All May Shows!

We still have about 30 shows available for viewing!  Check them out! 
http://www.pittsburghvirtualfringe.com/schedule/

Reviews are coming out!

Check out reviews at this link: ​https://rndyounghowze.tumblr.com/post/651186337281605632/pittsburgh-fringe-2021-award-winners

2021 Awards Announced!

As selected by The Young-Howze Theatre Journal Critics...
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  1. Best Show - Selke Award - Tilted Frame @ Home, Combined Artform
  2. Spirit of the Fringe - Genny Yosco (Pittsburgh Fringe Brunch, im ur hamlet)
  3. Best Local Show - James Royce, Royce Live
  4. Best National Show - Now, Now, Now...
  5. Best International Show - Safe, FMG  
  6. Best Performer Comedic- Robin Rothman, Trudy Carmichael’s Improvised One Woman Show
  7. Best Dramatic Performer- Donna Kay Yarborough, Rosegold 
  8. Best Director - Mita Ghosal and Sue Abramson, Of Lungs and Leaves
  9. Best Solo Show - Owen Corey, This Little World: A Solo Performance of Shakespeare's Richard II
  10. Best Ensemble - The Professionals
  11. Best Improv - Bingewatch 
  12. Best Show with Music - Ease of a Murder, Gwendolyn Fitz Music
  13. Best Dramatic Writing- Pedro Diegues, Self Care Tips With Tiffany
  14. Best Comedic Writing- Michael Knight, The Fabulous King James Bible
  15. Best Digital  Effects - Cookie Tongue, Kaleidoscope Bone House
  16. Best Practical Effects - Jim Julien, Shadows of My Family
  17. Best Live Show - Comedy of (Zoom) Errors
  18. Best On-Demand Show - Tango In The Dark, Pointe Tango
  19. Best Interactive Show - Glamourpuss, Double D
  20. Best Children’s Show - Countdown to Clowntown, Sphere Clown Band
  21. Best Documentary- Needs, Amanda Levesque and Tom
  22. Best Visual Artist in the Group Show - Ravindra Kamath
  23. Best Visual Art Full Show- staci b.
  24. Audience Choice Award - #txtshow (on the internet)

Check out our 2021 SHOWS!

With over 50 shows this year, in all sorts of genres, there is something for everyone!  

2021 Pittsburgh Virtual Fringe by the NUMBERS

53 Different Titled Performances
5 Art Exhibitions

23 Shows doing it Live
35 Shows On-Demand
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5 International Shows

15 World Premieres
2 US Premieres
26 Pittsburgh Premieres

9 Zoom Shows
5 YouTube Live Shows
22 YouTube Shows
​5 Vimeo Shows
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Visual Art Applications CLOSED FOR 2021

Have a few pieces you want up in a virtual gallery in May?  We are now accepting entries for our 2021 Virtual Visual Art Gallery.  Just upload the information we need and the pieces into the application (linked below), and you are in!  If you are interested in curating a whole gallery, email us, so we can talk about what you want to do.  Our festival also coincides with Unblurred on Penn Avenue, which is the Penn Ave version of First Fridays.  Hope to see some great works apply!

UPDATE: 2021 Performance Applications CLOSED FOR 2021

Because of the overwhelming national and international response, we now have to close our performance applications.  If you are a local Pittsburgh group or organization with an idea for our virtual fringe - feel free to email us your ideas to see if it will work with what is already happening for this festival.

2021 Virtual Fringe Applications

Virtual Visual ART Applications not open yet.
We're looking to find shows that are interested in "performing" in our Virtual Fringe that starts May 6th through May 9th.

THE DATES: Right now the plan is to focus on the 7th and 8th, and have a few introductory performances on the 6th, and a few extra performances on the 9th.  We are happy to keep up pre-recorded shows for the rest of the month, or whatever dates you want.  May 7th will correspond with Unblurred our Penn Avenue neighborhood First Friday.

YOUR VIRTUAL SHOW: If you have any live performances online or if you have a pre-recorded show of any kind (old or new) that you think is worthy of having an audience (ie. nice sound and video) register here to make it part of our new virtual festival.
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In-Person Shows: If things open up a lot closer to our festival, we will consider doing a few in-person shows.  These will probably have to be done last minute.  You will have to find your own venue in our footprint, and make sure your show is compliment with all the Covid regulations in the state and city.  We are happy to consider this closer to the time if things do open up.  Please tell us you want to do this if possible in the very last box called "Any Comments or Concerns we should be aware of."  There may also be insurance issues we need to deal with if this becomes a possibility, and this could be more expensive this year than normal, but we can all have that conversation if the time comes.

