Green Bay will host its first Fringe Festival: here's what you need to know

GREEN BAY - From improv shows to sword swallowers, the Green Bay Fringe Festival will bring unique artists from across the country to perform at local venues from July 18 to 21.

In 2004, Indianapolis had its first Fringe Festival. Mike Eserkaln and Matt Worzala, local Green Bay playwrights, performed at the festival, and have since had hopes to attend another.

Nearly 20 years later, Eserkaln and Worzala decided to host their own Fringe Festival in Green Bay, to bring other fringe acts to the community and boost artists that residents of Green Bay might not have otherwise been able to see.

Here is what you need to know about this week's Fringe Festival.

What is the Green Bay Fringe Festival?

The original Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, began in 1947 as an alternative festival for that acts that weren't invited to the Edinburgh International Festival, but still wanted somewhere to perform. These acts performed at whatever venues were available, including theaters, galleries, bars, shops and more unusual locations.

Eserkaln and Worzala, president and vice president of the Green Bay Fringe Festival, respectively, hope to capture the spirit of the original fringe festival, and bring it to the Green Bay community.

"We're taking advantage of nontraditional locations ... So that's the way we're most tied to the traditional spirit of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival" Worzala said. "A lot of these groups are one-person shows, or very personal shows, or very unique sort of shows and they wouldn't be things that you would traditionally go to see at, say, the Meyer Theatre."

Where are the Green Bay Fringe Festival shows located?

• The Depot, 200 Dousman St.
• The Art Garage, 1400 Cedar St.
• Brown County Central Library, 515 Pine St.
• Democratic Party of Brown County, 118 S. Chestnut St.
• Lion's Mouth Bookstore, 211 N. Washington St.
• Green Bay Community Theatre, 122 N. Chestnut Ave.)
• The Bridal Church, 901 Cherry St.

What kinds of groups will be performing at the Fringe Festival?

The Green Bay Fringe Festival will host performances from a variety of artists. Some will be one-person shows written by the artists performing, others will be performances of different plays written by outside authors. The festival will include sketch comedy groups, musicians and dance groups from across the county, among other unique performances, Worzala said.

"In a lot of these cases, it's people bringing their personal passion projects to Green Bay to perform them for people," Worzala said.

Five things to know about the Green Bay Fringe Festival

• Tickets can be purchased online or at the door of the shows, but if purchased at the door, the tickets are cash only.
• Tickets are $10 per show, and 80% of the profits go back to the performers at the end of the festival. The festival is completely volunteer run, including the board.
• There will be shows for all ages, ranging in ratings from G to 18+, so visitors will know how age-appropriate an act is going into the show, Worzala said.
• The Fringe Festival will be held during the same time as ArtFest and the GBUFO Invasion Fest . All three festivals will be working in conjunction together, giving the community the opportunity to explore the arts scene in Green Bay.
• The Fringe Festival is an "un-jurored festival" meaning the only prerequisites to perform are availability during the dates of the festival and the ability to put on a 30- to 60-minute show. Anyone can apply to perform.

Worzala hopes that the festival will encourage visitors to experience art and inspire them to make their own. If they do make their own acts, he hopes they will apply to perform at the festival the following year and share their work with the community.

Alyssa N. Salcedo is a reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. She can be reached at asalcedo@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay will host its first Fringe Festival: here's what you need to know