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Cincy Fringe Blog
Your Brain on Fringe
During the course of the Fringe, you'll go through waves of temporary insanity caused by stress, depression, anxiety, and exhaustion. These are balanced by waves of joy, excitement, satisfaction and pride. It's a lot to deal with in 12 short days and it effects people in interesting ways. Dreaming is one of them.
Hello Fringetastic Fringers!
I'm Alex and I'm a Venue Technician over at the Art Academy with two shows; Letters at Large and Burning Man Redux, as well as the Film Fringe coming this weekend. If you haven't yet stop by and say hi! I'm proud to say this is my fourth year with the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, and boy it sure doesn't seem that long!
I hope everyone has been having a great time this year at the Fringe. The weather has been awful the past two days but I've been really impressed to see some great audiences trudging in through the rain! Kudos to the die hard Fringe Fans!
OAC Hearts OTR
I gotta give the Oatmeal and a Cigarette team a double woot: first for having their own blog (above and beyond their own website), second for having the OAC Hearts OTR stickers. Over the Rhine is a great place and great beer. So Woot! Woot!
Unpledged delagates
The Festival is now 50% complete. We all know that 50% is an important percentage. We are now over half way through the Festival and no clear winner has emerged in the race for Audience Pick Of The Fringe. If you have not yet voted, make sure your vote is counted. Fill out your Pick of The Fringe ballot (make sure you include your name - demographic info would also be helpful, but is not required) so that your vote can be counted.
Fringe Olympics "Shockingly" Fun
Oh, yea, I wrote that headline and I am not taking it down! As a participant in what I would think Mr. Anthony Darnell might call "Jeff's Torture Extravaganza," I was quite impressed with how enthusiastic teams who went forward with each round, no matter how much we made fools out of ourselves.
From insults to thongs to more insults, I never knew how competitive theatre people can be, well in something other than theatre.
Hangover patch?
Well I guess that Les had the right idea. I on the other hand am feeling quite lousy after having woke up after a late night of fringe-a-oke and feasting on a can of green beans. I haven't gotten to a grocery store yet because Fringe has been absolutely insane.
The Hangover Patch
Ok, my dear friend Les got into town last night. At the bar series he informed us that he was testing the Hangover Patch. It's a patch that you put on when you're drinking that keeps you from getting a hangover. Les says that it gets a Fringy thumbs up from him, he felt fabulous this morning.
Sooooooo I am thinking that for next year's Fringe these need to be standard issue for ALL Fringers!!!!
The Official Fringe Hangover Patch!
huh? huh? yeah I know you are already wanting one!
Bri
-the great and good Volman
Fringey -oke
Great night everyone! Fringey-oke rocks! Thank you very much to the entire cast, playwright and SM from Oatmeal and a Cigarette for hosting the first of many night of Fringey-oke. If you missed it, you're insane. It was a great time. (Jason Bruffy as Marius was the highlight of the evening). We're doing it again tomorrow night following the experimental musical stylings of Steven Rosen. He's going to attempt to put on a cell phone concert starring your cell phone. Everyone will be asked to give their cell phone number (only for use in the performance) so that your individual ringtones can be incorporated into the musical performance onstage. Will it work? Who knows? It's the Fringe Festival. Even if it doesn't, it will be interesting. Fringy-oke will follow. Who will host? Who wants to host? (let me know if you'd be interested and we'll see what we can arrange).
Top Five Moerlien Guide Rules
Over the course of the Five years of the Cincy Fringe Festival there are five unofficial rules that have become imperative for all Fringe participants to consider before setting foot in the general Fringe Fest area:
5. Curtain speeches are never as sexy as you think.
4. Fringe T-shirts are fair game when they are on the bedroom floor.
3. Never buy a Swinger Pass on the first date.
2. Check her ID before you buy her a drink at the bar series.
1. Never give a bad review to the hot girl's show.
Squirt is naked under his shirt!!!
oh hey I forget to mention. I, Brian Wheeler, bought Karen Webb her first ever shot of Tequila last night! I know! Who would have thought?!?!
ah I live to be a bad influence! :)
Bri
An Extra Slice of Crazy
So this is the fourth day of shows and everything seems to be going so well. I am hearing some awesome things about the shows. This is my second year as the volunteer manager and it's been great! I want to thank all of the volunteers, you guys are the life blood of the festival and you all ROCK! There are a couple of people that I want to give a shout out to since they are showing themselves to be Superstar Volunteers! One is Brett Butler, he has done 5 courier shifts back to back and is going to sign up for more next week!!! He is our courier extraordinaire!
Still Kickin'
Day two of the fringe has come to a close and we're still rolling on. Yesterday was much smoother, but the general fringe craziness was still floating in the air. ANNA THE SLUT AND THE ALMOST CHOSEN ONE was a sell out show last night and tons of other fringe patrons were out enjoying theatre.
Blog
Blog. Bloggedy blog. Blog gold. My brain is too tired to function properly. The Christian Moerlein beer is not helping with the cognitive function, but it is with other things. (OTR is Fringe-nificent).
Anyway, Fringe got three Critics Picks on CityBeat in one day. Impressive. Well done Fringe peoples. Can't wait to see what tomorrow holds.
Take care of yourself. And each other.
Adios.
