Who are you, and what did you do to my socks?

Oh sorry, those were your socks? I didn’t realize, and they were the perfect size to make a pair of pants for the squirrel that sits outside my window. Sorry I guess, but not that sorry; squirrels need pants too, you know.  As to who I am? I’m Vanessa Frey, a Libra who thinks astrology is garbage and whose hobbies (besides making tiny clothing for tiny animals of course) include reading and not watching sports.

How did you get involved with Fringe, and why do you have french fries in your pockets?

I went to my first Fringe four years ago, just after I moved to Los Angeles. I loved the community and the performances and wanted to become more involved. I’m no thespian, however, so when I saw the posting for Development Coordinator three years ago, I saw that as an opportunity for me to help support the organization. As for the french fries…I could tell you, but you wouldn’t like the answer. I think the real question here, though, is how you could tell I had french fries in my pocket in the first place.

The fries are sticking out of the top your pant pockets, which is why I asked…but anyway, what do you do for the Fringe?

Sorry I didn’t hear the last part of your question—did you ask who is my favorite muppet?! That’s such a great question! There are so many muppets that have jobs similar to what I do for the Fringe. Take Scooter for example—he’s the muppet who kept the show going by finding gigs for Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem. Similar to Scooter, I go out and find organizations, agencies and foundations that want to give grants to Fringe in order to keep the festival going. Also, Beaker is my favorite muppet (sorry Scooter).

What are your plans now that your Fringe’s Development Director, and can you please stop throwing french fries at me?

Oops, sorry about the french fries…the squirrel outside my window tells me to do things sometimes. As for my plans, today I plan to vacuum the stairs, braid my dog’s hair and then go to Starbucks for a couple of hours and pretend to do work. After that I think I’ll—-

Stop. Please, just stop—I didn’t mean what are your plans for today, I meant what are your plans for Fringe!

Oh, why didn’t you say so!  My plans for Fringe include getting the organization more support as it continues to grow, so it can further develop things like Fringe Scholarships. I also plan to spend as much time as I can at Fringe Central and see as many shows as I can. Can’t wait to Fringe it up with you all!

My husband, Brendan, and I moved to L.A. in the fall of 2010 to pursue our dreams of acting and writing, respectively. We first heard of Fringe midway through June the following year. We were dead broke, like so many Los Angeles transplants following their dreams, and I remember thinking, “Hey, I should see if they have any volunteer positions, maybe I could see some shows for free that way.”

June passed and I never got around to it, but I vowed I wouldn’t miss Fringe in 2012. I signed up to volunteer the following spring, and the first volunteer job I did (and roped Brendan into joining me for) was dressing up as a Fringe Freak and marching in the West Hollywood Pride Parade. We had so much fun and realized we’d found an amazing community. I volunteered several more times that Fringe and, yes, I got to see some shows for free.

2013 marked another year of volunteering for Fringe and seeing shows, but with a bit of a shift. Brendan and I wanted to be even more enmeshed in this community and to dust off our producing hats, still crumpled in the moving boxes we brought from Seattle. We decided we would write and produce a show for Fringe 2014. 

Our show plans were well underway as 2014 rolled around and then there was a little wrinkle: I saw that Fringe was seeking a new volunteer coordinator; the ever delightful Liz Steele was moving on. I was worried about a conflict of interests, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to become thoroughly entangled in Fringe and help more lucky folks get involved as volunteers. I applied, I interviewed, I expressed my concerns about also producing a show and assured Ben that Brendan would be the primary show promoter, and I got the job!

As Volunteer Coordinator, then Director, I’ve watched the ranks of volunteers expand to nearly 250 dedicated folks, overseen the Volunteer Comps and Discounts program, initiated and led annual Volunteer Orientations, and overseen and grown the Fringe Intern (Fringetern, anyone?) Program. This year my role will expand as I take on the role of Fringe Central Front of House Director. In addition to scheduling volunteers to help out at Fringe Central, I’ll be hiring Concierge and Security staff, maintaining communication between departments (Bryan’s Bar, Concierge, Cabaret, and Security), and making sure Fringe Central is well-staffed, well-stocked, and running smoothly.

I’m as caught up in this web as I could ever have hoped, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Moving to Los Angeles from cozy Seattle has made me realize that it isn’t always easy to find amazing communities of trustworthy, dedicated, and inspiring people. When you are lucky enough to find one, get enmeshed and entangled and caught up in it.

Update: The Fringe Community has spoken! This year’s prom theme will be Space. This theme was decided by a vote on Twitter over the other community-nominated themes: Jungle, Old Hollywood & Pajama!

This year’s Fringe Prom theme will be chosen by the #hff17 community. Beginning Thursday, May 4th, tweet your prom theme ideas to @hollywoodfringe with #hffprom and #hff17. Theme nominations close on Thursday, May 11th and the most popular themes (based on likes and re-tweets) will be voted on in an official Twitter poll!  Click here for all the details.

The Cabaret Stage (located at Fringe Central) provides Fringers the opportunity to sample Fringe shows before committing to the full meal. Each cabaret performance features a new show. Special guest performers and raffles for show tickets are also available. Plus, it’s all free to the public. Cabaret applications submissions are now open. To apply, go to this link and fill out the form. Follow @hffcabaret on Twitter and/or join the Facebook group for the latest news. To learn more click here.

PLUS, we are bringing Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School back to present two special figure drawing sessions with live models from Fringe-registered shows! Get details here.

UPDATE: Due to overwhelming response, Cabaret Stage applications are currently closed. Everyone who applied will receive a reply by June 1st. Please follow @HFFCabaret on Twitter and/or join the HFF Cabaret group on Facebook for updates on possible future openings!

FringeTV is back and we want to hear from you! Here are a couple of promotional opportunities we hope you’ll take advantage of.

“Backstage at Fringe 2017” - We want to film a few clips from your live show, and follow you backstage to hear about your experience and what Fringe means to you. Contact us at [email protected] by May 10th (include “Backstage” in the subject line). Slots are very limited.
 
“Participant Lightning Round” - We invite you to join us on Friday, May 12th from 2:30pm – 5:30pm for a Lightning Round of FringeTV interviews. It will be held at Sacred Fools Mainstage (1076 Lillian Way).
 
You will answer 2 questions very, very quickly. Lightning round style! Remember, you will be in a short video with 30 other productions, so make your answers SHORT & SWEET! Make sure to bring your awesome personality and character to the stage for us! You are welcome to wear your costumes and be as animated as you would like.
 
You will answer the following questions:

1. What is your show about?
2. What is your favorite line in the show?

No more than four people from your production are allowed in the video. We recommend planing ahead for who will say what, when. And remember: keep it short. If your answers are too long, your show may not make the cut.