Other headliners were humorist Dave Barry and comedian Marc Maron at Kodak Hall, and there were more than 240 ticketed performances in 25 other downtown venues. Approximately 120 free performances included those at Manhattan Square Park, One Fringe Place and Gibbs Street.

Rochester Fringe Festival is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation that exists as a means to connect venues, performers, artists, educational institutions and the audience. It was pioneered by several of Rochester's esteemed cultural institutions, including Geva Theatre Center, the George Eastman House and Garth Fagan Dance, as well as up-and-coming groups like PUSH Physical Theatre and Method Machine. The Board of Directors also includes representatives from the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Boylan Code LLC, Center for Youth, the Eastman School of Music and Mengel, Metzger and Barr & Co. LLP.

2013 sponsors included : First Niagara, University of Rochester, RIT, The Elaine P. and Richard U. Wilson Foundation, Boylan Code, The Rochester Area Community Foundation, The Farash Foundation, The City of Rochester, The Louis S. and Molly B. Wolk Foundation, SUNY Geneseo, East Avenue Inn & Suites, Wegmans, The DiMarco Group, Ames Amzalak Memorial Trust the Waldron Rise Foundation, The Mary Mulligan Trust, 10NBC, City Newspaper, Broccolo Lawn & Tree Care, McCarthy Tents & Events, City Blue, The Democrat & Chronicle Media Group, The College at Brockport, Monroe Community College, Nazareth College, Midtown Athletic Club, Jennifer Jones Jewelry, Benderson Development, IEC Electronics, Monroe County, Nocon & Associates, Rural Metro, Hamilton AV, Dawn & Jacques Lipson, the Rubens Family Foundation, the Kozel Family Foundation, Kids Out & About, Foodlink, Benderson, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust, Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation, City Blue, mü created by LiDestri Spirits, House of Guitars, WXXI, Genesee Beer, Dundee, Newcastle, Heineken, and other philanthropic gifts.

About First Niagara: Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, First Niagara Bank, N.A. is a multi-state, community-oriented bank with nearly 430 branches, approximately $35 billion in assets, $28 billion in deposits, and approximately 6,000 employees providing financial services to individuals, families and businesses across Upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.firstniagara.com.