Every year I locate as many video promos related to Orlando Fringe Festival. This year I found a TV show that airs on the local Orange TV cable channel featuring a documentary about Dog Powered Robot, and a short feature about Fringe 21 with Michael Marinaccio and Genevieve from Kid's Fringe.

The very first video in the list is a recap from the Fringe at the Hard Rock fundraiser earlier this year. It was a great spectacle, and the recap hardly does it justice, but not for lack of trying by the filmmaker, who did a great job.

There are also promos for local shows like Double Happiness and Happy Pink Girl, as well as out-of-town acts like Gemma Wilcox, A Mind Full of Dopamine, and Kurt Fitzpatrick. All the videos I could find are here.

EDIT: The Orlando Sentinel has a roll of all the 2-minute previews from the local shows.

Edit: New videos added above, and now a Vimeo playlist as well.

Full days at the festival are so awesome because you get to see so many shows. The night ended really strong with:

• Skill Focus: Burlesque had an appearance from the lead character in the "Portal" games and an anthropomorphized GLADOS took her chrome clothes off to open this video-game themed version of Orlando's own nerd burlesque show. They replaced a show that pulled out of the Orange Venue, so they need as many scantily-clad butts in seats as they can get. Fringe Page
• The Habit is in a similar boat - a veteran of several Fringe festivals, Wilson Loria added his show literally at the last minute when an international performer was denied a visa. Go see his excellent show. You won't be disappointed

A character named Caroline makes a commitment to herself and goes on her own honeymoon for one in the hilarious and entertaining ONEymoon at the Brown venue in the 2012 Orlando Fringe.

http://www.christelbartelse.com/

Tonya Jone Miller plays a character based on her mother in the dramatic and gripping Threads: The True Story of an Indiana Farm Girl in Vietnam in the Patron's Room.

New York's own 77-year-old ukulele playing Commedianne tells us her fringe crush. See I Married a Nun in the Patron's Room.

http://www.dyanforest.com/

• Volunteering in the beer tent is one of the best things I know of at Fringe. Everyone stops by, especially on a Saturday night. Tonight I had the pleasure of serving alongside Jason Nettle (9/11: We Will Forget) and Mike Maples (The Humor Mill Hysteria Repeats Itself).
• Threads: the True Story of an Indiana Farm Girl in Vietnam by Tonya Jone Miller from Portland. Certainly one of the great dramatic shows of this year's festival, and all based on a true story. This is on my must-see list when people ask me what I like.
• On the Nose is a collaboration between an out-of town clowining duo, a former local clown and the producer of last year's hit Onomatopoeia. The show combines a lecture led by two characters with a series of filmed interviews with some of the world's most famous contemporary clowns.
• Menage-a-Prov is a show put together by Francisco Laboy, Charles Frierman and Darren Vierday from SAK Comedy Lab, with a fresh batch of randomized short-form improv games. I got to go on stage for one of the scenes and was laughing out loud the entire time I was up there. We invented a superhero with racoon super powers (I dug in a trash can to thwart the villain) and my sidekick was a master of blenders and smoothies. Hooray for improv.
• Sport: 3rd Strike is just as solid as the first two incarnations of the show, though the female character is a different actor than many of the PB&J Productions shows I've seen. Seating in the Yellow Venue was so limited I lost some of the minor effects because of an extreme left wing seat. Still, quite awesome.
• Bonus: The Spork: A Happy Food Cafe opened up a new food tent today which features fresh food (including fruits and vegetables, hummus, parfaits and lots of yummy goodies from the newly opened cafe inside of Urban ReThink

Yes, It's finally here! That is to say, Orlando Fringe is here. I would like to present the following list in no particular order, even though it says "top 5". This is also based on my experience of day 1, not of everything about the day.

• ONEymoon - $11 - Brown - starring the hilarious (and tap-dancing) Canadian Christel Bartelse, following her alter ego Caroline on her dating escapades and her honeymoon of one to the Islands after making a commitment to... herself. The premise of this show was not exciting to me, but the execution is top-notch, and this one will draw some fans.
• Medicine - $11 - Yellow - TJ Dawe, whose shows are always based on real life, where he talks about self-discovery on a Peruvian tea, complete with Shamans. This would have been even more awesome if he had not run over time. That's what I get for attending opening night. The Fringe runs on time. Remember that there is no late entry, no refunds or exchanges, and no re-entry once the doors have closed.
• Sangria Soda - $2 - sold by the pizza vendor in the corner of the Green Lawn of Fabulousness
• Wood Fired Pizza - $10 - several varieties available, though I don't remember seeing any with meat. We tried the Margherita and the Four Cheese Pesto. Each pizza is a 10-12 inch thin personal pizza. This is one of 4 such mobile wood-burning ovens in the state, and I'm told.
• Fried Peanut Butter and Jelly "Clouds" - $5 - from Peg and Pete's food truck. If you are a Cloud Virgin, you are in for a treat. This basket of 5 fluffy-crispy-gooey confections is possible to share, but not easy once you've taken the first bite. Also, something called a Cloud has got to be light on the calories, right? ;-)

You'll notice that both shows I saw are from out of town (out of the US, in fact). Here's a tip: go to see any National or International act on the opening weekend of the festival, (that is, people who are not from Florida or the US). The great ones will all sell out next week, as word of mouth spreads. You can be ahead of the curve by taking a chance on an out-of-towner!

The 2012 Fringe Festival Producer tells us all that is new at the 21st Orlando Fringe, and shares his Fringe Crush.

Lots of news!

• Billboard Campaign
• Fringe First Fridays
• National / International Preview Opening Night replaces the gala
• Family Friendly and Mature Preview April 16th
• Kids Fringe at the Manello Museum (across the street from the Green)
• New Orlando Fringe Website
• Documentary Film about Fringe is being made
• 80 shows - more than ever
• Expanded Outdoor Stage - featuring local Bands
• Miss Hiccup returns with Osara Soup

The official 2012 website reveal video for the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival (originally shown at the 2012 Fab Fringe Fundraiser at Hard Rock Live Orlando). http://OrlandoFringe.org

Design and video by GRIN Digital (http://GrinDigital.com)

Dewey and Douglas, owners of "Screw You Entertainment," announce the winners of the 2012 Sassy Sponsorship Awards.

Congrats to Cole Nesmith and Jeff Feree for the honor!

Zombie theme at Fringe this year? What!