FRINGE FESTIVAL 2005

HOW TO FRINGE:

First, buy a Fringe button. It’s $6 and is required for entry to all indoor performances. Buttons are available at the Fringe merchandise table (located inside the Lowndes Shakespeare Center) and at the Green Venue (the Tupperware Theatre, inside the Orlando Repertory Theatre). They can also be purchased from strolling button vendors who will be patrolling the festival. Proceeds from the button sales benefit the festival; ticket revenue goes directly to the performers.

The Fringe has greatly simplified ticket purchasing this year. Tickets (priced up to $10) will no longer be sold at the individual venues; instead, they will be available at a single, centralized ticket counter inside Lowndes. (Patrons of the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival will recognize it as the facility’s concession stand.) Tickets to any event may be purchased there up to 10 minutes before showtime. Tickets may also be purchased at www.orlandofringe.org; online sales stop at 11:55 p.m. the day before the specific performance.

A $1 processing fee will be added to all purchases, to help defray the cost of the Fringe’s new computerized ticketing system. You can also order tickets by calling 1-866-599-9984, but this service incurs an additional $4 charge. If you want your tickets mailed to you, you must make the request at least seven days in advance.

Free parking is available at Loch Haven on a first-come, first-served basis. Between them, the lot at the Orlando Repertory Theatre and the one shared by the Shakespeare Festival and the Orlando Museum of Art have about 450 spaces. There is also free street parking, and paid parking at the nearby Florida Hospital and Orlando Science Center.

Arrive early, and pay attention to word of mouth; it’s always your best guide (other than what you read in Orlando Weekly, of course). If you’re late, forget about it – they won’t let you in. There’s no photography allowed. And don’t try phoning the Fringe office during the festival, as there will be no one there to take the call.

EXTRAS:

Throughout the festival, street performers and other demonstrably bohemian types will present hour-long performances on the festival’s outdoor stage, located in the beer garden directly behind Lowndes. And then there’s the Visual Fringe component, with works by local artists hung throughout the regular performance venues. Over at the Rep, Kids’ Fringe performances will be staged from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday of the festival. Offered absolutely free (no tickets or buttons required), these clean, family-friendly shows are perfect for younger patrons who aren’t yet ready for the parade of cuss words and wee-wees that adult Fringers thrive on.

And keep an eye out for Patrons’ Pick Day on Monday, May 30, featuring encore presentations of the shows that sell the most tickets in each venue.

VENUES:

Blue: Studio B, Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E. Rollins St.
Orange: Margeson Theater, Lowndes
Pink: Studio D, Lowndes
Yellow: Goldman Theater, Lowndes
Brown: Orlando Philharmonic Rehearsal Hall, Lowndes
Green: Tupperware Theatre, Orlando Repertory Theatre, 1001 E. Princeton St.

SCHEDULE:

This article appears in May 18-24, 2005.