Know Theatre Announces the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival

Know Theatre of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Fringe Festival are proud to announce The 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. The 8th annual festival is scheduled to kick?off May 31 with CityBeat's official Fringe Kick?off Party. The festival will continue through June 11 with 32 productions and a new high school centered program called FringeNext. 

Festivities begin with the official CityBeat Fringe Kick?Off Party on May 31 at 6pm. Guests will enjoy musical entertainment, the launch of the 2010 Channel Fringe Hard?Hitting Action News Update, food, and more.

Mayberry, Skirtz & Johnston, Washington Platform and Venice on Vine will provide food and there will also be Christian Moerlein drink specials all night long. It's a great way to meet the Fringe artists, staff, volunteers, and other audience members! A suggested donation of $5 will get you into the event.

This year the Cincinnati Fringe Festival received applications from all over the country. 58% of all applications were from out?of?town. Of accepted applications it's an even 50/50 ratio between both local and out?of?town groups, and also new vs. returning groups. Breakdown of performances is 13 plays, nine solo shows, two musicals/operas, five dance pieces, two circus/variety, and one walking tour.

Eric Vosmeier, Producing Artistic Director says, "This year's lineup is unique?even as far as Fringe productions go: a number of shows with puppets, several circus/clowning shows, and three separate pieces that are all tied together by a visual art exhibit.  I'm also thrilled to have Cincinnati Shakespeare and New Edgecliff Theatre retuning to the Festival this year for the first time since year one."

We are also excited to begin a new program as part of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival called FringeNext. FringeNext will take place during the first week of the Festival, June 1?5 and will consist of three Fringe productions created by and performed by high school students. FringeNext performances will take place in their own venue concurrent with the rest of the festival. Students participating in this program will attend workshops led by Fringe artists in April to learn about all the aspects of producing a show in the festival. Students will also be required to volunteer for other areas of the festival when they are not working on their show. FringeNext is aimed at fostering high school performers and providing a training ground for aspiring theatre professionals by creating a festival featuring exclusively high school student projects.

The full 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival Line?up, including three new projects from FringeNext, can be viewed at cincyfringe.com.

All individual tickets to Fringe Festival shows will continue to be $12 this season thanks to a generous partnership with the Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation. Full Frontal Fringe passes are currently on for $200. Full Frontal passes gets you for all access to every event in the festival. Flexible Voyeur six? show passes are on sale for $60 or the price of five tickets. For more information or to purchase passes, check out www.cincyfringe.com or call 513.300.KNOW (5669). During the festival, tickets to all performances can be purchased at the headquarters box office at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson Street, or at individual venues thirty minutes prior to show times. Pre?sale single tickets will go on sale mid?May.

After the shows each day, artists, audience members, staff, and volunteers all gather together at the Know Theatre Underground and headquarters for the Fringe Bar Series featuring the Channel Fringe Hard Hitting Action News Update. Each evening features different activities such as the Fringe Olympics, Fringe?e?Oke, Fringe Prom, and Night Without Technology. Food will be provided on select nights during the bar series. The second year of the 24?Hour Play Project will be held, details coming soon. Please check cincyfringe.com for bar series schedule as updates will continue to be added as the festival draws closer.

The 2011 Performance Fringe Selection Committee consists of D. Lynn Meyers, Michael Haney, Michael Burnham, Nick Rose, Eric Vosmeier, and Heather Britt. The FringeNext Selection Committee consisted of Betsy Shank, Julie York Coppens, John Williamson, and Harper Lee.

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