The University of Rochester is a sponsor and major participant in the 2014 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival, taking place Sept. 18–27 in Rochester’s East End. This year, students, faculty, staff, and alumni from throughout the University will take part in more than 40of the festival’s 380 shows in 28 venues, which include Kilbourn Hall and Sproull Atrium at the University’s Eastman School of Music.
“We are proud to contribute to the Fringe Festival’s diverse range of innovative performances,” says University President Joel Seligman. “In just a short time this festival has become a key event in Rochester’s cultural schedule. We are delighted to participate in what is becoming one of the area’s most anticipated arts and entertainment events.”
University of Rochester student-sponsored shows range from a laptop orchestra featuring local elementary school students, to After Hours A Cappella, and Diversity of Dance, which showcases performers from seven of the University’s dance clubs and students from the program of dance and movement. On Sept. 27, crowds can visit the University’s Arts Bus on Gibbs Street for free condensed performances including theater, music, dance, comedy, and more.
Established in 2009 by Erica Fee, a 1999 graduate of the University who previously worked with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, the festival has since doubled in size.
“Rochester’s rich arts community has helped to make ours the largest multi-arts festival in New York State,” says Fee. “The University plays a huge part in this success, not just with its support, but also with the wonderful productions that its talented faculty and students contribute to Fringe.”
The festival’s board of directors includes representatives from Boylan Code LLP, the University of Rochester and its Eastman School of Music, Rochester Institute of Technology, George Eastman House, Geva Theatre Center, Method Machine, Mengel Metzger Barr, PUSH Physical Theater, and the City of Rochester.
There are more than 200 fringe festivals worldwide, including 20 in the United States, with festivals closest to Rochester in Toronto and Philadelphia. Last year’s Fringe Festival in Rochester was attended by more than 50,000 people.
To view the schedule of performing groups affiliated with the University, visit www.rochester.edu/arts/fringe. For more information on the festival or to order tickets, visit rochesterfringe.com.
