Nashville's Sideshow Fringe Seeking Artists for 2012 Festival

Looking for a way to express your creativity in a fresh and contemporary theatrical setting? Nashville's Sideshow Fringe, Actor's Bridge Ensemble's foray into that arena, is looking for artists to take part in this summer's Sideshow Fringe Festival-the group's second outing, following their wildly successful 2011 event.

"We're super excited over here at Actors Bridge to have launched our new festival website:  www.sideshowfringe.com and we're now taking artist applications for this summer's festival," says Sideshow's Jessika Malone.

"We really want to encourage everyone in the performing arts community to make a proposal to the festival because our dream is to grow and diversify this festival to be a strong example of the wide range of talents and deep creativity the people of our city possess," Malone explains.

Sideshow Fringe Festival is now a member of the United States Association of Fringe Festivals (The only one in Tennessee and the surrounding region) and this year becomes a 50-50 artist pay-out model festival: "We partner with artists to produce their work and we are equal parts invested in the success of the individual artists and the festival structure's longevity."

"Additionally, this year we will be sending delegates to the World Fringe Congress at the 'Mother Fringe' in Edinburgh to represent our region and we're excited to establish an international network where Nashville will be able to send productions to the Edinburgh Fringe in the future with greater ease," Malone says.

Each August, Edinburgh, Scotland becomes a magical place as performing artists from all over the world come to Scotland to take part in the Fringe Festival. The whole city becomes a stage and visitors can view performances everywhere from playgrounds to conference rooms to city parks to churches. The Fringe Festival includes over 1,800 performances in music, theatre, dance and comedy during its three-week run.

Student actors from University School of Nashville's theater program will be taking part in the 2013 Ediburgh Fringe Festival as part of the American High School Theatre Festival.

"After our production of Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson last fall, a member of the AHSTF (who's a theatre professor at Vanderbilt) nominated USN's High School Theatre Program for the Festival. Each year, U.S. high school drama programs are nominated by state, regional and National Theatre directors as well as university theatre professors," according to USN theater head Catherine Coke.

"The AHSTF Board of Advisors has selected USN's High School Theatre Program to represent the United States as part of the 2013 American High School Theatre Festival at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. "

Malone said that Sideshow Fringe leaders are currently making plans to create an infrastructure for Sideshow Fringe artists to tour the USAFF festival circuit and to bring national acts to Music City.

For more information about Sideshow Fringe Festival and for an application, go to www.sideshowfringe.com.

Jeffrey Ellis is a Nashville-based writer, editor and critic, who's been covering the performing arts in Tennessee for more than 25 years. He is the recipient of the Tennessee Theatre Association's Distinguished Service Award for his coverage of theatre in the Volunteer State and was the founding editor/publisher of Stages, the Tennessee Onstage Monthly. He is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center and is the founder/executive producer of The First Night Honors, held during Labor Day Weekend, which honor oustanding theater artists in Tennessee in recognition of their lifetime achievements and includes The First Night Star Awards and the Most Promising Actors. Midwinter's First Night, held the first Sunday in January after New Year's Day, honors outstanding productions and performances throughout the state. Further, Ellis directed the Nashville premiere of La Cage Aux Folles, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and An American Daughter, as well as award-winning productions of Damn Yankees, Company, Gypsy and The Rocky Horror Show, with Ellis honored by The Tennessean as best director of a musical for both Company and Rocky Horror.

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