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Overview
For 32 years, we’ve hosted our annual international theatre festival, 2 weeks of live entertainment, unique theatre experiences, visual art displays, kid friendly shows and activities, and a celebration of independent artists. It is the oldest Fringe festival in the US and, with its lottery based selection, offers a variety of experiences you won’t find anywhere else.
The 33rd Annual Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival takes place May 15th- 27th, 2024.
Fringe is…
100% unjuried
Participants in this festival are selected through a lottery. This means a veteran artist has as much of a chance of having their show picked to perform as someone who has never performed in their life!
100% uncensored
We at Fringe have no control over the artistic content of any of the performances at our festival. Artistic freedom is unrestrained, and allows artists to be true to their craft and uphold their artistic integrity.
100% accessible
Festivals must provide opportunity for all audiences and all artists to participate. From maintaining an affordable ticket cost to providing features for the visually and hearing impaired to enjoy performances, accessibility is at the heart of what we do.
100% inclusive
The nature of a festival is to be welcoming and inviting to all. The goal of Orlando Fringe has always been to bring diverse elements of society together and have something for everybody. Truly, anyone can Fringe. And we welcome all with open arms.
and most importantly
100% of ticket sales go to artists
The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival gives all the money earned from ticket sales directly back to the artists. We are providing artists with financial vitality. Because when artists make money, they can keep creating art.
The Lottery
Our festival remains 100% unjuried by using a lottery system. Applicants are entered into a TIER lottery. Tiers are based on the seating capacity of our venues with adherence to the following geographically tiered quotas:
50% of the slots are reserved for local companies (companies within a 2-hour drive of Orlando, Florida.)
25% for national (companies applying from outside Central Florida but within the US)
25% for international (outside the United States).
Applicants will be drawn live in front of an audience on Monday, December 4, 2023 at 6 PM EST.
Amplifying Voices
At Orlando Fringe, we believe in Amplifying Voices.
Our goal is to assure that we are creating and fostering an inclusive, equitable, and collaborative environment, one that promotes participation and openly recruits diverse stories and performances, providing opportunities for underrepresented artists and communities by not only offering a platform for inclusive shows, art, and experiences, but by facilitating and creating opportunities for coaching, mentorship, and scholarships, and by offering any guidance that might help on their artistic journey.
Ultimately, our greatest ambition is that artists and patrons of any background will see themselves represented in the work showcased at the Orlando Fringe Festival as well as all of our year-round events and that we might serve as a model and inspiration to other artists and arts organizations in our own community and around the world.
To better amplify the voices of marginalized communities, we offer Artists an opportunity to enter our Amplified Voices Lottery. This lottery occurs before the general lottery and guarantees 30% of spots to producing Artists that qualify.
To qualify, the project must be PRODUCED and/or CREATED by individuals who are members of a marginalized community*.
Please note: solely having cast members of diverse backgrounds does not qualify you to enter the Amplified Voices Lottery.
If you are entered into the Amplified Voices Lottery and not selected, you will still be entered in the general lottery for your desired Tier.
*Marginalized communities are groups of persons at risk of being subjected to discrimination due to personal characteristics such as race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion/beliefs, health status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Fringe Managed Venues
Fringe Managed Venues are venues operated directly by Orlando Fringe. In order for your production to be hosted in one of these venues, you must be drawn and accepted via our Lottery.
Shows drawn in the 2024 lottery must have a runtime between 0-75 minutes.
The time you have listed on your application is the MAXIMUM time allowed for your show. This cannot be adjusted unless you are reducing the show run time.
Artist groups are responsible for securing all rights, royalties, copyrights, and union waivers for published works or Equity actors. (Groups are responsible for providing a copy of these rights and royalties to the Orlando Fringe). Failure to secure rights is grounds for removal of your show from the Festival. Proof of rights must be sent to the producer before your schedule is distributed to you.
Rules
In order to apply for Orlando Fringe 2024, your application for the Fringe Lottery must be submitted prior to 5:00 PM EST on November 15, 2023.
