This meme is traveling around MySpace, so I thought I'd release it to the rest of the web. Written by Beth Marshall, it is a list of guidelines for experiencing the Orlando Fringe.

From Beth's Fringe FAQs blog on MySpace:

Here is a basic FRINGE 101 guide of FAQ's to help aid you in having a positive FRINGE experience. Please pass this email along to all your friends. Post it on your blogs, newsletters, websites or wherever you want.

Q- What is The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival?

A- A 12 day festival that is founded on the concept of offering 100% unjuried, 100% uncensored, 100% accessible theatre, music, dance, art and madness to all types and ages where 100% of the box office ticket sales go directly back to the artists within The Fringe. The Orlando Fringe is the longest running US Fringe.

IMPORTANT FRINGE POLICIES to know-

1) No Button= No show entry (no exceptions)
2) No Late Entry to shows (no exceptions)
3) No refunds given for any reason other than show cancellation.(no exceptions)
4) All FRINGE shows start on time and once the doors are closed, no entry is allowed. Please give yourself PLENTY of time to get to your shows. Lines can be long, so buying your tickets in advance online is strongly suggested and encouraged!!!!!!
5) If a show runs over its allotted time, it will be cut off. We are on a VERY tight schedule with 78 shows- so no exceptions. Please understand this may happen.
6) No food or drink allowed into the theatres.
7) No photography or video recording devices of any kind allowed in theatres.
8) Please put cell phones to vibrate in the theatres.
9) There is no re-entry to venues allowed, so if you leave the show for any reason, you will not be allowed back in.
10) No checks are accepted for tickets, buttons, merchandise or vendors. Please plan ahead.

Q- When is The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival?

A- May 17-28th 2007

Q- Where does the festival take place?

A- Within Loch Haven Park and at The Orlando REP (1001 E. Princeton St) and Orlando Shakes (Rollins) There are nine indoor venues within these 2 entities that are coded by colors. Orange , Yellow, Blue, Brown & Pink venues are in Orlando Shakes and Purple, Red, Green, Silver and KIDS FRINGE are at The Orlando REP. Visual Fringe is located within both The REP and Orlando Shakes in the lobby, on the walls to all venues and in The Patrons Round Room at OSF. PET FRINGE happens outside in Loch Haven Park . The Beer Tent and festival vendors and outdoor stage are in the Loch Haven Park in between The Orlando REP and Orlando Shakes.

Q- What is the 1st thing I should do if I want to come to learn about The Fringe and the shows within?

A- Check out our website at www.orlandofringe.org and our MySpace at www.myspace.com/orlandfringe and www.myspace.com/orlandofringeshows and read the descriptions given of each show by the artists themselves, listen to the podcasts interviews of the shows on the MySpace show profiles and come to The FRINGE PREVIEW on Monday, April 30th at 7pm at the Orlando Rep-Edyth Bush Theatre (SILVER VENUE) and see 3 minute snippets from 30 of the 78 shows at this years festival. You can get tickets for PREVIEW now by calling 407-648-0077 x 2 or at the Fringe box office at the Orlando Rep at 6 pm April 30th.

Q- When do the shows begin?

A- May 17th at 6pm kicks off our Opening Nite Gala and reception, with a FRINGE parade, Visual Art tours, 60's theme dance, ribbon cutting ceremony and more. Fringe shows begin at 9pm on following the GALA festivities.

Q- Where can I get a hard copy Fringe Program?

Programs will be available at FRINGE PREVIEW on April 30th, 2007. From that day on, you can pick up a copy at the following locations:

The Orlando Rep
Orlando Shakes
The Fringe office
SAK
Pom Pom's TeaHouse
The Closing Agent
The Parliament House
StarDust Coffee/Video
Dandelion Café'
Austin's Coffee House
Urban Think
EO INN
Comfort Suites on Magnolia
And other participating locations TBD(check orlandofringe.org for latest list)

Q- What are the operating hours of the festival?

A- The FRINGE box offices at Orlando Shakes and The REP open at 4pm on the weekdays and 10am on the weekends. Shows begin at 5:30pm on weekdays and 11am on weekends – midnite on ALL days. KIDS FRINGE/PET FRINGE Shows are ONLY on weekends and are from 10am-4pm.

Q- What are the operating hours of The Beer Tent?

A- 6pm-midnite on weekdays. Noon-midnite on weekends. CASH ONLY! (Donations for beer/wine $3)

Q- What's the deal with The FRINGE button?

