Why fringe festivals work, in Cincinnati and beyond
Cities are bureaucratic fictions, much like companies are legal fictions. Which is why I was puzzled by Jeff Syroney’s Soapbox piece on why he won’t live in a city without a fringe festival. For whatever reason, Syroney erroneously attributes human qualities to a bureaucratic hierarchy.
The fact is that many individuals, operating under their own autonomy and motivated by a variety of incentives - profit, credibility, personal growth, fun - come together to produce something great. (I speak of not only the producers and performers but also the audience members.) Long may it continue. But make no mistake: Fringe festivals work because of individuals acting in their enlightened self-interest, not because of bureaucratic hierarchies which specialize in top-down, command-and-control operations.
Filed under: Life
And a recent example would be the creation of the Real Hay Book Festival to bring people away from the corporate, ’sold-out’ (in more ways than one) event called the Hay Book Festival…
Another reason for me to move to Brighton… the Fringe Festival there is great!