The ENTIRE application must be filled out in full to be considered for the Lottery. Orlando Fringe artists picked for the Festival are determined by a fair and random Lottery. Under no circumstances may any group sell their Orlando Fringe slot.
There is a non-refundable application fee to apply.
The cost is $25 USD until 11:59pm on October 31, then the price increases on November 1 to $50 USD until applications are due on November 15.
You may only apply as a producer or producing company for one show
When submitting your show, you must have a show title; TBA or TBD will not be accepted. You will have the opportunity to make tweaks to your title if selected in the lottery. If you do not type in a title, your show will not be considered for the lottery until adjusted.
ALL applicants will be entered into a TIER lottery. Tiers are based on the seating capacity of the venues with adherence to the following geographically tiered quotas:
50% of the slots are reserved for local companies (companies within a 2-hour drive of Orlando, Florida.)
25% for national (companies applying from outside Central Florida but within the US)
25% for international (outside the United States).
-If we discover you have applied to the wrong category (Local, National, International) based off of your address, you will be notified and moved to the correct category.
-The Main Contact must reside where the application states they live.
The final deadline for all applications is 5:00 PM EST on November 15, 2023, to be considered for the lottery. You must press the SUBMIT button BEFORE 5:00 PM EST. If your application is still being worked on at 5:00 PM EST it is not on time and will not be placed in the lottery. This is absolute. Any application received after that will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist.
Confirmations of application receipt are sent via Eventotron when the application is submitted. If confirmation is not received within 48 hours of delivery, or if you have questions about the application process, contact tempestt@orlandofringe.org.
Deadline
YOU MAY ONLY APPLY AS A PRODUCER OR PRODUCING COMPANY FOR ONE SHOW.
The Producer/Main contact is responsible for all administrative and production correspondence from the lottery until the end of the festival. They will be making and receiving payments in their name and be responsible for all tax forms. The information submitted cannot be changed once the application is complete.
You cannot have the same producer for more than one production. If you are producing one show, and co-producing a second show, that is still producing more than one show, and both shows associated with the producer can be removed from the festival at any time. All producers and artists could be asked to sign a conflict of interest form listing all participation in the festival upon acceptance in the lottery.
If a show was entered into the lottery but did not secure a spot, the producer is prohibited from selling or trading the show to another producer who successfully obtained a lottery position. Such actions may result in the disqualification of both the show and the producer from the lottery and festival. Furthermore, any producing company that did not secure a festival spot through the lottery is not permitted to be mentioned or featured on any promotional materials associated with a participating show. This restriction applies to posters, postcards, and all marketing materials utilized for the promotion of the show’s participation in the festival
Payment
Your non-refundable application fee is due upon submission of your application. You will be ineligible for the lottery without this payment. It is not refundable under any circumstances.
At the end of this application, you will pay your application fee. If you request for your application to be accepted manually at the Fringe office, there is a $10 USD processing fee on top of the regular application fee.
If you are submitting in person, please email tempestt@orlandofringe.org and we can arrange for a staff member to be in the office for drop-off.
Application fees must be paid prior to the 5:00 pm EST deadline on November 15, 2023.
Remaining Fees
After the lottery, you will receive an offer based off your tier/#seats, number of performances, and performance length (there are additional fees if your show length is longer than 60 minutes). If you do not pay the remaining balance within 72 hours of venue placement, you will automatically forfeit your space in the 2024 Festival.
Please see the chart below to understand the total cost that you will be charged if selected in the lottery.
Applications are CLOSED at this time.
Please check back later.
Bring Your Own Venue
“Bring Your Own Venue”s, or BYOVs, are performance venues operated by a partner participating in our festival. These venues will host multiple Fringe shows outside of those productions chosen in the lottery. BYOVs are off-site from the main festival grounds, and may not be a part of all festival events. BYOV ticketing is managed by Fringe.
Applications for BYOVs are CLOSED at this time.
Please check back later
Site Specific
In addition to Festival Managed Venues and Bring Your Own Venues, we also provide artists with the opportunity to present shows in “found spaces”, or locations that are not considered traditional theatre spaces. For example: outside underneath a tree, in a van, or someone’s swimming pool!