A- A FRINGE button is required to enter ANY of the Fringe shows within ANY venue. The button cost is $6 and is a 1 time purchase and the proceeds go to The Fringe. This year patrons will have a choice of 4 FRINGE button designs, only one is required, but feel free to collect them all. Patrons MUST have FRINGE buttons on to enter the venues. However, a button is NOT required for Visual Fringe, KIDS FRINGE, PET FRINGE or to hang out at the Beer Tent and enjoy the outdoor events. If you forget to bring your button, you will have to purchase another. Fringe buttons cannot be purchased online, ONLY in person at the FRINGE box office at The REP or Orlando Shakes during the operating hours of the festival May 17th-28th.

Q- How do I buy tickets for FRINGE shows?

A- Tickets for the shows go on sale on April 30th online at www.orlandofringe.org or they can be purchased at The Fringe box offices at The Orlando Shakes and The Orlando REP May 17th-28th weekdays 4pm-midnite and weekends 10am-midnite. Tickets cannot be purchased by phone. Please do NOT call the Fringe office, Orlando REP or Orlando Shakes in attempt to purchase tickets. You may order online and then all you have to do is simply print out your ticket at home and bring it (along with your button) and go directly to the VENUE you are going to see a show at. Your ticket will be scanned by our venue captains and you will be good to go. OR you can go to the Fringe box office and buy your ticket and then take your ticket to the venue to be scanned. NO tickets will be mailed to you and there is NO Will call.

Q- How much are tickets?

A- Each performing group determines his/her own ticket price. They average range is from $5-$10 (no ticket exceeds $10) There is a $1 ticket surcharge on each ticket purchased that goes to the ticketing system. Credit Card fees apply as well. 100% of the box office goes directly to the artists of the show you purchase tickets for. No cut what-so-ever goes to The Fringe.

Q- Are any discounts offered?

A- YES. The artists determine their own discounts. All discounts are $2 and vary from group to group as to what is discounted. Some common discounts include (students, seniors, artists within Fringe, volunteers of Fringe.) Often groups will discount for fun things associated with the theme of their shows so take advantage of that cool opportunity when applicable. Discounts ONLY apply when purchasing tickets in person at the Fringe box office.

Q- Are any group discounts offered?

A- YES. A group constitutes of 10 or more people attending any show. When you purchase 10 tickets to the SAME show at one time a $2 discount per ticket will automatically be applied for the shows offering group discounts. You may get this discount either online or in person.

Q- What method of payment do you accept?

A- Cash, Visa and MasterCard for show tickets. Cash only for buttons. ATM's are on site for your convenience. Many of our outdoor vendors do not take credit cards and the beer tent only takes cash. We do not take any checks.

Q- Where do I park?

A- There is FREE parking (about 500 spaces) within The Loch Haven Park facilities. It is on a first come first serve basis. There is also a big parking garage across the street at The Science Center. This is a private lot and will cost you from $2-7 to park there. There is also some limited street parking around the area. Absolutely NO parking can happen on the grass within the park or within the no parking zones because your car will be towed. Allow yourself plenty of time to park, get your tickets and get to your venues.

Q- What are the show ratings and what do they mean?

A- Show ratings are determined by the artists themselves, not The Fringe. The ratings are as follows- KIDS FRINGE (shows catered to kids and appropriate for all ages) FAMILY FRIENDLY – G Rated ( not necessarily geared to children, but appropriate for them to see) GENERAL AUDIENCE ( shows that are open to all ages with no material harsher than what you would see on regular non-cable TV) MATURE ( If a show is mature, it means that it has warnings associated with it: language, violence, adult themes, content, nudity etc…) shows are required to list their warnings. No one under 18 will be allowed in a mature show without a parent or legal guardian. Remember, Fringe is uncensored, so please take the warnings associated with mature shows seriously.

Q- How long are the shows?

A- Artists determine the length of their shows. Times range from 30-90 minutes. Most Fringe shows are 60 minutes long. The times are in the program and online at orlandofringe.org

Q- Are the Fringe venues handicap accessible?

A- YES. All venues can accommodate for wheelchair needs. Please speak to the venue captain to assist you with early seating.

Q- Is there food at Fringe?

A- YES. There are many different sorts of food at provided by Fringe vendors (prices vary) There will be food for meat lovers to vegetarians and many different types of food. Some exotic and others more traditional. There will be plenty of varieties of drinks and sweets as well.

Q- Fringe sounds cool. I wanna volunteer. How do I get involved?

