Photo: Gospel Sunday during 2018 Fringe, credit Erich Camping
PLUS: Apply for free to perform this year starting tomorrow
Rochester, NY (February 28, 2019) – Organizers of the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival announce today that KeyBank has renewed its title sponsorship with a multi-year deal.
“We at KeyBank are proud to continue to invest in this community with such a unique and inclusive celebration of art and creativity,” says James Barger, KeyBank Rochester Market President. “We’re already getting excited about the 2019 KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival, running for twelve days from September tenth through the 21st.”
“We couldn’t be more pleased with KeyBank’s decision,” adds Justin L. Vigdor, chairperson of the non-profit Rochester Fringe Festival board of directors. “Presenting a festival of this quality and reach – especially with all of its free programming – is not an easy or inexpensive task, and we sincerely appreciate KeyBank’s continued support.”
The 2019 show-submission process opens tomorrow, on Friday, March 1, 2019 at 9 a.m. (EST). Through April 15 at 11:59 p.m. (EST), artists and producers from all over the world may submit production proposals at no cost directly to the 2019 Fringe’s 20+ venues via rochesterfringe.com. Based on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe model, the vast majority of the Fringe’s 500+ performances and events are selected by the venues themselves in this way; only a few headliners and all of the outdoor entertainment are curated by the Fringe itself.
“Although we’ve added a couple of weeks to the submission process this year, shows are strongly encouraged to apply early as admissions are on a rolling basis,” explains Festival Producer Erica Fee. “Our venues start booking their line-ups immediately.”
From its five-day debut in 2012, the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival has become one of the fastest-growing and most-attended fringe festivals in the U.S and the largest multi-genre arts festival in New York State. Renowned among the world’s 200+ fringe festivals for its large-scale, outdoor, free-to-the-public performances – including the U.S. premieres of Canada’s Circus Orange (2014), France’s Plasticiens Volants (2017), and the UK’s Massaoke (2018) – Rochester’s Fringe was also the first fringe festival in North America to feature a Spiegeltent, which is now an annual attraction. From comedy to theatre, from music to dance, from visual art and film to spoken word, and from children’s entertainment to multi-disciplinary collaborations, the festival’s diversity also extends to venues that span the gamut from parked cars to grand theatres.
Rochester Fringe Festival connects and empowers artists, audiences, venues, educational institutions, and the community to celebrate, explore, and inspire creativity via an annual, multi-genre arts festival. The not-for-profit, 501(c)3 corporation was pioneered by several of Rochester’s esteemed cultural institutions including Geva Theatre Center, the George Eastman House and Garth Fagan Dance; up-and-coming arts groups like PUSH Physical Theatre and Method Machine; and higher-education partners such as the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology. The organization’s overarching mission is to make arts readily accessible to audiences, as well as to provide a platform for artists to share their ideas and develop their skills, while stimulating downtown Rochester both culturally and economically.
About KeyCorp: KeyCorp’s roots trace back 190 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $139.6 billion at December 31, 2018. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,100 branches and more than 1,500 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
Media please note: High-resolution images and other media assets may be found at rochesterfringe.com/press.