World looks to Fringe Festival
Among the guests at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival are dozens of fans with a special interest in seeing how the annual event happens.
As host of the biennial World Fringe Congress, the Orlando festival is hosting more than 70 representatives from as far away as Sweden, Japan and Fiji as they take in plays, attend workshops and see what Orlando has to offer.
“We come together as a community,” said Alauna Friskics, executive director of Orlando Fringe. “We share best practices and stories.”
The goal of the World Fringe Congress is to strengthen Fringe Festivals everywhere, she said, and with its track record of success Orlando’s organization is particularly qualified to help. The Orlando Fringe, which was established in 1992, is the oldest continuously running Fringe in the U.S. and annually attracts upward of 50,000 visitors to Loch Haven Park in the latter half of May.
“It solidifies us as a
Fringe that’s been around long enough to build a solid foundation,” Friskics said. “So younger Fringes can look to us to mentor them, and we’re very honored to do that.”
Mentoring goes both ways.
“We look to larger Fringes to help us grow,” Friskics said.
The fringe-festival movement began in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1947. The “Fringe” refers to short, independently produced theater, music, dance, comedy and other productions, often performed in nontraditional spaces.
For years Orlando’s Fringe took place in abandoned storefronts around downtown. These days most shows take place at venues such as Orlando Shakes, Orlando Repertory Theatre and the Renaissance Theatre around Loch Haven Park.
There is a lot the organizations can learn from each other.
“The North American definition of what Fringe is, is very different than the European or Australian definition,” Friskics said.
Among the differences: Outside of North America
Fringe Festivals generally don’t manage their own theaters. Also, overseas festivals curate which shows are presented; in North America an unjuried lottery system is more prevalent. Any show randomly selected can be part of the festival.
Orlando Fringe officials have gleaned ideas from attending previous World Congresses, Friskics said. The 2020 congress was in Adelaide, Australia, while leaders met in Edinburgh in 2018.
Seeing how other festivals made their outdoor spaces more inviting led directly to changes in Orlando, Friskics said: better signage, new chairs for the park lawn and private cabanas that are available to rent.
“We came back and created an entire environmental strategy,” she said.
While in town the visiting Fringe officials have attended panel discussions on topics such as the best way to move forward after the COVID-19 pandemic and how to create stronger Fringe circuits to keep touring artists more steadily employed. They heard from speakers including Robert Hertenstein, senior director of entertainment production for Norwegian Cruise Lines, which has hired Fringe performers.
About 70 Fringe leaders who couldn’t travel to Orlando in person were able to participate online, including officials from the Czech Republic and United Arab Emirates, the first Arab country home to a Fringe Festival.
While online communication became increasingly important during the pandemic, Friskics said, nothing beats the power of face-to-face contact. Ideas can spring up while watching shows together or even during a recreational outing to Universal Orlando.
“We share a lot, and I feel so connected to these people,” Friskics said. “There are a lot of positives that come out of this communication.”