The Morning After …
OK, so it’s afternoon. But for some of us, that’s like morning. Especially the day after Fringe.
Can’t write at length, ’cause I’m busy chasing bits and pieces to make a nice Ingmar Bergman page. But I did want to say hi, if only to respond to Curious, who can’t seem to get enough of Fringe, or of Fringe & Purge:
So did people go to the closing party? See any great shows on saturday or sunday? I’d love to hear some of the final headcounts/numbers from the Fringe organizers.
Well, Curious:
1). Yes, people did go to the closing party. There was much karaoke, much of it quite thoroughly wretched. There were some awards presentations, none of which were in the least bit audible. But I’ll get the details from Julianne later.
2). I quite liked Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, and the Pabst and Popcorn Faustus. But again, those have been much discussed, so I’m not going to say much more.
3). Final headcounts and other numbers will be forthcoming, but not today. Firstly, I’m not sure they’re available yet. Secondly, I’ve been told rather firmly not to call Julianne today, for reasons I’m sure you can understand. Or maybe you can’t — but I’m still not gonna call her.
I will, however, check in with her later this week, and get back to y’all with some final Fringe thoughts. Meantime, feel free to chime in here with your own Fringe post-mortems. What did you like about the way it worked this time around? What left you cold? Will you miss the Warehouse?
Go ahead and cheer, jeer, or whatever — and I’ll try to work as much of it into my conversation with Julianne as possible.
3:19 pm
I had a great time bouncing from show to show and venue to venue, running into people, striking up conversations with strangers to recommend things or get their thoughts. And I have to say it was a rare show I saw that had a small audience which was very encouraging to see.
I will definitely miss the Warehouse space and all the Rupperts have offered to DC and that neighborhood. Where’s their arts/culture angel to save the day and keep them around?
I hope to see more diverse audiences next year – a problem in all areas of the arts, not just Fringe. But it was sad to see so little audience diversity at almost all shows except for Indigo, which I attended. And it was interesting to see the differences in audience make up from shows like Pabst & Popcorn, Cautionary Tales, Super Secret Show, My Way Little Girl and Too Much Light (way younger, mostly in 20-30s) versus shows like Abstract Nude, Making (Up) History, Air Heart, Queen of the Bohemian Dream and some of the dance stuff which skewed older and got more of the traditional/regular theater-goers.
I guess this is just an observation and leads me to the varying views on what this Fringe fest is – an opportunity to do something wild, out there, freaky, provocative, distrurbing and generally outside the lines OR if its just a theatre fest and an opportunity to “put on a show.” Both are valid ways to think and missions to pursue, and I guess it depends on your particular tastes, but considering we are in DC, you’d think artists would WANT to choose the former and go for broke and get crazy and creative and shake things up.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get much of that, very little in fact. My Way Little Girl was the closest to performance art I have seen in this city in years and was by far the most out there (and not just because of it’s parking lot/alley setting – it was damned original and excellently done) – along with Pabst/Popcorn, the two Trixie’s (Little and Tickles) and Bobrauschebergamerica.
Still there were some solid shows and many artists stepped up to the plate and presented, for what I saw of 26 productions, something worth seeing, if not earth shatterring. And everything doesnt have to be earth shattering, just well done. If the Fest provides the outlet many artists – be they actors, designers, dancers, artists, puppeteers, swrod swallowers, singers or composers or writers – need to get their groove on in this city and get their work to be seen onstage, then GREAT. It’s something to be applauded if audiences come and meet them halfway and have a great time.
But if we’re just providing and outlet for frustrated/underemployed artists to create more of the same for the same regular theatre audiences to see more of that’s no different then the other 11 months of the year, then I would have to question it a bit. Why not strive to provide a forum that encourages artists to create something new and different and that attracts new (younger, diverse) audiences into the excitement and thrill of live performances.
Some random comments which I am sure will prompt more great comments and suggestions. This is just what was flowing out of my brain at the moment.
Congrats to everyone’s hard work and effort to put on what seemed to be a very very successful event. Now, take a nap.
3:40 pm
Trey,
Having partaken in the karaoke myselfat the party, I must protest that there were some damn hot singers last night. Most of the bad singing came from Fringe staffer Sam Goldblatt, who by his own admission was trying to inspire good singers to replace him up there.
I heard Julianne say last night that the festival sold 19,000 tickets.
8:17 pm
When do the results for the pick of the fringe get posted?
10:13 am
Sorry.
I don’t mean to be so eager, but I have a lot of time on my hands between 9-5. My day job is boring, I have high-speed internet access… I’ve been eating, breathing, and sleeping Fringe for the past ten days. How often can I check DC Theater Scene, DCist, Washington Post, and this site before going a little stir crazy? I know that there are hundreds of people who check these sites but choose not to post their thoughts, afraid of losing anonymity, I suppose.
