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Philadelphia
Fringe Festival Facts 2000
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Where
& When it is
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The
Philadelphia Fringe Festival will take place September
1-16, 2000 in Old City Philadelphia. |
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Mission
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The
Philadelphia Fringe makes the avant-garde accessible, providing
a friendly and affordable context in which artists and audiences
can explore new work that takes big creative risks. |
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What
it is
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Fringe
work blurs the boundaries between and within traditional disciplines.
By bringing performances to unconventional venues, the Fringe
challenges the assumption that art is best experienced in the
confines of a theater, gallery or concert hall. The Philadelphia
Fringe, in particular, encourages the intermingling of impulses
from the lively and the visual arts. |
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Inspiration
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The
first Fringe was a do-it-yourself project. Begun in 1947 as
a Salon des Réfusés by a small number of artists who, excluded
from the illustrious Edinburgh International Festival, staged
performances of their own on the fringes of the main event,
the Edinburgh Fringe Festival grew in popularity to become the
largest performance festival in the world. |
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Our
History
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Fringe
fever hit Philadelphia in 1997, when the inaugural Philadelphia
Fringe Festival presented nearly 100 Artists in 37 Old City
venues over five days, drawing an estimated 17,000 people to
some 180 performances. The Philadelphia Fringe Festival incorporated
as a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that December. In its second
year, the Fringe more than doubled in size and added a new component,
the Visual Fringe. Presenting approximately 160 artists in more
than 500 performances at over 50 venues and sites, the 1999
Fringe attracted an audience of 27,000. This year the festival
has grown to sixteen days and accommodates a new experimental
film program. |
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Artists
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An
artist-centered organization, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival
strives to provide opportunities for creative exchanges. The
Festival is a point of convergence for international, national
and locally based artists with a vast range of professional
experience and a diversity of thought. In the past, performers
have included Griftheater from the Netherlands, Producciones
Imperdibles from Spain, Doug Elkins and Danny Hoch
from New York and One Yellow Rabbit and Da Da Kamera
from Canada. This year's lineup is just as diverse and exciting
with work from Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo, France's
Soliel Noir and the wacky British humor of Ridiculusmus. |
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Audience
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The Philadelphia
Fringe Festival attracts a broad range of audiences who are
interested in the new directions taken by artists on the creative
forefront. The audience has grown steadily over the past three
years. We are addressing this enthusiasm with new programs
and longer runs to ensure our audience continues to grow and
diversify.
1998:
Attendance 25,000 / # Artists 150+ / # of perfs. 500+
1999: Attendance 27,000 / # Artists 150+ / # of perfs.
500+
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Festival
Guide
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The Philadelphia
City Paper is the official print media sponsor of the 2000
Fringe Festival. The Festival Guide will be inserted in the
City Paper, mailed to targeted households and distributed
at key locations around the city. A version of the guide will
also appear in the Philadelphia Inquirer and on our website,
www.pafringe.com.
Total Guide circulation: 130,000.
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Partners
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Connected
to the Old City community, the Fringe Festival has formed successful
partnerships with neighborhood businesses and arts organizations,
working closely with the Old City Civic Association, Old City
Arts Association, Painted Bride Art Center and Arden Theatre
Company. The Philadelphia Fringe has earned the endorsement
and support of the corporate and private sectors, including
such organizations as FOX Philadelphia, Guinness Import Company,
Philly.com and R. J. Reynolds. The Festival has received funding
support from The William Penn Foundation, Independence Foundation,
Samuel S. Fels Fund, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The Dolfinger-McMahon
Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts' Dance Advance initiative,
among others. |
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Awards
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1999
Theatre Organization of the Year, 1997 and 1998 City Paper Readers'
Choice Award, Best Arts Festival; 1998 Arts & Business Council
Business-Arts Partnership Award |
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