CHICAGO — Ticket sales open at noon on Tuesday for the Chicago Fringe Festival, the annual off-beat theater convention set to fill Jefferson Park with wacky and original performance art from Aug. 30 to Sept. 10.
This year's festival includes 50 different groups combining for 200 performances including comedies, dramas, dance theater, musicals, performance art and "the unclassifiable," according to organizers.
On top of a one-time $5 entry button, tickets for each individual show sell for $10 each. Visitors can also buy a four-show pass for $36, a 10-show pass for $80 and an unlimited pass for $175.
One of dozens of global off-shoots from the legendary Edingburgh Fringe Festival, the Chicago fest aims to "unite daring theatergoers with emerging and boundary-pushing local, national and international performing artists," according to its mission statement.
The festival will bring shows to five venues around the neighborhood:
• Congregational Church of Jefferson Park gym, 5320 W. Giddings Ave.
• Congregational Church of Jefferson Park meeting hall, 5320 W. Giddings Ave.
• Jefferson Playhouse, Home of Windy City Music Theatre, 5340 W. Lawrence Ave
• Windy City Music Theatre Black Box Studio, 5340 W. Lawrence Ave.
• The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave.
The concurrent Kids Fringe, running from Sept. 3-10, will feature five shows including free craft workshops for audience members aged 5 to 12.
The complete list of performances and times, company and performance descriptions and venues are available online.
The soon-to-open Weston's Cafe & Tap Co., 4872 N. Milwaukee Ave., will serve as the festival's headquarters — "Fringe Central" — during its nine-day run.
