Portlan, ME

USA

MOST RECENT FESTIVAL

  • 40 participating companies
  • $20,000 returned to artists

APPLICATION AND SELECTION

Application fee(s):

$20 – $25 USD Application Fee
$150-200 USD Production Fee

Selection process: Lottery

2024 Lottery Dates:
Lottery Open: January 1, 2024
Deadline to Apply: January 31, 2024
Lottery Draw: February 10, 2024

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

  • VENUE SIZES: 40 seats to 100+seats
  • NUMBER OF PERFORMANCES PER SHOW: 4+
  • MAXIMUM TICKET PRICE: 12
  • MAXIMUM SHOW LENGTH: 60

THIS ISN’T THEATER. THIS IS FRINGE.

Fringe is not a practice space. Fringe is where you find the claws, the teeth, the dirty underwear. You are grinning.

Fringe left the establishment on purpose, with purpose. Fringe is about taking risks. Fringe is being experimental and outside the norm. Fringe would prefer to offend than placate, prefer to ignite than pacify, prefer to stretch your limits beyond the comfort of the safe little black box and into the great big scary world.

So if you are seeking theater with a gold star, or a blue ribbon, or lodged inside the comfort zone, there are many fine establishments out there to hold your hand. Here at PortFringe, we flex our performance muscles beyond strained. We want to hear your laughter and screams over the din of the city. We want you to be turned on by something you didn’t know existed. We want you get a little uncomfortable, and have a good time doing it.

There is too much mediocrity in the world.
Bother to fight against it.

Welcome to PortFringe,
sweating and raw with light.
We are a by-lottery, non-juried fringe festival.
We support new, edgy, and experimental work.
We celebrate the imaginative and the weird.
We are inclusive, intersectional, and unafraid.
We seek to eliminate financial and logistical barriers so that artists can focus on their work (and even make money doing so).
We celebrate and contribute to Maine’s vibrant performance art community.
We do this out of love and passion – for theater, for creativity, for cardboard props, and packed houses. We are over one hundred performances crammed into the city of Portland, Maine.
Plus, it’s super fun.

MISSION: The mission of PortFringe is to support performance artists, to encourage experimentation and innovation, and to provide an accessible, affordable outlet for exciting work that enriches our creative community.