10 Days Left to Submit a Show to the First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival; Deadline 4/16

Artists in every genre from all over the world have only 10 days left to submit their shows to venues for the 2014 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival (Thursday, September 18 - Saturday, September 27). The application process began February 19, 2014 and will close on Wednesday, April 16 at midnight.

Submissions are accepted only at rochesterfringe.com, and will go directly to all venues chosen by applicants from among the following: Bernunzio Uptown Music, Blackfriars Theatre, Eastman School of Music's Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music's Sproull Atrium (next to Max of Eastman Place), George Eastman House (Curtis and Dryden Theatres), Geva Theatre Center Nextstage, Java's, The Little and Gallery r (RIT-affiliated shows only), MuCCC, RAPA, The TheatreROCS Stage at Xerox Auditorium, and Writers & Books.

There is no fee to apply, and the $100 (one performance) or $150 (multiple performances) registration fee is due only after the contract with a venue is finalized. That fee goes toward the show's inclusion in the program guide and website, a centralized box office and more.

Rochester Fringe held three, hour-long Fringe 101's at Rochester's Writers & Books in March, along with a very successful event called Artist Mash-Up at Blackfriars Theatre. A collaborative effort between our Fringe and the Syracuse Fringe Festival - Fringe for All! - will take place tonight at 7 p.m. at the Cantor Warehouse in downtown Syracuse. Additionally, a Fringe 101 hosted by Arts Services Initiative of Western New York Inc (ASI) will take place from 7-8 p.m. at 464 Gallery (464 Amherst Street) in downtown Buffalo this Thursday, April 10.

"First Niagara is proud to be part of such a unique event that celebrates Western New York's creative spirit," says Suzanne Nasipak Chapman, First Niagara Rochester Market Executive. "The First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival continues to grow each year and attract talented artists who are infusing energy and creativity into our communities."

"We're excited to be reaching out to regional artists more proactively this year," adds Fringe Producer Erica Fee. "It benefits all of us to partner and offer our performers and audiences more opportunities to create and explore art."

Rochester Fringe Festival is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation that exists as a means to connect venues, performers, artists, educational institutions and the audience. It was pioneered by several of Rochester's esteemed cultural institutions, including Geva Theatre Center, the George Eastman House and Garth Fagan Dance, as well as up-and-coming groups like PUSH Physical Theatre and Method Machine. The Board of Directors also includes representatives from the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Boylan Code LLC, Center for Youth, the Eastman School of Music and Mengel, Metzger and Barr & Co. LLP.

Last year's second annual First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival ran September 19 - 28, growing from five to ten days in its sophomore year and drawing more than 50,000 attendees to downtown Rochester. A highlight was the return of world-renowned aerial troupe, BANDALOOP, dancing on the side of the 21-story HSBC Plaza, as well as the North American fringe festival debut of the Magic Crystal Spiegeltent, which sold out every performance of its world-premiere Cirque du Fringe. Other headliners were humorist Dave Barry and comedian Marc Maron at Kodak Hall, and there were more than 240 ticketed performances in 25 other downtown venues. Approximately 120 free performances included those at Manhattan Square Park, One Fringe Place and Gibbs Street.

About First Niagara: Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, First Niagara Bank, N.A. is a multi-state, community-oriented bank with nearly 430 branches, approximately $35 billion in assets, $28 billion in deposits, and approximately 6,000 employees providing financial services to individuals, families and businesses across Upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.firstniagara.com.

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