COSTS: To help artists, we have decided not to charge for applications or for participation this year.  If you monetize your show, a % sent our way would be awesome, but we don't know your financial situation and don't want to cause any extra financial strain during these difficult times.  IF in-person shows happen, it may cost to secure a real venue (that would be between you and the venue), and even some online platforms may charge you, but we are all volunteering to help artists like you this year.
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First come, first served: Because we have limited volunteer resources, and we want to keep the festival within the 4 scheduled days to avoid viewing fatigue, we may have to limit how many shows we can accept into the festival, particularly for scheduled live online performances.  We don't want to number it yet, because we hope to accept as many as possible, and we'll work to find ways to get in more shows.  But we will use the order that shows applied if and when we reach capacity limits.


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Our Halloween Treat to You!
Actual Spooky Stories

Local Pittsburgh Actors tell true spooky tales from Pittsburgh.  
If you enjoyed the Halloween show, or enjoyed our festival in the past, please donate even a few dollars to help us weather this COVID arts crisis.

CashApp: cash.app/$pghfringe

Venmo: @pghfringe

Paypal Me: paypal.me/PittsburghFringe

If you have the means to help, please help us continue to help artists.  We know we can assist more artists with each dollar you give.  In our organization, each dollar goes a long way.  With one of the smallest festival budgets in Pittsburgh, and one of the smallest art budgets in Pittsburgh, our organization really packs a powerful punch in artistic impact per dollar. Our festival in 2019 had about 100 performances/events of 50 different titled shows in just 4 days.  Even our Virtual Festival is one of the first virtual festivals of this size with 20 productions in 2 days.  

We know not everyone can help, and that is OK.  We don't want anyone to burden themselves helping us.  But if you do have a few spare dollars to share with us, we will be able to continue to help the artists that we as a society need more than ever today.  ​

City Paper Best of PGH
Pittsburgh Virtual Fringe Festival was SECOND PLACE for Best Virtual Event!!!!

With our quick turn to virtual after a last minute cancelation of our early April festival, and planning an entirely new festival in less than a month, we managed to get SECOND place for the Best Virtual Event in Pittsburgh!!!  This is an amazing award to get after having to pull it together so fast!  

We want to thank all the performers, who learned how to go virtual and even created new shows in less than one month.  Our performers and staff really put in a lot of effort to make this happen, and we want to Thank You all so much!!!!

There were almost 600,000 people who voted, so this is really amazing!!!  Thank you!!!


​While the main packed May 1st weekend part of the festival is over - we are doing a sprinkling of shows all May!

We also have recordings of several of our shows  from the first big weekend available all month.  To see which shows are still availble check out our show listings titled "Shows Running All Month."  We will also be adding more shows througout the month starting May 11th.
We have an amazing collection of shows from across the U.S.!  And all sorts of genres!  Comedy, Theatre, Music, Dance, Puppets, Performance Art, Visual Art, Circus and more!  Everyone should be able to find something they like!  

We have 19  performances three days (mostly 2) online!  And we're working on a sprinking of shows throughout the rest of May.

Pittsburgh Virtual Fringe 

To be able to serve our audiences and artists, Pittsburgh has decided to host the first ever Pittsburgh Virtual Fringe!  The festival is re-imagined and re-engineered for our new reality.  Join us May 1st and beyond for all the best virtual fringe content from our backyard, to around the globe delivered - right in your living room!

Want to take part in Pittsburgh Virtual Fringe?

We are accepting applications for our new Pittsburgh Virtual Fringe.  If you have online content, or want to create some, we encourage you to apply!  If you have questions, or want to talk through a plan, contact us at info@pittsburghfringe.org
Applications for 2020 performances are closed.  Check back in late fall, early winter for 2021 applications.

2020 Festival Cancelled

With heavy hearts, we want to notify our audience that the 2020 Pittsburgh Fringe, scheduled for April 2-5, has been cancelled. All tickets, buttons, and passes will be refunded immediately. We are investigating alternatives, so stay tuned.

Please stay safe, stay healthy, and take care of yourself during this difficult time.

2021 Applications open in the Fall

 If you are a VENUE hoping to book shows, please email us your interest!

Artists: check out old 2020 Performers Pages to learn how to apply!  And then wait for the updated 2021 information.

Check out the electronic version of last year's brochure!

Click brochure to see it!

105 Performances of
​49 different shows
in 4 days!

Fringe Buttons!!!  

NEWS ABOUT US:

Picture
Read our preview by Pittsburgh in the Round! Push the logo to follow the link to the review!
2021 Dates
​May 6-9th


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