The Lucky 13!

On December 1, we opened up our application period for performers. This year, we tried something new - we would accept the first 25% of our performance groups as First/Come - First/Serve. That worked out to 13 of our 50 slots. We actually got the idea from our buddies over at the Boulder Fringe Festival while we were at the United States Association of Fringe Festival Conference. The reasoning behind it is to allow an opportunity for artists who are ready and prepared to get in right away. Keeping the rest of the slots as lottery allows us to make sure that are festival is diverse and has that wonderful spirit of democracy, randomness and chaos that we so adore at both our festival, and sister festivals like the Minnesota Fringe.

We had an inkling it would be popular - but WOW. The 13 slots filled up in 4 MINUTES! Very exciting!

There's still plenty of time to apply for the regular lottery - we still have 37 spots up for grabs after all! Apply here.

The lucky 13 who are slated to perform in the 2011 Chicago Fringe Festival are:

t & t Productions
Chicago, IL
The Ironmistress

Blue Suitcase Productions
Brooklyn, NY
look out for the bees

The League of Miscreants
River Forest, IL
The Miscreants Kill An Hour And Go To Cuernavaca

Gillian Hemme
Newark, NJ
Clean Start

Sideshow Theatre Company NFP
Chicago, IL
Strangerland

Elizabeth Blue
Brooklyn NY
Am I Blue

Rebecca Kling
Chicago, IL
Across and Beyond: Traversing Gender

Kate Healy
Chicago, IL
Purgatorio

Giants of Theatre
Indianapolis, Indiana
Jesus, Shakespeare, and Lincoln Walk into a Bar

Journey Theater Group
Chicago, IL
Where the Heart Lies

The Harlotry & Necromancy Appreciation Society
Chicago, IL
Ed Rex

Barely Balanced
Lakewood, OH
Sharp Knives and Stupid Humans

Pones Inc.
Cincinnati, OH
The Four Food Groups

As you can see, we already have a nice mix of local, regional and national acts, along with some favorites from 2010 making a triumphant return!

We look forward to sharing more about these artists and our lottery winning artists in the coming months.