San Francisco Fringe Festival Accepting Applications Starting on 12/1

The San Francisco Fringe Festival, the second oldest such festival in the U.S., begins accepting applications on December 1, 2008 for its 18th season, scheduled for September 9-20, 2009 in various downtown venues. Deadline for receipt of applications is midnight, January 23, 2009. Produced by the EXIT Theatre, the San Francisco Fringe Festival is 100% uncensored, 100% unjuried, and 100% of the box office earnings go directly to the artists involved!

The San Francisco Fringe Festival is a twelve-day theater and performance festival. "It is open to absolutely anybody to perform absolutely anything," according to SF Fringe producer Christina Augello.

Successful applicants will be drawn by lot and announced at the Fringe Lottery Party at 7:00 pm January 31, 2009 at EXIT Theatre, 156 Eddy Street in San Francisco.

Standard Fringe Venue Deadline
Deadline for applications for performances at Standard Fringe Venues is midnight, January 23, 2009. Chosen Standard Venue applicants are assigned to one of the downtown Fringe Venues and their shows are scheduled for an allotted number of 60-minute performance slots in an equipped, staffed theatre. Local companies receive four performance slots, and non-local companies (including international companies) receive six performance slots.

There are 30 Standard Venue performance slots, which are assigned by lottery and divided among five international applicants, ten national applicants, and 15 from the Bay Area. Applications are available at www.theexit.org - click on "Fringe Applications" in the upper left.

Non-Traditional Fringe Venue Deadline
Non-Traditional Fringe Venues present an opportunity for shows that do not fit into the Standard Fringe Venue format. They are not part of the Fringe Lottery System and have a later, separate deadline; their performance spaces are arranged for by the artists themselves.

Deadline for applications for Non-Traditional Fringe Venues is midnight, April 30, 2009. Non-Traditional venues in the past have included local parks and bars, hotel rooms, moving buses, the planetarium and tulip garden in Golden Gate Park, and a bench on Market Street. "Non-Traditional venues are meant to foster new and innovative ways of presenting theatre," says SF Fringe Festival producer Christina Augello.

In 2008, the SF Fringe featured 17 shows in non-traditional venues.

The Way the Fringe Works - and Why
The Fringe presents live theatre in an informal, accessible and inexpensive environment. It strives to break down traditional boundaries between audience and artist, encouraging open dialogue between theatre-goers and theatre-creators. Audiences are invited to experience the work of seasoned veterans alongside that of emerging artists. Local, national, and international performing companies benefit from working together and learning from each other in a vibrant and exciting festival atmosphere.

In order to stimulate artistic innovation, applications for participation in the Fringe Festival are accepted through a non-juried lottery. Traditional boundaries are broKen Down in terms of economics, as well, as 100% of the box office goes to the performers.

The 2009 San Francisco Fringe Festival will bring over 250 performances of 30-40 new shows to numerous Downtown San Francisco venues over its 12-day run. The Fringe Festival features fresh, exciting theatre of all kinds for open-minded audiences of all persuasions. The S.F. Fringe brings international performers from all over the world, from cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Orlando, as well as from the Bay Area.

Where to Fringe and How to Get There
San Francisco Fringe Festival. The 2009 San Francisco Fringe Festival will run for 12 days, September 9 through 20, with 30-40 shows in numerous downtown San Francisco venues, most within walking distance of Union Square and the Powell Street BART station. Fringe venues include EXIT Theatre & EXIT Stage Left (156 Eddy) and EXIT on Taylor (277 Taylor). Other venues will be posted as they are scheduled.

For Fringe Info & Tickets
The complete listing of Standard Venue Shows, as well as ticket info, will be posted in early February at www.sffringe.org. Tickets are $10 (or less) per show, or $12 (or less) online. Five-show and ten-show passes will once again be available.

EXIT Theatre, this year celebrating its 26th Anniversary, has developed a reputation for the production of theatre festivals. In addition to producing the San Francisco Fringe each September for 18 years, EXIT produces DIVAfest, a festival of works by women writers and performers, and co-produces the New York FRIGID Fest, a fringe-related theatre festival in the East Village. DIVAfest, now in its 8th year, will run April 12 -25, 2009 at the EXIT. The third annual New York FRIGID Fest runs February 25 - March 8, 2009 and is co-produced with New York's Horse Trade Theater.

SF Fringe Festival - EXIT Theatre - 156 Eddy Street - San Francisco, CA 94102 415-931-1094 www.sffringe.org