Maria Ghassemlou

Minnesota Fringe is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization connecting adventurous artists with adventurous audiences, year-round. Fringe's largest program is the annual Minnesota Fringe Festival. One of the largest Fringe Festivals in North America, each summer brings roughly 50,000 attendees to over 100+ shows, 500+ performances, and 1,000+ artists on stages across the Twin Cities. The Festival is an economic powerhouse, distributing $2.5+ million in ticket sales directly over the last decade to artists across Minnesota, the US, and internationally; and catalyzing further economic impact for dozens of venues, sponsors, vendors, and partners. Fringe's year-round programs include: + Family Fringe, a jury-curated festival providing adventurous, low-cost performances and free activities for young people ages 12-and-under and family members of all ages. + Drafts & Draughts, a multidisciplinary works-in-progress series for artists ready to test new ideas and garner feedback from peers and the public in a relaxed setting. + Beyond the Box, a site-specific outdoor performance incubator developing artistic experiences in Nicollet Mall's new Theatre In the Round Amphitheatre in 2019, in partnership with Downtown Improvement District and Vibrant & Safe Downtown + Fringe Presents, an annual series featuring Festival and national Fringe artists ready to hoist themselves to the next rung of the artistic production ladder. + Five Fifths, an annual, affordable community fundraiser that commissions five burgeoning and established Fringe companies to adapt one-fifth of a well-known film, then mash them all together in a one-night-only fundraiser. The organization is overseen by a governing board of directors, and operated by a year-round staff that balloons to nearly 100 seasonal hires during the summer. We also receive critical support from over 250 dedicated volunteers who log thousands of hours.