Independent Venue for Fringe Festival 2013 seeks supporters

27 November 2012

Fringe at the Gryphon
Independent Venue for Fringe Festival 2013 seeks supporters big and small
Campaign runs until Sunday 9 December

During Fringe Festival 2013, the Gryphon will be home to an ambitious and tightly packed ten day program that will see the Ghuznee Street theatre become one of the main hubs of the Fringe. To ensure it goes off without a hitch a Pledge Me campaign is underway to support not one but six fantastic Fringe shows: five from around NZ, and one from across the ditch, with improv, comedy, circus, and drama, all in the one venue.

With this year’s Fringe Festival hosting 91 events, it was inevitable that that increased pressure on the capital’s various venues would follow, especially in 2013 with the heart of the Fringe BATS Theatre being relocated temporarily. In response to that demand, the Fringe Festival looked to connect venue managers with venues, with one of those connections resulting in Fringe at the Gryphon.

‘I am ridiculously excited about the shows taking part and I can’t wait for the Fringe to get here so Wellington can see what they’ve got,’ says producer and venue manager, Jennifer O’Sullivan. ‘There’s performers from Wellington, Christchurch, Invercargill and Melbourne and we’ve got something for everyone; from gritty serious drama through to circus and improv.’

Jennifer has been a fixture on the theatre and improv scene for some time; BATS audiences will recognise her as the previous Front of House manager, and improv audiences will recognise her from six years of involvement with Wellington Improvisation Troupe, both onstage and off. Fringe at the Gryphon marks her first independent and solo production project.

‘When I say solo, I really mean solo. I am producer, venue manager, and marketing for the venue, and it’s all on my dime,’ she says. ‘There’s been an amazing response so far from the community, and we’re over halfway. The rewards are definitely worth it - tickets to a show, a personal postcard for out-of-town pledgers, or special reserved seats to all performances, plus you have the knowledge your support is helping not one but six different shows.’

The campaign offers (among other rewards) opening night tickets to all shows available as rewards to those who pledge to support the behind-the-scenes costs for putting on such an event. General ticket sales for the six shows start December 12 (following the Fringe Launch). Pledges will go towards the costs of production, box office and technical support staff, plus marketing costs for the venue. Interested pledgers can visit https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/594 for all information, and check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGYcwejKnSM for details about a very special reward.

Performers at Fringe at the Gryphon include My Beautiful Disaster (Christchurch), Wellington Improv Troupe (Wellington), Improsaurus (Dunedin), Spider Dance (Melbourne), Making Friends Collective (Wellington) and Invers Theatre (Invercargill). More information on all these shows can be obtained from the venue’s Facebook page - http://facebook.com/FringeAtTheGryphon

Campaign Details:
Fringe at the Gryphon
Target: $2000
Closes on 9 December 2012
Visit https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/594

Venue details:
Dates: 14 - 23 February
Venue: Gryphon Theatre
Tickets/Info: http://www.facebook.com/FringeAtTheGryphon

ENDS

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