About
Welcome to the Fringe
Twenty-two venues. More than 180 performances. Over 32,000 attendees. And that was just in our first year. The 2013 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival will be even more of a feast for the eyes, ears, heart and soul. We’ve expanded from five days to ten and will add up to even more shows, featuring world-renowned performers as well as up-and-comers. All in the heart of Rochester’s East End. Let’s put on a show!
The First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival
The Rochester Fringe Festival is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that connects venues, performers, artists, educational institutions and the audience. We give artists and performers the freedom to stage their own work and venues to decide their own programming. The Fringe was pioneered by several of Rochester’s premier 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. Our Board of Directors includes representatives from the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation, University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music, RIT, Center for Youth, Boylan Code LLC, and Mengel Metzger Barr. Additionally, numerous colleges, government representatives, museums, galleries and philanthropic organizations have joined in enthusiastic support of Rochester’s first fringe festival.
History
In 1947, eight theatre groups turned up – uninvited – to perform at the newly established Edinburgh International Festival. The groups performed at venues they arranged themselves. The following year, Scottish journalist Robert Kemp coined the term “fringe festival” to describe these renegade performers. Today, there are more than 200 fringe festivals worldwide, with approximately 20 existing within the United States. Each fringe festival is a creative and economic engine for its host communities. For example, last year the Edinburgh Fringe saw 41,689 performances of 2,542 shows in 258 venues lasting the entire month of August. It grosses over $100 million annually for the Scottish economy.
Board of Directors
Justin L. Vigdor (Chairman), Senior Counsel, Boylan Code LLP
Dr. Sylvie Beaudette, Director of Women in Music Festival and Assistant Professor, Eastman School of Music
Dr. Paul Burgett, Vice President, University of Rochester
Mike Calabrese, Owner, Good Luck and Java’s
Nina Caruso, Manager of Special Projects, George Eastman House
Mark A. Costello, Partner, Boylan Code LLP
Mark Cuddy, Artistic Director, Geva Theatre Center
Erica Fee, Festival Producer
David Henderson, Artistic Director, Method Machine
Dr. Grant Holcomb, Director, Memorial Art Gallery
Ruby Lockhart, Executive Director, Garth Fagan Dance and Chair, Dance USA
Dr. Elaine Spaull, Executive Director, The Center for Youth
Burton Speer, Principal, Mengel Metzger Barr
Deborah Stendardi, Vice President, Rochester Institute of Technology
Darren Stevenson, Founder and Artistic Director, PUSH Physical Theatre
Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, President, Rochester Downtown Development Corporation