Rochester Fringe Festival extends performance submission deadline to April 5, offers financial aid
The Rochester Fringe Festival, which has ballooned in popularity since its 2012 start, has extended its date for performance submissions to April 5 at noon.
The festival has also announced the Production Launch Fringe Fund, a stipend program for individual artists and companies with financial need who would like to bring their shows to the Fringe in 2023. The festival runs from Sept. 12 through Sept. 23.
“Not every artist has the same financial advantages, but we believe anyone deserves access to a stage to showcase their talent,” said Erica Fee, Rochester Fringe Festival president and CEO in a statement. “There is no Fringe without artists, without imagination, without risk-taking, and without experimentation.
“Applications should demonstrate how the show captures the bold spirit of the Fringe — taking advantage of the Fringe as a unique platform to tell untold stories,” said Fee. “The Production Launch Fringe Fund will prioritize shows that don’t have an existing high profile, as well as artists who face barriers to funding in general.
The Rochester Area Community Foundation is providing support for the program, which will provide $250 to $1000 production funding awards to individual productions registered to perform in the 2023 Fringe. Artists can apply through April 21 at midnight. The application and more information can be found at the launch fund website at backstage.rochesterfringe.com/production-launch-fund.
The festival is also encouraging local residents who have relatives and friends who have left the area for performing arts careers to consider submitting shows for the festival. Many who have left the area enjoy returning to their Rochester-area roots with shows, Fee said.
The Rochester Fringe Festival, an amalgam of drama, music, comedy, and the unusual, is now one of the most popular festivals of its kind in the country.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Fringe Festival extends performance submission deadline to April 5