A- We always are looking for volunteers. Check the volunteer section of orlandofringe.org for training session times and locations or contact our Volunteer Coordinator- Kathy Hertel at Kathleen.hertel.pss6@statefarm.com for more info.

Q- What is KIDS FRINGE?

A- KIDS FRINGE is the portion of our festival that is catered to children. There are shows, workshops, art projects, educational activities that teach children about all aspects of theatre, art and dance. KIDS FRINGE is FREE and takes place from 10am-4pm on the weekends only within the lobby of The Orlando REP and outside in Loch Haven park. This year's theme is –EXPRESS YOURSELF. KIDS FRINGE activities are catered to kids K-8th grade. For complete listings of shows and events, please check the KIDS FRINGE schedule online and in the master program.

Q- What is PET FRINGE?

A- We are in our 2nd year of PET FRINGE. Simply put, it is animal actors doing shows for that are sometimes educational and other times entertaining. PET FRINGE is FREE. PET FRINGE takes place on weekends only. Please check the master schedule for specific shows and times.

Q- What is up with all these signs for FRINGE?

A- Fringe has launched a campaign for all artists, volunteers, patrons and beyond to create a sign showing support of FRINGE. This is not a protest of any sort, but rather a rallying together to support FRINGE and create awareness. We encourage EVERYONE to create a sign and bring it to all upcoming FRINGE events and the festival itself. You may go to www.signsforfringe.org to see examples of FRINGE signs and take a photo of your own and upload it there for FREE.

Q- I am an artist and want to be involved in FRINGE. How do I go about doing just that?

A- If you are a visual artist, you may contact our Visual Fringe producer- Anna McCambridge at visualfringe@yahoo.com to get an application. You may submit up to 3 piece of visual art into The Fringe. The fee is ($10, $15 or $25) and 100% of the proceeds artist make from sales goes directly back to them. Applications for Visual Fringe will be online at www.orlandofringe.org on April 16th, 2007.

If you are an artist wanting to be a part of the festival itself, there are still opportunities to perform on our OutDoor stage. We welcome all forms of General Audience art (dance, music, poetry, comedy etcc…) Please contact our Outdoor Events Coordinator- Jae Nale for an application and more info at Jae1432@aol.com

If you want to do a show within the festival itself in 2008, please visit our website to download an application between Sept.1 –Nov. 7th 2007.

Q- I want to a vendor at The FRINGE. What is the process?

A- Vending slots are still available. Visit orlandofringe.org and download and application and submit. The cost to vend for food vendors is $750 and for non-food vendors it is $325. For more info contact OutDoor Events Coordinator -Jae Nale at Jae1432@aol.com.

Q- What FRINGE merchandise is available and how, when and where can I get it?

A- FRINGE merchandise will be available beginning at FRINGE PREVIEW on April 30th and then can be purchased during the festival operating hours May 17th-28th. Items include: buttons-$6, Baseball caps- $10, 2007 Fringe T-shirts-$ 12, vintage Fringe T-shirts- $5. Old Fringe buttons- $2 Fringe Magnets -$2, Fringe Beer Chairs- $100 (can include airbrush of you show, business or name) KIDS FRINGE wristbands- $1.

Q- What is THE FRINGE 250?

A- The FRINGE 250 was the campaign we began in 2004 to get 250 people to donate $100 to reach a specific financial goal. It was such a hit, that we have kept the idea. So if you want to donate to THE FRINGE at a $100 level or more- you too can be a part of this FABULOUS group and receive perks. You can contact the office at 407-648-0077 for more info or donate directly from our website or at our box office at the festival itself.

Q- I want to learn more about sponsorship opportunities for THE FRINGE. How do I do that?

A- Fringe has many levels of sponsorship beginning at $1000. To receive a sponsorship package, simply call the office at 407-648-0077 x1 and ask for Producing Artistic Director –Beth Marshall. There are still opportunities available for sponsorship for the 2007 FRINGE.

Got more questions feel free to contact THE FRINGE office at 407-648-0077, visit the website orlandofringe.org or the Myspace at www.myspace.com/orlandofringe often for updates, join our FRINGE mailing list by contacting Ryan at ryan@orlandofringe.org or visit the FRINGE info booths at Orlando Shakes and The Orlando REP during Fringe operating hours May 17th-28th.

HERE'S TO A FUN & FABULOUS 16TH ANNUAL ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL FRINGE THEATRE FESTIVAL!!!!!!!!!!!

Fringefully Yours,

Beth Marshall
Producing Artistic Director
Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival
Vice President
Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF)