20th Annual FronteraFest Set for 1/15-2/16

FronteraFest, now celebrating its 20th year as one of the largest fringe performance events in the Southwest kicks-off its 'Short Fringe' from January 15 – February 16 and 'Long Fringe' performances from January 21 – February 3, 2013. The Short Fringe takes place at Hyde Park Theatre (511 West 43rd) Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Long Fringe performances are held at Salvage Vanguard Theatre (2803 Manor Road) at various dates/times (available at www.hydeparktheatre.org). There is also a special 'Mi Casa es Su Teatro' event which takes place one day only, Saturday, February 9th from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Over the course of two decades, FronteraFest stages have been host to over 2,000 performances and well over 8,000 participants from Central Texas and beyond. The month-long Festival, now an institution, features three separate components; the Short Fringe which runs the entirety of the Festival showcasing pieces 25 minutes or less, and the Long Fringe, with longer pieces between 45-90 minutes. The final and most unique component, 'Mi Casa es Su Teatro' consists of one day of performances hosted primarily at private homes.

FronteraFest is a collaboration between two of Austin's foremost arts organizations, Hyde Park Theatre, an award-winning professional theatre in Central Austin and ScriptWorks, a statewide playwright development and service organization.

The festival was created in 1993 by Frontera@Hyde Park Theatre Artistic Director Vicky Boone. Boone resigned in 2001 and Ken Webster became Artistic Director of the organization, which changed its name to Hyde Park Theatre. In 2002 Hyde Park Theatre and ScriptWorks' began a partnership to produce the storied festival with Christina J. Moore of ScriptWorks serving as festival producer.

To commemorate two decades of exciting, moving, sometimes weird and delightfully unexpected performance, former FronteraFest 'Best of Fest' winners and long-time participants have been invited to return to the stage for special appearances on Thursday evenings, including Steven Tomlinson, Emily Fordyce, Cyndi Williams, Zell Miller, III and Keira McDonald. Past notables include nationally recognized playwrights Kirk Lynn, John Walch, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Lisa D'Amour, who presented some of their earliest work at the festival.

Many plays that began as FronteraFest pieces have gone on to become full-length, award-winning productions, including works by Steven Tomlinson, Ron Berry, Hans Frank, Cyndi Williams, Lowell Bartholomee, and others. Participants have included Austin resident and former LA television actress Beth Broderick, Austinite Hank Schwemmer who has performed in the Short Fringe every year of the Fest's existence and slam poet 'Big Poppa E' who made a name for himself on HBO's former television series 'Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam.'

Recent festivals included performers and writers from New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Minneapolis and Los Angeles among many other cities. Last year brought a partnership with The University of Texas at Austin to bring in actors from the prestigious Chang Ung University in Seoul, South Korea to perform an adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest, performed in Korean and English by Korean and U.T. students.

Christina J. Moore, Executive Director of ScriptWorks and producer of FronteraFest says, "By its nature, FronteraFest offers a highly creative and nurturing environment which lends a type of freedom for writers and performers to experiment with new work, or showcase pieces that they have always wanted to perform. We are thrilled to be celebrating our 20th year and honored that so many consider FronteraFest to be their 'creative home'."

Ken Webster, Artistic Director of Hyde Park Theatre and co-collaborator agrees. "It has been amazing to see what began as a small event, evolve into a regionally-known and highly-regarded institution. The level of talent and camaraderie from veteran performers to Austin newcomers speaks to its unique character. I have been a part of the Fest both behind the scenes and on stage and I feel the same excitement about the Festival today as I did twenty years ago."

Participation in FronteraFest is non-juried and based upon a first-come, first-served basis through an application process. However, there are weekly three-person panels and every night's audience votes for their favorites. The highest ranked performances return each Saturday of the Short Fringe for a 'Best of the Week' showcase. The final week of the Short Fringe is reserved for 'Best of the Fest', which are pieces selected from 'Best of the Week' pieces, in addition to a 'Wild Card' night which are pieces selected by FronteraFest staff.

The Fest has been named "Best Theatrical Event" by the Austin Chronicle with "exhilarating experiments in performance," and "the fringe theatre event of the Southwest" by the Austin American-Statesman.

A full list of venues along with ticket information and schedules will be posted before the holidays on the Hyde Park Theatre website, www.hydeparktheatre.org. Persons interested in performing in Mi Casa or sharing their home for a performance can contact Christina J. Moore directly at fronterafest@hydeparktheatre.org.

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