JEFFERSON PARK — The Chicago Fringe Festival will feature the tale of an elephant killing in 1916, a dangerous modern circus and a one-man accordion rock opera, organizers said Monday after the guaranteed slots in the festival were snapped up in a matter of minutes.
Organizers of the festival — which will return to Jefferson Park for the third straight year — devoted to all things weird, off beat and avant garde had to battle technical difficulties to allow performers to submit their application Dec. 20 for one of 13 slots awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the festival's Facebook page.
But all of the slots were claimed within four minutes, despite the technical issues, organizers said.
Heather Cherone says the festival proceeds go directly to artists:
In addition to "The Circus, Re-imagined!" by the Danger Circus Co. and an accordion rock opera from Captain Ambivalent, other performances include:
• A "subversive" radio drama by Our Fair City.
• The tale of Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay, who walked across America in 1906 to encourage people to make art.
• A humorous look at life in the Middle Ages.
• "Men Will be Boys" by Scot Moore, a humorous examination of institutional sexism.
• "Cajun Face" by Sarah Mikayla Brown and Lian Cheramie, which tells the story of what it is like to be Cajun in a globalizing world.
• "Betwixt Between" by Cindy Henkin, a fairytale told through text, gesture, movement and music.
• A story about growing up in the hearing world with two deaf parents.
Performers who weren't quick enough to nab one of the guaranteed spots have until Feb. 15 to apply to be part of the festival.
The remaining 37 slots will be awarded through a lottery on Feb. 28. Half of the spots will be set aside for Chicago artists, and five shows will launch the Kids Fringe pilot program during the festival's sixth year, organizers said.
The Kids Fringe performances will feature families with children younger than 12.
More than 4,300 tickets were sold for performances during the 2014 festival — a record which meant more money for the artists, who receive 100 percent of the festival's ticket sales. The 50 artists who performed during the 2014 festival split nearly $30,000, more than in 2013.
The festival spent its first three years in Pilsen.
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