In case you’ve been living under a rock, let us remind you: The Capital Fringe Festival is starting its third annual run today, July 10th and will go on till July 27th.
The FRINGE FESTIVAL (which is run strictly by volunteers) is often the first opportunity for emerging artists based in Washington and beyond to present their work, allowing them a formalized framework in which grow. The main aim is to train and educate the artists in our fringe to create a stronger self-producing community.

And while this is pretty much the most noble of operations DC sees every year, it also involves (are you ready?)

more than 600 individual performances involving over 200 companies in 30 venues, located all around the District.

I wrote that in major letters on purpose.

So, no matter how hard you are gung ho about supporting the alternative theatre/performance and art scene in DC (we certainly are) there IS NO WAY you can do it in 15 minutes (or days) like Artomatic and cover all the bases . Hell, JUST RESEARCHING IT takes forever.(I most certainly could barely read through all (or half) the press releases that the artists involved sent us).
The process is frustrating enough to make even the most sane person react like this:

Thankfully, other people have done the footwork for you (and for us).
So, here is a handy series of links, tips and advice to make you survive through it all:

• Before you do anything: GET THE BUTTON. As of this year “Buttons are REQUIRED for entrance into all Fringe Venues. One button per person, one time purchase. Proceeds from the sale of the will be shared equally will all Fringe run venue participants. Support the artists and BUTTON UP!”

• TAKE DEEP BREATHS. HYDRATE. TRY NOT TO OVERWHELM YOURSELF. REPEAT

• Then, print the official festival guide. Click here to do that.. Peruse

• TAKE DEEP BREATHS. HYDRATE. TRY NOT TO OVERWHELM YOURSELF. REPEAT

• Realize that the main problem with tackling Fringe festival is this: EVERYTHING SOUNDS COOL. Or at least: everything sounds offbeat and different and since most of these people have only their event’s title to grab your attention, they will use this weapon wisely. So….how do you pick between: Busted Jesus Comix by David Johnston or Wiener: The Musical or How I Got Rich in a Year, Using That Secret or Sex, Love & Vomit or The Black Jew Dialogues (this is, btw, a random selection, the full list is here: click click

• TAKE DEEP BREATHS. HYDRATE. TRY NOT TO OVERWHELM YOURSELF. REPEAT

• You have the following options:
  A. Eliminate things you think you know you’ll hate (ie. for some of us: creepy musicals, feminist monologues, improv comedy and for others: anything involving clowns, anything involving corny racial jokes, anything involving ….well, you know, you know what you know you’ll hate.B. Then, you can either decide to see something someone you know is in, and lets face it, with 600 plays, EVERYONE KNOWS SOMEONE WHO IS IN SOMETHING IN CAP FRINGE. Your friends are great, and they worked really hard, but in this case, the WHOLE CITY IS IN A PLAY

  C. Taking the other road, you can try and go see some of the more established events at Fringe: festival veterans like Shawn Northrip and Sheldon Scott and others are back. In fact, if there is one thing we do recommend than it is to go see Shawn’s new play, so see his interview here and a show review here)

  D. Decide that seeing something “sort of established already” defies the whole purpose of Fringe and go with one of those things you never thought you would see or like.

  E. Just check out a bunch of dance events as, lets face it, they stand the highest chance of, at least, being very beautiful.



F. Open the program, close your eyes, stick a finger in somewhere. Go. I mean I just did this and

you never know what you may find:

these girls seem fun


as does this


and this also


and if nothing else, this seems to involve fake boobs and body painting


you get the picture

• TAKE DEEP BREATHS. HYDRATE. TRY NOT TO OVERWHELM YOURSELF. REPEAT

Alternatively, other media that actually had time to research this properly (it being their actual jobs and all) so here are some online resources for survival:

• Washington City Paper’s Fringe and Purge Blog as well as their well done, and comprehensive Full Festival Coverage

• The Post’s Going Out Gurus weigh in on their picks

and while I am sure DCist and Washingtonian and your best friend’s blog (especially if they are in something at the festival) will bust out their guides soon (unless they are afraid and do a cop-out like us), but for now, this is what you have to go on.

The main thing to remember is:

It is terrific we have this kind of a thing happening annually in DC, it is terrific we have this kind of thing happening annually in DC, It is terrific we have this kind of a thing happening annually in DC, it is terrific we have this kind of thing happening annually in DC, It is terrific we have this kind of a thing happening annually in DC, it is terrific we have this kind of thing happening annually in DC, It is terrific we have this kind of a thing happening annually in DC, it is terrific we have this kind of thing happening annually in DC, It is terrific we have this kind of a thing happening annually in DC, it is terrific we have this kind of thing happening annually in DC, It is terrific we have this kind of a thing happening annually in DC, it is terrific we have this kind of thing happening annually in DC, It is terrific we have this kind of a thing happening annually in DC, it is terrific we have this kind of thing happening annually in DC, It is terrific we have this kind of a thing happening annually in DC, it is terrific we have this kind of thing happening annually in DC….

• TAKE DEEP BREATHS. HYDRATE. TRY NOT TO OVERWHELM YOURSELF. REPEAT

Relax and take it easy:

And tell us in comments WHAT YOU ARE PLANNING TO SEE.

http://www.capitalfringe.org/capital-fringe-festival-2008.html

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