Hollywood Fringe Festival

Hollywood Fringe Festival
The word 'Hollywood' in all caps, and the word 'fringe' in much larger, bold capital letters below. The words are black, sans-serif, and left-aligned on a white background.
StatusActive
GenreFestival
BeginsJune 8, 2023 (2023-06-08)
EndsJune 25, 2023 (2023-06-25)
FrequencyAnnual
VenueMultiple venues
Location(s)Hollywood Theatre Row and vicinity
CountryUnited States
Participants233 companies (2012)[1]
Attendance25,000 (2012)[1]
LeaderBen Hill (festival director)[2]
Websitehollywoodfringe.org

The Hollywood Fringe Festival is an annual fringe theatre festival in Hollywood, California.[1][3] Most indoor venues for the festival are in and around Hollywood Theatre Row, a 1.4-mile (2.3 km) stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles.[4]

Founder Ben Hill started trying to organize a local fringe festival not long after he moved to Los Angeles from Iowa City in 2007.[4][5] He and other organizers launched the first Hollywood Fringe Festival in the summer of 2010.[1][6] That year, there were 130 shows in the festival.[7]

The shows are not curated (selected based on merit).[5] To perform, one must pay a registration fee[4] and be ready with a concept and the means to produce it.[7] The festival organizers market the event and provide some support, but the theatre companies must find their own venues and market their own shows.[7]

In the 2012 festival, theatre companies produced more than 230 shows and gave more than 1,000 performances.[1] Companies participating in the 2014 festival produced more than 300 shows.[7]

In 2018, the Hollywood Fringe Festival was one of the filming locations for the trivia game show Buzz'd Out!.[8]

Approximately 56,000 tickets sold were sold for the 2016 festival, which drew an estimated $447,000 in revenue. All revenue from ticket sales is paid to the artists and venues.[9]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused 2020's cancellation & deferral to 2021.[10]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Hollywood Fringe Festival". United States Association of Fringe Festivals. Minnesota Fringe Festival. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  2. ^ "Ben Hill". Hollywood Fringe Festival. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  3. ^ Barklie, Corbett (June 7, 2013). "A New Institution: Hollywood Fringe Festival". KCET. KCETLink Media Group. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Riefe, Jordan (June 19, 2014). "Hollywood Fringe Festival to Present Nearly 300 Theater Shows". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  5. ^ a b McNulty, Charles (June 22, 2013). "Hollywood Fringe Festival, a theater party with room to grow". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  6. ^ Adamek, Pauline (January 14, 2014). "Hollywood Fringe Festival". Time Out Los Angeles. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d Barrera, Sandra (June 10, 2014). "Hollywood Fringe Festival will showcase nearly 300 shows, boast largest celebration of performing arts". Los Angeles Daily News. Digital First Media. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  8. ^ "Buzz'd Out! The Game Show With It Roots In Pasadena – Pasadena Now". www.pasadenanow.com. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  9. ^ "Hollywood Fringe Sets 2017 Festival Dates, Seeks Submissions". BroadwayWorld. Wisdom Digital Media. November 10, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  10. ^ "Better Lemons". Better Lemons. July 2, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2022.