Press Release
September 6, 2023
23rd Anniversary Rogue Festival
Jaguar Bennett, co-producer
Rogue Festival Central Line: 559-258-1634
Rogue Festival opens performer application period for 23rd annual event
Fresno’s fringe festival seeks unique, local and independent voices for their
2024 festival applicant pool
FRESNO, CA – The Rogue Festival, Fresno’s completely uncensored performing arts festival, will return March 1 through 9, 2024. This year’s festival seeks to bring over 100 separate performances of theater, music, dance, comedy, spoken word and magic throughout Fresno’s Tower District for the 21st Annual Event.
Applications for the 23rd annual Rogue Festival will be open from Sept. 16, 2023, to Oct. 20, 2023. Applications will be available at (fresnoroguefestival.com), and there is a $40 application fee. Performers may apply in three divisions: Mainstage (three large indoor venues suitable for theater and dance), Cabaret (an outdoor venue suitable for music, comedy and spoken word) and Gallery (a small indoor venue suitable for intimate one-person theater, stand-up comedy, spoken word and acoustic music).
The Rogue Festival is a non curated festival, which means that Rogue Festival staff do not select which applications are accepted in the festival. Applicants will be chosen for the festival through a random lottery, which will be broadcast on Facebook Live on Oct. 21.
In addition to bringing independent performers from around the world, the Rogue Festival has always made space for local, Valley-born talent. In all three performer divisions, the Rogue Festival reserves half of available performance slots for acts that are based from Merced to Visalia.
“The fundamental purpose of the Rogue Festival is to provide profitable performing opportunities to Valley artists creating original content,” said Jaguar Bennett, president of the Rogue Festival board of directors. “We encourage performing artists from throughout the Valley to apply for the Rogue Festival, especially artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists and artists from the many diverse ethnic communities of the Valley. Our open lottery system lowers barriers for silenced and marginalized voices to be heard.”
The Rogue Festival places no restrictions on content and 100% of all ticket sales goes directly to the performers.
Applicants who are not selected in the lottery are encouraged to create their own venue through the Off-Rogue and Artists Underground options.
The Rogue Festival began in 2002 with a man named Marcel Nunis and an insane idea to make Fresno, of all places, a worldwide center for Fringe theater. After 20 years and thousands of performances from hundreds of performers from all over the planet, the Rogue has succeeded in becoming one of the most well-respected and long-running fringe festivals in North America with a unique reputation for hospitality and friendly audiences, while remaining a punk rock DIY festival of limitless free expression where anything can happen.
For more information or questions about the Festival, please contact co-producer Jaguar Bennett, co-producer at [email protected] or by calling 559-258-1634.
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