Since 2005, one of the benefits of being in Washington in July has been the Capital Fringe Festival, which can always be counted on to provide unconventional theater fare. This year, the festival lasts for 18 very busy days, with more than 100 productions running from Thursday to July 24. “We have a lot of new groups this year,” says Julianne Brienza, executive director of the festival. “And a lot of people who have participated in the festival before have formed new groups.
“A lot of our focus currently is on how we communicate with the public. The community really brings great work to the table. We don’t have any lack there. But there’s a lot to communicate about the festival, so we’ve added new features to our website, to make it easier to see what’s playing each day, for instance.”
| Onstage |
| Capital Fringe Festival |
| Where: Various venues; see website for venues, dates and times |
| When: Thursday to July 24 |
| Info: Tickets: $17; buttons $7; capfringe.org |
One thing that often gets overlooked is that the festival is a nonprofit organization, whose mission involves helping its artists survive. “Many people think that the festival is doing really well financially,” Brienza explained, “but we give a percentage of the profits back to the artists. In five years we have given back a little over one million dollars. It’s a significant amount of money.”
The festival works as all Fringe Festivals do: It is not juried, and the producers do not make artistic choices. When people apply to appear in the festival, they pay a set participation fee. They do not have to try out to prove that they are better than other groups.
“That’s one reason the festival has the feel it does: The quality runs the gamut,” Brienza explained. “It’s an event where you have to engage with the community to find out which shows are the best. A lot of our tickets are sold by word of mouth.
“While you may like the sound of a show in the guide, when you go to it, it may not be that great. On the other hand, you may be standing outside a venue and you may hear people talking about another show, so you go to that show and it’s wonderful.”
One element Brienza is excited about is the music. “We have a great free, live music component this year. There are many local bands playing jazz, blues, indie rock, reggae. I’m looking forward to that.”
Every show in the festival runs at least five times. Some play 18 or 19 times. And with names like “Love Me! Why Everyone Hates Actors,” “My Dad Is Now Ready for His Spongebath” and “261-626,” there is sure to be something for everyone.
