Cincinnati Fringe Festival 2020-2022

About the Festival:

The Cincinnati Fringe Festival is now in its 20th season. The Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s staff runs this internationally recognized festival. The festival takes place in venues all over the Over the Rhine district over the course of two weeks. Fringe artists present various dance, music, film, visual art, and theater events. Due to Covid, the past two years have been hybrid or fully digital, and the Know’s staff have learned many new skills to make the festival still possible. My Roles:

Visual Fringe Coordinator:

Visual Fringe is the work of visual artists, whether in a gallery format, or a collaborative work. I reached out to local artists, or artists applied to the program. Artists could either display their art digitally, or in 2021 and 2022, in person. I coordinated artists setting up their work in our lobby, and designed signage for each artist. I added their work to a page on the Cincinnati Fringe Website.

Graphic Design and Production:

I was the Fringe graphic designer 2020-2022. I designed all of the media and graphics for the festival, including streaming intros, lower thirds, maps, social media content, the main poster, signage, tee shirts, and other merchandise. In 2022 I designed the Citybeat Guide, which is a twelve page program inserted into the June issue of the Cincinnati Citbeat Newspaper. I also made sure the festival ran smoothly when it was digital and in person. I helped run streaming content, worked a little with an ATEM Mini, and connecting Zoom, Vimeo, and Cuelab. When the festival was in person I built and painted stages, set up fences, manned the bar, and ushered shows. All of our shows were outside in 2021, and we had to set up chairs, tents, and sound equipment every day. In 2022 we were divided between the Know Theatre Mainstage and the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

CINCINNATI FRINGE FESTIVAL- 2022

In 2022 It was a big relief to have the festival atmosphere a little closer to it’s pre-pandemic equivalent. We did however have livestreaming shows, an outdoor bar, and required our patrons to be masked. As a decorator and designer, I was in charge of a lot of the Festival’s graphic design- including the Citybeat Newspaper Program Insert. It was a twelve page program insert professionally printed and displayed on the Citybeat website. I worked in Indesign and Photoshop to create both it, the schedule, the map, and the main poster. I designed and printed signage to guide people to the appropriate rooms in Art Academy, which had five studios and classrooms turned into venues. I had a lot of fun decorating the Know Theatre’s lobby and outdoor space. I also participated in the loading in of venues, such as setting up and striking risers, chairs, light plots, and sound gear.These venues are frequently classrooms that we have rearranged and added masking to in order to create a more theatre like environment. Due to Covid cancellations my coworkers and I had to quickly pivot each day to make sure the festival was running smoothly and all parties were informed. I helped man the bar, usher, and house managed shows during the festival.

CINCINNATI FRINGE FESTIVAL- 2021

In 2021 we dealt with cicadas, a pandemic, a tornado, and a lot of hot summer days. Our festival was partially streaming, and partially outdoors. We had two stages, one of which involved the closure of the city street, and the other one was in a nearby parking lot. We set up stages, which I painted, hung overhead lights, and set up audio/lighting equipment. We set up chairs, a bar, and a box office. I designed the festival guide, maps, tee shirt designs, pins, and signage. We live-streamed some of our outdoor content, including the nightly News and Bar Series performances. It was a delight to be part of something that brought people safely together during such a frustrating time.

CINCINNATI FRINGE FESTIVAL- 2020

Due to Covid, the fringe festival had to fully pivot to a digital lineup summer of 2020. We had on-demand shows that were submitted by artists who were able to quickly digitalize their shows, or already had filmed versions of past shows. As a production crew we were in charge of live streaming special events, late night programming, and the nightly News. I created graphics to be used in the livestream videos. I also created the main poster, social media icons, and the festival guide.