Orlando, Florida, June 6, 2022– The 31st Annual Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival was held May 17- 30th.
Over 1,600 artists came from around the world to perform at one of the many venues in Loch Haven Park and the surrounding areas. The festival has received many honors, including being named Orlando’s Favorite Festival and second place this year for the most prideful event at Watermark’s Wave Awards.
The Orlando Fringe hosted over 200 shows (759 performances) over the festival’s 14-day run. The 14-day event attracted over 48,000 attendees from as far away as Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The Orlando Fringe sold 7,231 buttons and 28,033 tickets and paid out $414,835 to Fringe artists. Visual Fringe sold 447 art pieces and hosted 11 events, including crafts, the art market, and the selfie scroll.
The popular family event Kids Fringe was held for two weekends of the festival over at the Orlando Garden Club and brought in over 3,600 parents and children. Kids Fringe 2022 offered four days of free shows, workshops, and art experiences. There were 37 unique performances, workshops, and immersive activities for kids offered by 80 national and international artists and local partners, including Arts4All Florida, Crealdé School of Art, Orlando Science Center, and Mad Science. Highlights include the addition of a new backstage tour of a Fringe venue designed just for kids, unique puppetry, theater, and site-specific works explicitly created for Kids Fringe audiences, and workshops with international artists. There were also ASL interpreted shows, Storytime with a Drag Queen, and movement and music workshops for preschoolers. Kids Fringe is sponsored by the City of Orlando Mayor’s Matching Grant and has a partnership with D Squared Productions.
This year’s festival was made possible with grants provided by United Arts of Central Florida, Orange County Division of Arts and Cultural Affairs, The City of Orlando, Universal Orlando Foundation, Florida Theatrical Association, and the Florida Department of State Division of Arts and Culture, along with our presenting sponsor City Beverages, and many others valued sponsors and partners.
During the closing ceremonies, George Wallace presented an award to a new up-and-coming producer to help them with the tools they need to continue creating their shows. The award was presented to Keith Banks, producer of the Florida Deaf Theatre Project. As part of our Fringers of the Future program, two education scholarships were awarded to Carly Tamborello and Luet Khan, high school seniors focusing on theatre in college. The Terry Olson Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Carla Davis for her years of service and dedication to Orlando Fringe.
The 31st Annual Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival was one to remember with the many milestones we accomplished this year, from offering shuttle bus services to hosting World Fringe Congress. Fringe welcomed 68 fellow fringe delegates in-person, representing 39 fringes from around the world as well as 69 delegates digitally. Orlando Fringe also welcomed new venue sponsors and even had branded beer. 2022 brought new surprises and was the first full in-person festival since the global pandemic began.
For those who have missed the festival or missed a show they wanted to see, Orlando Fringe is hosting the second DigiFringe from June 3-17. DigiFringe brings festival-managed shows on-demand and shows from international artists who could not attend in person this year. You can purchase your digital button and tickets online at https://virtuallyfringe.com/orlandofringe.
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