2015 First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival Now Accepting Submissions

The fourth annual First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival opens its submission process to all artists who are interested in presenting shows in the 2015 Fringe (Thursday, September 17 - Saturday, September 26) on Wednesday, March 11 at noon. Once again, submissions will be accepted by venues only via rochesterfringe.com through Wednesday, April 22 at 5 p.m.

Submissions can be made to the following venues: Bernunzio Uptown Music, Blackfriars Theatre, Eastman School of Music's Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music's Sproull Atrium, Gallery r (RIT only), George Eastman House's Dryden Theatre, Geva Theatre Center's Nextstage, Java's Café, The Little (Theatre 1 and Café, both RIT only), Rochester Lyric Opera (440 East Ave.), MuCCC, RAPA at School of the Arts, Strong National Museum of Play, The TheatreROCS Stage, and Writers & Books.

As in past years, several venues will curate their own programming: Garth Fagan Dance Studio, Geva Theatre Café, and Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo).

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.

Free, informative sessions called Fringe 101s are scheduled for Saturday, March 28 from 2 - 3 p.m. at Writers & Books (740 University Ave.) and Saturday, April 18 from 11 a.m. - noon at Geva Theatre Center (75 Woodbury Blvd.) Attendees should RSVP by emailing info@rochesterfringe.com.

Background: The first-ever First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival ran September 19 - 21, 2012, and drew more than 33,000 people over five days to downtown Rochester. A highlight was world-renowned aerial troupe, BANDALOOP, dancing on the side of the 21-story HSBC Plaza. The second annual Fringe doubled in length to ten days, from September 19 - 28, and drew more than 50,000 attendees. BANDALOOP made a return visit, and the Magic Crystal Spiegeltent made its North American fringe festival debut. The third Fringe in 2014 attracted more than 60,000 visitors, and featured Circus Orange's spectacular TRICYCLE public show as well as Spoon River Rochester and the return of the Magic Crystal Spiegeltent.

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 includes representatives from the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC, Boylan Code LLC, the Eastman School of Music, Mengel, Metzger and Barr & Co. LLP, Method Machine, PUSH Physical Theatre, and Writers & Books. The Rochester Fringe Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. This project is also supported by a grant awarded to the Rochester Fringe Festival by New York State's Empire State Development and the I ? NY Division of Tourism under Governor Andrew Cuomo's Regional Economic Development Council Initiative.

2014 Fringe Sponsors included: First Niagara, New York State Council on the Arts, University of Rochester, The Rochester Area Community Foundation, Rochester Institute of Technology, The Ames Amzalak Memorial Trust, Boylan Code LLP, Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC, Waldron Rise Foundation, The Elaine P. and Richard U. Wilson Foundation, The City of Rochester, The County of Monroe, SUNY Geneseo, Wegmans, Nocon & Associates, Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation, the Mary Mulligan Trust, East Avenue Inn & Suites, WHEC TV, City Newspaper, Democrat and Chronicle, WXXI, Yelp, Broccolo Lawn & Tree Lawncare, Scott Grove, McCarthy Tents & Events, VisitRochester, City Blue, The Pike Company, Heineken, Dundee, IEC Electronics, The College at Brockport, Nazareth College, Bernard & Ann Lib Kozel Family Foundation, LaBella Associates, Waldron Rise Foundation, C.P. Ward, Midtown Athletic Club, Fred & Floy Willmott Foundation, Benderson, The Distillery, Wolk Foundation, Konar Enterprises, mü by LiDestri Spirits, Jennifer Jones Jewelry, the Wilson Foundation, the Spindler Family Foundation, Mengel Metzger Barr & Co LLP, the YMCA, House of Guitars, Rural Metro, the Rubens Family Foundation, Hamilton AV, Kids Out and About, ESL Foundation, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust, AAA Western & Central New York and other supporters.

First Niagara, through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Niagara Bank, N.A., is a multi-state community-oriented bank with approximately 410 branches, $39 billion in assets, $28 billion in deposits, and approximately 5,600 employees providing financial services to individuals, families and businesses across New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. For additional information on First Niagara, visit us at www.firstniagara.com, follow us on Twitter @FirstNiagara, or like us on Facebook at FirstNiagaraBank.