Location, location, location.
With its move this season from Pilsen to the Jefferson Park neighborhood, the 2013 Chicago Fringe Festival, which ran Aug. 29-Sept. 8, enjoyed many successes including increased attendance (with 3887 attendees), and more than 25 sold-out performances. In addition, the number of Fringe Festival passes sold at an all-time high. Fringe artists and performers receive 100% of the ticket sales generated by their appearance and, in 2013, a total of more than $28,000 was returned to artists. And now, Vinnie Lacey, the Festival’s artistic director, has announced that it will be returning to Jefferson Park next season, running Aug. 28 -Sept. 7, 2014.
The Chicago Fringe Festival, which is a member of the Fringe Festival movement, and is one of many such festivals held throughout the world, “unites daring theatergoers with emerging and boundary-pushing local, national and international performing artists while seeking to engage nontraditional audiences through a commitment to low ticket prices and outreach into artistically underserved communities.”
In a prepared statement, Lacey said: “The Jefferson Park businesses and residents were just as excited as the artists for this year’s festival in its new location. We saw a great number of people from Jefferson Park, and from around Chicago, attending the Fringe. We also had a record number of 5-show and 10-show Festival Passes sold this year, nearly tripling what we have done in the past. I believe this reflects folks are coming out to see multiple shows and staying to explore the neighborhood. ”
For more information go to ChicagoFringe.org.