PD Eric
Iced Vanilla Lattes: Warning
Admittedly, I’m addicted to Coffee Emporium’s Iced Vanilla Lattes. Last year, Mindy Griffin (Know Theatre’s stage manager) and I would have our ceremonial start-of-the-evening latte. Yum!
Nothing is more refreshing than having some sweet theatre happening while sipping on a coffee drink.
You can imagine the effect of 1 to 2 lattes every day for all 12 days of Fringe can have on someone. A few days after Fringe had ended last year, I definitely felt I was missing something. A yearning for refreshment … A need to sip cool caffeine …
What do Boy George and hotel rooms have in common?
When Jason told me that Fringe would be a crazy time to move to Cincinnati, I only half-way believed him. Now that I'm here, I know exactly what he was talking about. I arrived in downtown Cincinatti at around 10:30 pm on Tuesday night. Yep, it was fringe time in the city. There was a huge kick off party happening in the Underground of The Know Theatre, and after I hastily unpacked my car, I got acquainted with the people who know and love the fringe in the biggest way.
God Makes Muffins
What a day. The Festival is open!!!! Holy sh*t!
I love Karen Webb
I love Karen Webb! She is one of my favorite audience members. Karen has seen almost every Fringe production for the past three years. In her infinite wisdom, she brings her camper van down to Over-the-Rhine and takes quick catnaps between productions. The cutey dog, Squirt, stays in the trailer and she also walks her between productions.
She’s passionate, enthusiastic and opinionated; Fringe Festivals are built around audience members like Karen Webb.
Jay B. Kalagayan
Executive Director
Know Theatre of Cincinnati
Cincinnati Fringe Festival
“Just Left of Off Broadway”
To Do Lists
I thought I would share with you some of our “To Do” lists for the Fringe Festival.
This will give you can idea of how we spent our holiday weekend giving you the best festival possible!
Over Memorial Day Weekend, we did the following:
+Got two dozen bagels and cream cheese for volunteers, curators, staff and venue techs.
+Loaded all nine performance venues fitting / reformatting them with technical equipment, audience seating, etc.
+Prepared housing for over forty artists staying with us throughout the festival.
Fringe Kickoff Party
Randomness: A dog on a shoulder swaying to fusion jazz-rap music - TV Cameras, interviews where I forget to mention my website!!!!
A mixed crowd, not just your typical Fringers, but some new ones, older ones, younger ones, drunker ones, and then a few people who just looked like they were in that Happy Gilmore happy place.
The staff is a combination of tense and confident. They've done this before, it's the fifth year for Christ-sake, "we don't need no stinking badges" kinda 'tude is all I could come up with on short notice.
Creaking Bones
For now, is anyone awake yet? For those who had to work today (like me) I’m feeling every one of those 5 years all over again inside my head.
Visual Fringe
Jeff in the Box
Jeff Syroney, Managing Editor of Soapbox, an excellent new website supporting growth and development in Cincinnati tells us straight up that he would not live in city without a Fringe Festival. He has it right.
If you are visiting Cincinnati for the Fringe Festival, take a tour, see the sights, talk to us about how great this town is! We have a few more hills to climb, but we are a happening place, no matter what the people from Idaho say.
Twenty, twenty, twenty four hours to go....
Twenty, twenty, twenty four hours to go....well, less actually.
The Kick Off party is tomorrow. I know a number of you are tech-ing shows, but I hope to see you after. I'm excited about the upcoming days. I think this is going to be a great Festival thanks in large part to you and your unbelievable work on your shows. I'm exhausted and giddy.
Happy Fringe Fest Eve!!!
Even the Enquirer is Fringing
The Enquirer has their take on shows that fit more of the Mainstream, which is funny, and you know, like ironic or something almost kinda the opposite, hmmm.
If you want the real Fringe experience, the Enquirer also lists out shows that will provide the Fringe feeling, as well that day 9 smell.
Taste of Fringe
Drinking and Playing and Dancing About
The Fringe Bar Series has been announced and every night of Fringe there will be something fun and different to keep you up late into the evening.
Wednesday May 28 @ 10:30 PM
Reid Faylor
Thursday May 29 @ 10:30 PM
Casey Apgar & Mike Swain
Friday May 30 @ 10:30 PM
Hi-Status Productions
Saturday May 31 @ 9:15 PM
DJ Stacks w/ The Late Circuit
Sunday June 1 @ 9:30 – 10:30 PM
Steven Rosen (Cell Phone Concert)
Sunday June 1 @ 10:30 PM
Open Mic Night
Monday June 2 @ 10:30 PM
Fringe Olympics
First time Fringer.
Be gentle, I'm a virgin.
A Fringe virgin, that is. I moved to Over the Rhine shortly after Fringe last year, and have just never made it down in previous years. This is surprising, if you know me, as I'm a pretty active member of the Cincinnati theater community, and probably know (by some degree of separation) a good portion of the actors and crew working so hard to put these shows together.
Pre-Fest Preparation
1. Thaw out prior year's Fringe t-shirts and check for freezer burn.
2. Obtain directions to where we left (buried) the “special” volunteer who is keeping watch on the Fringe Flame needed to light the cauldron during the Fringe opening ceremony.
3. Get favorite pair of shorts cleaned, pressed, and let out a little. Baggy is in, but not if the belly is too jelly.
4. Grease up the pigs.
5. Procure a generous amount of Fabreze.
