It is that time of year! The 19th Annual International Fringe Festival happening May 20-31, 2010. Be sure to pick up your copy of the Fringe Festival Program Guide and you will see our advertisement inside the front cover. We hope to see you there.

Here is a preview of our ad

What is The Fringe?
A 12-day-festival that is founded on the concept of offering 100% unjuried, 100% uncensored, 100% accessible theatre, music, dance, art and madness to all types and ages where 100% of the box office ticket sales go directly back to the artists within The Fringe. The Orlando Fringe is the longest running US Fringe festival.

What is The Fringe Mission?
The mission of the Orlando Fringe is to provide an accessible, affordable outlet that draws diverse elements of the community together and inspires creative excellence through the arts.

What is the history of the Fringe?
The history of Fringe Festivals began in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1947. There, a number of performing artists who were not official participants of the Edinburgh International Festival (whose participants are invited by its General Director) decided to produce their own work in empty stores and church basements. Thus, their work was staged literally "on the fringe" of the established festival. The concept was an immediate success and the Fringe soon became as - if not more - popular as the "official" Edinburgh Festival.

Following the example of the Edinburgh Fringe, other Fringe Festivals sprang up in Europe, North America, Australia and Asia in the following decades, many of which follow the true Fringe philosophy - to provide artists with the opportunity to show their work in an uncensored and unjuried environment and to give 100% of ticket sales back to them - to this day. Today, there are more Fringe Festivals in Canada than in any other country.

The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival was created in 1992 by Terry Olson (now Director of the Orange County Divison of Arts and Cultural Affairs). At first, the festival was held in downtown Orlando, with most venues being created in empty storefronts specifically for the festival. This continued until 2004, when the festival was split between downtown Orlando and Loch Haven Park (where Orlando's two biggest theatre complexes, The Orlando REP and The Orlando Shakespeare Theater, are located). The move to Loch Haven proved a success and so, from 2005 on, the festival has been entirely in Loch Haven Park, utilizing The Orlando Shakespeare Theater a venue.

The Orlando Fringe is now the longest running US Fringe and is part of the CAFF (Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals) circuit, which allows Fringe artists to tour many different Fringe Festivals throughout North America and which requires all of its festivals to follow the original Fringe philosophy (100% unjuried, 100% uncensored, 100% accessible for artists and audiences alike, 100% of ticket sales given back to the artists).