New to Fringe?
Welcome to the 2008 Minnesota Fringe Festival! This is our fifteenth year presenting some of the best, boldest and bravest performing arts in Minnesota. With 155+ shows, there's something for everyone-no matter your style. And here's your navigation guide.
- Pick a show
- Get to the show
- Buy a ticket
- Fringe's Rules of Order
- Tell people what you thought
- Come be social!
- Need a personal guide?
Pick a show
We've got two primary tools to guide you in show selection - the print program and this website. You've obviously found the website; look for the print program in every copy of the July 30 City Pages, or at any of our Fringe venues.
Use fringefestival.org to get late-breaking information and search for shows by date, company, venue or genre. You can create your own show schedule, write reviews of the shows you've seen, and check out pictures from the wide world of Fringe.
Get to the show
Minnesota Fringe's 18 venues are grouped together in three Minneapolis neighborhoods: Uptown, the West Bank and North Loop-Northeast. Getting between each neighborhood's venues (in the time available between shows) is easy on foot, by bike, by car or via Metro Transit-we've suggested some good routes included parking suggestions on our website venue pages.
Our recommendation is to pick a block of shows in one neighborhood and spend the day exploring the Fringe-and our host neighborhoods. Incredible food, parks, shops and bars are never far from any venue.
Buy a ticket
Admission button: Before seeing a Fringe show, everyone 12 years old and above must purchase a $3 admission button. The button is good for the length of the festival and gets you discounts to local merchants-and tons of local theater-year round. Plus, you'll look cool wearing it.
Tickets: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, students and MPR members (I.D./membership card required), $5 for kids under 12. (Kids under 5 aren't admitted to shows outside Kids Fringe)
Buy in bulk! For $150, get an Ultra Pass, which allows you to see as many shows as you want for one low price. $90 gets you a brand-new Ten-Show Punch Card, or $50 gets you a Five-Show Punch Card. Ultra Passes are not transferrable; punch cards are, so you can use them for yourself or with a group.
Reservations/Advance sales: Call (651) 209-6799 for advance ticket sales as well as reservations for Ultra Pass and Punch Card holders. Buy tickets online by following the ticket link from any show page. Or you can buy tickets in person at the ticket kiosk located at Fringe Central. Each advance sale and reservation is charged a $2.50 handling fee.
At the door: Box office opens 30 minutes before show time and seating starts 10 minutes before show time. All seating is general admission.
Fringe's Rules of Order (less formal than that Robert guy, but equally important!)
- Shows start on time. Because this is such a huge festival, if one thing starts late, everything starts late-so we can't dawdle. Don't be late!
- No photography during performances. Instead, check out our daily slide shows [insert link]
- Turn off cell phones and pagers, and don't talk during performances unless the artists talk to you first.
- Keep the scent to a minimum. We ask all patrons to curb their use of perfume, cologne and other scented products for everyone's comfort, especially folks with chemical sensitivities.
Tell people what you thought
Don't be shy about talking to people in the lobbies - everyone wants to know what's good and what's not. Plus, it's a great way to make new friends!
Audience reviews: After you've seen a show, write an online review to help guide fellow audience members. Anyone can write a review, with a couple of exceptions - we ask that people not review shows they're involved with, and reviews that contain personal attacks will not be posted - you certainly don't have to like everything, but gratuitous meanness is not the Fringe way.
And the Fringe staff is always happy to get your feedback. You'll find the staff in green Fringe t-shirts, or you can contact the Fringe office at 612-872-1212 or info@fringefestival.org.
Come be social!
Minnesota Fringe almost spontaneously creates its own community. Half of the Fringe experience is talking about what you've seen. Don't be shy! Join the conversation online, in the lobbies, at Fringe parties and at our official hangout, Fringe Central.
Fringe Central: Bedlam Theatre, located in the center of our Fringe world, is where the community starts - and ends - every day. Fringers of all stripes meet, greet, bring their families, talk about the shows they've seen and make merry into the small hours. Fringe Central, sponsored by Summit Brewing Company is open starting at 4 p.m. on weekdays and at noon on weekends, and features a lineup of Summit beer, organic wine and Polish fusion food. Easily accessible by car, bike, or light rail, you and yours will want to make this a frequent stop on your Fringe journey.
Opening party: Saturday August 2, 10pm: Happy birthday, Minnesota Fringe! We're celebrating our 15th birthday, quinceanera style at Fringe Central. Join a multitude of Fringers for birthday cake, a pi~nata, party favors and (if you ask real nice) a spanking.
Closing party: Sunday August 10, 9pm. Come downtown to First Avenue (701 First Avenue N) to hang out with all those cools artists, volunteers and audience members you met along the way. Come for one last blast of summer. And remember - it doesn't really count as a work night if you call in sick the next day. 18+ event.
Need a personal guide?
Check out our new Sherpa program - your personal guide through the Fringe wilderness. It's a great way for first-time Fringers to connect with an experienced "Sherpa" guide. Participants purchase a 5-show punch card and a button to take part; they'll be assigned a guide who will select shows for them to see and arrange a social dinner outing. Contact Allegra Lingo (allegra@fringefestival.org) for more details.
