My first shift working the Concierge Desk at Fringe Central was marked by a whole lot of pass and punch card sales and handouts. Reasonable for the opening night of the festival. My second shift on Saturday afternoon was, as I expected, a lot less sales and a lot more questions.
Frequently Asked Question #1: Can I make reservations at the Concierge Desk?
Answer #1: Nope. You can only make reservations online or by phone and they must be made by noon the day of the show you want to see. Click through to the show you want to see and click the Buy Tickets button from there. Once you’re there you have a bunch of ticket selection options: regular price, MPR discount, student discount, reservations, etc. You can make a reservation on your 5-show punch card, 10-show punch card, or Ultra Pass. You have to specify online which punch card or pass you have and you will have to show that same punch card or pass at will call. So if you make a 5-show punch card reservation, you should show your 5-show punch card at will call. It will cost you a $1 transaction fee per reservation. I know folks don’t like to be nickel-and-dimed but it’s worth it if you have the slightest feeling a show you really want to see may sell out (there are lots of sell-outs already), especially if you’re coming from another venue and can’t get in line super early. And that $1 handling fee for reservations is less than the $2 handling fee for online ticket purchases.
Bonus info about will call: It’s not always obvious when you show up at a venue that there are three lines at the box office: Route 1, Route 2, and Rush. Route 1 is for pass and punch card holders, credit card sales, and will call. Route 2 is all of the above plus everybody else. The rush line is for rush passes and volunteer comps. Chances are the Route 1 and Route 2 lines have smushed together. If you have a punch card, pass, credit card, or will call tickets, do your best to get into the Route 1 line. The folks in the Route 2 line will only be mad because they didn’t realize there were two separate lines.
Frequently Asked Question #2: What show should I see?
Answer #2: Hit the website and check the audience reviews. After four days of Fringe, including opening weekend, there are over 1000 audience reviews approved on the website. Here’s my process for using audience reviews:
- Visit the audience reviews page and sort by total number of reviews. At this point, I’d consider critical mass for one show to be about 10 reviews. Anything less than that, take with a grain of salt.
- Within that group of shows with a lot of reviews, check out the ones with the most kitties, but lop off 0.5 kitties. Frankly, I think people are overly generous with the kitties.
- Visit the show page and actually read the reviews. You can tell which ones are left by the actors’ friends.
- Go back to the sorted list and check out the highest-rated shows with, say, 5 reviews. Those are the ones that are probably really good but don’t have the star power or well-established word-of-mouth machine that perennial Fringe performers already have.
- Ask someone you know and trust, instead of the person you don’t know who’s sitting at the Concierge Desk. I’m happy to share what I know or what I’ve heard, but I hesitate to answer this question because theater is like beer and wine. Everybody likes something different, and everybody knows what they like and don’t like whether they’re a connoisseur or not.
That said, as of right now (Monday morning), the top rated shows (5 kitties) with at least 10 reviews are: Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Jurassic Dork, An Intimate Evening with Fotis Part III, 2 Sugars, Room for Cream, Where Egos Dare: The Musical!, Buyer’s Remorse, Joanie Luvs Chachi and So Do I-Redux, Projectile Thinking, Silent Poetry 2, and I’d Kick Puppies For You. And if you really want to know what I think about the shows I’ve seen, see my show reviews on the Fringe web site.
Frequently Asked Question #3: Where can I get something to eat?
Answer #3: Right here! Or nearby. If you’re asking this question at the Concierge Desk, you’re standing inside Fringe Central aka the Bedlam Theatre which has fantastic deals on food and beverages for Fringe-goers. Or head a couple blocks over to the Acadia Cafe. Look around along the way because you might be tempted to stop off at Red Sea or Hard Times or any of 10 or so other places, most with Asian, Middle Eastern, or dirty diner themes. Or if you’re between shows at the Rarig Center, just cross Riverside and go to Jimmy John’s. Or, hey, pop open Foursquare and see what comes up (though if you’re inclined to use Foursquare, you probably aren’t asking me where to eat).
Disclaimer: I’m on the Minnesota Fringe Festival’s Board of Directors. Opinions expressed here are mine alone and do not represent the official position of the Fringe unless noted.
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