A MESSAGE FROM ERIN:
The Elgin Fringe Festival embodies everything I love about the fringe festival community: creating magic with limited tools, taking risks, and finding joy in the unexpected. My fringe journey began in 2001, performing in a quirky modern dance piece with Shelter Repertory Dance Theatre. I felt at home watching shows like Bat Mamma, where the audience wore paper bat wings. Fringe became my training ground, where creativity, resourcefulness, and connection were the currency.
In those early days, we survived on applesauce and Lunchables, relied on free billeting, and dreamed of the elusive $1,000 tour paycheck. Festivals like Boulder, which paid artists nightly, were a lifeline, funding meals, drinks, and the essential social connections for success. The work was exhausting but exhilarating, fueled by garage sales, bowling tournaments, and gigs to fund tours. Even then, minimum wage was a fantasy, but the work felt vital and transformative.
Today, the Elgin Fringe Festival continues that spirit—a space for artists to take risks, connect, and create freely. But it requires resources. That’s why we’re asking for your support this Giving Tuesday. Your gift ensures artists are paid promptly, have the tools to focus on their craft, and can thrive through meaningful experiences.
Fringe is an investment in creativity and community. Every donation—whether for meals, supplies, or artist stipends—helps keep the bold, quirky, and magical spirit of the Elgin Fringe Festival alive. When artists thrive, we all thrive. This Giving Tuesday, let’s ensure the next generation of fringe artists can take risks and connect. Your support makes all the difference.
Erin Rehberg
Founder & Executive Director
Elgin Fringe Festival
A MESSAGE FROM NICK:
The Fringe will always be something special for me. In the course of five years, I went from someone who had never heard of the Fringe to an audience member, to a show producer and performer, to festival producer. My life, in all reality, would not be what it is today had I never attended my first Elgin Fringe. Fringe festivals have that kind of magic to them.
At their core, fringe festivals are about giving a platform to voices outside of the establishment. Making art is hard. Making art that doesn't fit the mold of what is generally defined as art is even harder. The Elgin Fringe believes in that idea. Its goal is to make sure artists and audiences face fewer barriers in their journey. It strives to be accessible and equitable.
What I love most about the festival is the sense of community. At any time during the festival, you can find a mix of artists, audience members, and staff hanging out at the picnic tables outside of Fringe Central. It’s that feeling of camaraderie that fills the room while people chat—still sweaty from the stage lights—at the Almost Closing Party. It’s the celebratory joy on everyone’s face at the end of the festival when we take the Family Photo. People who start the festival as outsiders are warmly given the opportunity to become insiders.
That’s why we’re asking for your support this Giving Tuesday. By giving, you help ensure that this messy, beautiful, optimistic, and welcoming event will continue to fill downtown Elgin with voices, joy, real human stories, and the unexplained. The arts need more support and more diverse voices. By donating to the Elgin Fringe, you help with both.
Nick Mataragas
Artistic Director
Elgin Fringe Festival
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