Submissions for the 2014 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival Are Open

From today until Wednesday, April 16 at midnight, artists from all over the world may submit their productions to venues for the 2014 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival (Thursday, September 18 - Saturday, September 27). Submissions will be accepted ONLY at rochesterfringe.com on a rolling basis - in other words, venues can start negotiating to book shows immediately.

Submissions will be accepted by the following venues: Bernunzio Uptown Music, Blackfriars Theatre, Eastman School of Music's Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music's Sproull Atrium (next to Max of Eastman Place),Gallery r (RIT-affiliated shows only), George Eastman House (Curtis and Dryden Theatres), Geva Theatre Center Nextstage, Java's, The Little (RIT-affiliated shows only), MuCCC, RAPA, The TheatreROCS Stage at Xerox Auditorium, and Writers & Books. The "bring your own venue" option is available again this year for unique, site-specific work; proposals must be sent to byov@rochesterfringe.com by April 5.

As in past years, several other venues will curate their own programming, and Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre is a venue for headline shows presented by the Fringe.

There is no fee to apply, and the $100 (one performance) or $150 (multiple performances) registration fee is due onlyafter 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.

"We are thrilled to present the 2014 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival," says Suzanne Nasipak Chapman, First Niagara Rochester Market Executive. "This year's festival promises to be the biggest and best yet, attracting performances from around the world. And we will continue to establish Rochester as a destination for quality cultural events."

And, something that is sure to excite Fringe audiences: Fringe 2014 will bring back last year's incredibly popular Spiegeltent venue to once again anchor the festivities at One Fringe Place (corner of Gibbs and East Main Streets).

"I don't think we had much of a choice, actually," laughs Producer Erica Fee. "People raved about it and pretty much demanded that we have it here again."

The 2013 Fringe's world-premiere Cirque du Fringe in the lavish, Belgian Magic Crystal Spiegeltent sold out its entire run of 13 performances and all three Silent Disco shows. The Spiegeltent's outdoor beer and wine lounge, the Spiegelgarden, was also a big hit with festival-goers.

Background:

The first-ever First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival ran September 19 - 21, 2012 and drew more than 33,000 people over five days to downtown Rochester. There were more than 180 performances of 120 productions in 22 venues, not including the free outdoor entertainment in Manhattan Square Park and on Gibbs Street. A highlight was world-renowned aerial troupe, BANDALOOP, dancing on the side of the 21-story HSBC Plaza. Other headliners were Harlem Gospel Choir and comedian Patton Oswalt, and there were more than 40 free venue offerings.

The second annual Fringe doubled in length to ten days, from September 19 - 28, and drew more than 50,000 attendees. There were approximately 240 ticketed performances in 25 downtown Rochester venues. Ticket revenues increased by 105%, even with approximately 120 free performances, including those at Manhattan Square Park, One Fringe Place and Gibbs Street. BANDALOOP made a return visit, and Kodak Hall headliners were humorist Dave Barry and comedian Marc Maron. The Magic Crystal Spiegeltent made its North American fringe festival debut and sold out each of its 13 performances of the world-premiere Cirque du Fringe.

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, Barr & Co. LLP, and Java's.

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.