FringeNYC Announces Sold Out Shows - TAIL! SPIN!, INDEPENDENTS and More

The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), the largest multi-arts festival in North America, will present the 16th Annual Festival from August 10th- 26. FringeNYC will offer programming by 187 of the world's best emerging theatre troupes and dance companies in 20 venues in Lower Manhattan. With attendance topping 75,000 people, FringeNYC is New York City's fifth largest cultural event (just behind New York International Auto Show, Tribeca Film Festival, New York City Marathon, and New York Comic Con). A complete schedule can be found at www.FringeNYC.org. Printed copies of the FringeNYC Guide are also being distributed inside this weeks' The Onion newspaper.

"At only $15 per ticket, FringeNYC is one of Manhattan's few remaining bargains," says festival Producing Artistic Director Elena K. Holy. "Sales are strong across the board and we're looking forward to a hurricane and earthquake free festival!" On Monday, Tail! Spin! (which stars The Daily Show's Mo Rocca, SNL's Rachel Dratch, and Smash's Sean Duggan) became the first show of the 2012 festival to sell out its entire run -- and the earliest a FringeNYC show has ever been completely sold out. Several productions have already sold out individual performances including: Naked & Crazy, Independents, I'm Sorry and SHIKSAPPEAL: Getting the Chosen to Choose Me. Other best-selling shows include: 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, Standby - The Musical, I <3 Revolution (starring Chris Lowell of The Help, Private Practice & Veronica Mars), MisSpelled, Rated M for Mature, Have I Got A Girl For You, Gay Camp, Bite the Apple, and Grimm: A New Musical.

In 1997, New York City became the seventh US city to host a fringe festival, joining Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Houston, Orlando and San Francisco. In its first 15 years FringeNYC has presented nearly 3000 performing groups from the U.K., Canada, Poland, Ireland, Japan, China, Singapore, Germany, the Czech Republic and across the U.S., prompting Switzerland's national daily, The New Zurich Zeitung, to declare FringeNYC as "the premiere meeting ground for alternative artists." The festival has also been the launching pad for numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway transfers, long-running downtown hits, and regional Theater Productions including Urinetown, Never Swim Alone, Debbie Does Dallas, Dog Sees God, 21 Dog Years, Krapp 39, Dixie's Tupperware Party, Silence! The Musical, Matt & Ben, Bash'd, The Irish Curse, Jurassic Parq and The Fartiste and as well as movies (WTC View, Armless) and even a TV show ('da Kink in My Hair).

FringeNYC shows run 2pm - midnight weekdays and noon - midnight on weekends. Tickets are $15 in advance ($18 at the door) at www.FringeNYC.org or 866-468.7619. Discount passes for multiple shows will also available. For more information visit www.FringeNYC.org.