Artists are responsible for securing their location, technical, and staffing needs. Our Festival Producer will reach out to you to talk through your concept and to approve it once you’ve applied
Applications for Site Specific are CLOSED at this time.
Please check back later.
Outdoor Stage
A large part of our festival is The Lawn, where patrons can hangout and lay out in the grass, grab a bite to eat or something to drink, while listening to artists perform on our Outdoor Stage. The Outdoor Stage is open every day of the Festival, providing entertainment from music, to standup comedy, poetry, and so much more.
This space works best for small, self-contained acts such as musicians, singer-song writers, bands, story-tellers, dancers, poets, etc
Have a show in the festival? The Outdoor Stage is a great opportunity to perform different material or to help promote your show!
Applications for the Outdoor Stage are OPEN.
Kids Fringe
Kids Fringe is a four day, kid-friendly Fringe festival happening on weekends during our 2 week festival. Performances, workshops, meet and greets, and interactive art experiences are offered by touring and local artists and arts organizations.
Kids Fringe will take place on May 18, 19, 25, & 26 2024 from 10am-2pm at the Orlando Garden Club (located within a five minute walk from The Lawn area of the festival).
There is no application fee for Kids Fringe, and Fringe artists participating in the main festival are encouraged to promote their family-friendly shows by performing, offering a workshop, or as strolling entertainment.
Stage shows must be 30 minutes or less, including load-in and load-out, with basic tech. Outdoor shows are on the Garden Club’s lawn under a tree, and artists will be responsible for their own tech. Workshops are also held outdoors on the grass.
Applications for Kids Fringe are CLOSED
Fringers of the Future
Orlando Fringe opens the festival lottery to any middle or high school aged creator that would like to stage a production at the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival in May. Application and performance fees are waived and a special lottery drawing is held to determine which artists or schools will be offered a slot in our festival. If chosen, they are given up to three performance slots and 100% of all ticket sales are returned to their program. Artists and schools are required to have their own transportation to and from the festival.
Applications for Fringers of the Future are CLOSED.
Visual Fringe
A space for visual artists during the festival with gallery displays and tabling opportunities, Visual Fringe is the visual art portion of the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival that features drawing, painting, sculpture, design, jewelry making, and much more.
Like the theater portion of the festival, Visual Fringe is uncensored and unjuried and 100% of the money made in art sales is given back to the artists. The main focus of Visual Fringe is to allow an outlet for artists to push beyond their usual medium, subject matter, and comfort zone to bring true uniqueness to this exhibition, and foster the celebration of creativity.
Applications for Visual Fringe at The Orlando International Theatre Festival are CLOSED.
Please check back later.
Dates and Deadlines
Tech Rehearsals Start: Saturday, May 11, 2024, for Local Artists
Performances Start: Monday, May 13, 2024, for National/International Artists
Local Teaser Show: Monday, April 15, 2024
BYOV Teaser Show: Monday, May 6, 2024
National/International Teaser Show: Tuesday, March 14, 2024
The 33rd Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival: May 15 - 27
Apply
Fringe Managed Venues (Lottery) — APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED
Site Specific — APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED
Bring Your Own Venue (BYOV) — APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED
Outdoor Stage — CLICK HERE TO APPLY
Fringers of the Future — APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED
Kids Fringe — APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED
Visual Fringe — APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED
Billeting
If you are an international, or national artist who needs somewhere to stay during the festival, Orlando Fringe can arrange for you to stay with a billeter.
Interested in offering housing to artists during our festival in May?
Preference will always be given to those hosts within a 2 mile radius to Loch Haven Park, as most out of town artists do not have transportation. If you live more than 2 miles away, please apply anyway because we may need you!
You must have a separate room for the artists. Sleeping on a couch, an air mattress in the living room, etc… is not permitted as we want to make sure both parties have an enjoyable experience.
If you’re interested or have any questions, please email
Festival Producer Tempestt Halstead at tempestt@orlandofringe.org.