The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), the largest multi-arts festival in North America, will present the 19th Annual Festival from August 14 - 30, 2015. This year the festival will present programming by 185 of the world's best emerging theatre troupes and dance companies in 16 venues in downtown Manhattan. With attendance topping 75,000 people, FringeNYC is New York City's fifth largest event (just behind New York International Auto Show, Tribeca Film Festival, New York City Marathon, and New York Comic Con). Tickets go on sale today -- Friday, July 17, 2015.
The Festival also announces its newest program: FringeFAVES. On August 30th, the final performance slot in each of the 16 theaters hosting the festival will be given to the best-selling show in that venue. The actual shows will not be announced until the final week of the festival, but the slots are currently on sale (at
www.fringenyc.org/special-events/fringefaves). Patrons can buy tickets now and be surprised or wait and find out if their favorite show grabs one of the coveted slots.
FringeNYC is a production of The
Present Company, under the leadership of
Producing Artistic Director Elena K. Holy. In 1997, New York City became the seventh US city to host a fringe festival, joining Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Houston, Orlando and San Francisco. FringeNYC has presented over 3000 performing groups representing every continent, prompting Switzerland's national daily, The New Zurich Zeitung, to declare FringeNYC as "the premiere meeting ground for alternative artists."
FringeNYC has also been the launching pad for numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway transfers, long-running downtown hits, and regional theater productions including Urinetown, Matt & Ben, Never Swim Alone, Jammer, Debbie Does Dallas, Dog Sees God, Brandon Teena, Dixie's Tupperware Party, 21 Dog Years, Bash'd, The Irish Curse, Jurassic Parq, The Fartiste, Silence! The Musical and 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche; movies including WTC View and Armless; and even a TV show ('da Kink in My Hair). FringeNYC alumni include
Bradley Cooper,
Melissa Rauch (Big Bang Theory),
Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me, CNN's Inside Man),
Mindy Kaling, Tony Award winner
Diane Paulus (Pippin),
Alex Timbers (Rocky),
Leigh Silverman (Violet), W. Kamau Bell (Totally Biased),
Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story),
Chris Lowell (Enlisted),
David Anders (iZombie) and
Kristen Schall (Last Man on Earth), among countless other success stories.
FringeNYC shows run 2pm - midnight weekdays and noon - midnight on weekends. Tickets are $18 each available at
www.FringeNYC.org. Discount passes for multiple shows (including the Fiver and the all-you-can-see Lunatic Pass) are also available. Tickets can also be purchased in person at FringeCentral (56 E 1st Street between 1st & 2nd Aves) beginning August 7. For more information visit
www.FringeNYC.org.
