New York City is the epitome of cutting edge. By the time a trend reaches the rest of the country, New York is already onto the next big thing. In a city teeming with creative energy, something could go from the fringe of society into the mainstream overnight.

In 1997, The Present Company — a nonprofit theater producing organization — was basking in the warm glow of success. Its production of Brian Parks’ Americana Absurdum, was the first show the company did that garnered critical attention. Director John Clancy and producer Elena Holy weren’t the only ones thrilled with the play’s success.

“Everyone said it was great, you should take it to Edinburgh, and I said what’s in Edinburgh?” Holy recalled.

Edinburgh is home to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world. It’s the perfect place for unknown artists to establish a name for themselves. Unfortunately, flying an entire cast and crew to Scotland wasn’t financially possible for The Present Company. But that didn’t stop Clancy and Holy.

“We had this notion: Why isn’t there a fringe festival in NYC?” Holy said. “Why are we running halfway around the world to get attention for a play in our hometown?”

No one believed a couple of young theater kids could pull it off, and for a while, Holy and Clancy weren’t sure either.

“We spent six months trying to talk each other out of it,” Holy recalled.

Fortunately, neither succeeded in discouraging the other. They decided if they were going to do something this big, they needed to go really big. Instead of 100 shows, they would do 175. Instead of 10 venues — all below 14th street, which is still true today — they would fill 18 venues. And so FringeNYC was born.

Now in its 15th year, FringeNYC continues to grow and offer artists from all walks of the creative field, a chance to prove themselves. It also offers the public a chance to experience theater for less than $20 a ticket. Holy, producing artistic director, and Britt Lafield, festival administrator, are the only full-time staff. They rely on the help of 2,000 volunteers and 5,000 artists. This year’s festival runs from August 12 – 28 and features 194 shows in 18 venues. “Still no mercy” is appropriately emblazoned on the front of the program guide.

Lafield, who came to New York as a theater student in the early 90s, hadn’t heard of fringe festivals until Holy and Clancy brought theirs to New York. It didn’t take him long to fall in love.

 “To have somebody come up with the idea of, ‘Hey let’s all band together,’ I thought it was a fantastic idea,” said Lafield, who’s been the festival administrator for three years.

Peter Zachari’s musical, Parker and Dizzy’s Fabulous Journey to the End of the Rainbow, perfectly fits the festival’s mold.  Zachari’s love of pop culture, gay icons and science fiction, fuel his delightfully campy and endearing show.

“I thought, what if there was a gay Holy Grail?” Zachari said. “What if Judy Garland actually escaped?”

The show follows two men: Parker, played by Zachari, and Dizzy, played by his roommate Joey Mirabile. After finding a cryptic message from their murdered drag queen boss, the duo embark on their own yellow brick road adventure. The show stars famous drag queen Steven Polito aka “Hedda Lettuce,” Rodiney Santiago from Logo’s The A-List: New York, and Karen Lynn Gorney, John Travolta’s love interest in Saturday Night Fever.

This isn’t Zachari’s first time in FringeNYC. He was in an all-male performance of The Importance of Being Earnest in the late 90s. Like the festival itself, Zachari’s musical is about giving people outside of the mainstream a chance to shine.

“[Parker and Dizzy] are not necessarily your traditional dynamic duo, and that’s what I liked about it. Everyone gets to be the hero,” Zachari said.

Dawn Eaton’s path to FringeNYC was a bit longer than Zachari’s. It only took Zachari two weeks to write Parker and Dizzy. Eaton began her play, Destinations, about 20 years ago. After years of reworking it and putting it away, she finally took the play back out eight years ago.

“I rewrote it, and then I sat in a room with six people and we did a reading of it,” Eaton said. “We went from there. Every time I did a reading, I kept tightening it and cutting it down.”

The show follows a fictitious rock band called Destinations. It opens in 1974 when the band breaks up. Fast forwards to 1985. The lead singer is sober and ready to do a reunion tour. He gets the band together and they hit the road. The show combines friendship and loyalty with Eaton’s love of music.

After years of readings, Eaton was ready to see the show onstage, but she worried about financing and marketing. For her, FringeNYC was the perfect place. “They give you an opportunity to get your play up without a lot of risks,” she said.

Over the years, the festival’s gained more notice from the arts community and from New York City. It was awarded the Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture in 2007. In 1999, a little known musical called Urinetown premiered at the festival. It debuted on Broadway in 2000.

Holy and Lafield have mastered the perfect balance between showcasing new acts and staying true to the heart of the festival. Like the city FringeNYC calls home, its managed to stay out of the mainstream, and yet, be completely cutting edge.

Pretty impressive for a couple of theater kids on the Lower East Side who just wanted to perform their show in their hometown.

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