FringeArts

FringeArts was founded in 1997 as the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, with the intention of providing opportunities for contemporary performing artists to connect with audiences in an exciting social environment. The first Festival took over Philadelphia's Old City for five days, and featured 60 performing groups that presented their work in theaters, nightclubs, galleries, alleys, abandoned buildings and at least one parked car. Today, the annual Fringe Festival features more than 1,000 performances by national, international and Philadelphia-based artists of all disciplines. For 17 days, these innovators fill the public and private spaces across the city with nonstop, wild creativity for audiences of more than 40,000. Included is a series of world-class performances curated by FringeArts, as well as an unfiltered opportunity for any artist to independently produce his or her own work in the true spirit of the international "Fringe" movement. In 2013, FringeArts moved into its first permanent home-renovating an historic pumping station for the city's fire trucks into a state-of-the-art performance center. It features an adaptable theater space that can be reconfigured for numerous experiences-from immersive to in-the-round-and can accommodate seating for up to 240 guests; a multipurpose studio space; La Peg, a brasserie and beer garden that also serves up live performances; and the organization's headquarters. The center is a vibrant gathering place where performers and audiences can advance the global dialogue about art, and where one can always expect the unexpected.