Having these four internet resources has definitely been a boon of the festival – and so has the gorgeous and satisfying CapFringe photo blog (although it is hidden under the scroll with a tiny link on the capfringe site). I am almost tempted to say that these media outlets should contact one another before fringe – put aside their differences – and divvy up coverage of different shows. Of course there will be some overlap, but comparing schedules might allow for a larger percentage of shows to be reviewed.
In general, I was very satisfied with the festival this year. I saw eleven shows, and the box office and venue staff were well-informed, helpful, and efficient. It was great to have more local acts this year – although that makes it all the more painful when you can’t see all the shows that acquaintances are producing. It was interesting to note the different age groups at certain shows – some seemed to cater to an older crowd, although the audiences usually surprised me in some way. It was telling to watch some uncomfortable-looking older patrons wilting and fanning themselves in the heat of the Scientarium – suffering through it for the hope of a good show that got an article in the Post.
Personally, I didn’t go to a single Fringe social event – no parties or evenings at bars. They seem like a great networking tool for the artists, and of course the confessional booth provides endless fun (and fodder for the blog).
It has been pointed out that the performers should examine their intention when signing up to do a fringe show. As CityMouse blogged, sometimes the idea of the art and experiment is blurred by the competitive desire for buzz, press, and sell-out houses. Is the production of a ‘straight’ play enough? Should all Fringe entries be pushing the boundaries of taste and convention, or is it enough for a group of friends to be able to produce something they wouldn’t have the money (or venue) for during the year?
The scheduling is one of the hardest things for me to adjust to – by the time the first weekend has gone by, shows have opened and closed and barely made a blip on the radar. Plays that get an extended run (shows both during the 1st weekend and into the 2nd week) seem to get more reception just because there is time for the word to spread.
I think that it’s marvelous that we have this festival. I hope it continues to do well and grow. I would love to see more outdoor work, street performance, performance art, and experimental theater.
just some thoughts.
11:41 am
Nice thoughts, curious. I, too, want to thank the people who covered the event–the bloggers, the responders and the photographers. The coverage was great.
I was interested in the marketing behind the Fringe posters, as to the reasoning behind the orange-yellow portrait sketches. To me, they did not really suggest anything except ‘ordinary people’ grinning at the camera. Does anyone know the reasoning behind these images? I feel something a little more evocative should be used for next year. To me, those portraits (though well done) did not evoke ‘Fringe’. Thoughts?
12:09 pm
Interesting thoughts here; along the lines of quite a few of us. Dat ole debbil, “what is art?” et al. Question: Do you have any idea when the results of the Pick of the Fringe votes will be made public?
2:08 pm
Make more use of the Scientorium (or whatever it’s called) stage by having free shows there and posting a schedule. It would give more of an opportunity for experimental, random, whatever that a lot of DC patrons might otherwise balk at. Although we did enjoy Sam’s keyboard serenades when we stopped by one night.
Also, hold off on the panels until; the end of the festival so more participants can make it.
Otherwise it was great all around. Only wish I could have seen more.
4:21 pm
The Scientarium was a fun space. The perspective from the high bleacher seats made it almost seem like a sports arena. I expect that space will be developed soon, but I, too, would like to see a similar spot.
4:39 pm
My thoughts are more on the pricing side, since I think artistically the Fringe was great. I tried the all access pass for $300, which breaks you even at 20 shows. Which is hard to do. I saw 29 shows, but then the Fringe was basically my entire week. I enjoyed it and had planned on it, but frankly, I would have fared better buying a 6-pack as needed. For three 6-packs, I could have seen 18 shows for just $225; a much more leisurely pace and just 2 shows shy of the “break even” $300 mark. The per-price show at 18 is only $12.50 rather than $15 a show. Also, it can be difficult given one’s schedule to even see 20+ shows without any repeats, as schedules overlap, or shows only play a few dates, etc. Why not make the All Access Pass a better deal, since in all likelihood most people are only going to be able or want to see 10-20 shows, and the price of $250 would be in line with the $12.50 per show discount for the 6-pack if you manage to see 20 shows. And could be an even better incentive at $225, making it $11.25 per show. I just think if the price were more reasonable for the pass, more people might be tempted to buy one and see more Fringe. Just my two cents on making a pass more affordable and desirable. I wouldn’t buy one again, since, as I said, the per show cost is less with the 6-pack — unless of course you are just a fringe maniac and see more than 24 shows.
5:44 pm
Glazed:
It’s posted on the Fringe MySpace page.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=190822980&blogID=294154279
10:24 pm
Double glazed (Apologies to Shirley).
With still a couple of shows to report on, I want to thank Curious and Composeyourself for their kind remarks on the photo blog. It was an experiment, and credit goes to the Fringe staff who put their faith in some volunteers. Personally, I had the time of my life.
The questions posed here are interesting and challenging. I think it is worth noting that in this festival it is the artist who make the decisions as to what is shown, and not the “management.” In this way it remains true to its Edinborough roots as the only artistically nonvetted festival on earth. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
Finally, a shameless plug. If you would like to see the Fringe Photoblog continue next year, please make your voices heard. If not, likewise. YOU’re the boss.
Cheers.
Bob