The 11th annual San Diego International Fringe Festival in 2023 transitioned from the traditional multi-neighborhood sprawl to create a concentrated, high-energy artistic village within Balboa Park. By clustering performances at venues like the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater and Centro Cultural de la Raza, the festival transformed the park into a 24/7 hive of creative exchange. This strategic consolidation allowed the Fringe Club to flourish as a nightly town square, where the barriers between professional critics and first-time performers were entirely dismantled. The season was characterized by a “see-everything” culture, where audiences leveraged the close proximity of venues to marathon through a slate of world class productions.

2023 FESTIVAL ARTIST AWARDS:

(Theatre / Arts)

Award Recipients

• San Diego International Fringe Festival Awards 2023
• Critics’ Pick: “Normal Heights” (Loud Fridge Theater Group)
• Artists’ Pick: “Arson 101: A Choose Your Own Adventure” (Levani Korganashvili and Kaylin Saur)
• Best of the Fest: “Mark Pleases You” (Mark Vigeant)
• Spirit of the Fringe: “Arson 101: A Choose Your Own Adventure”
• Outstanding Solo Show: Lindsey Woods, “Juno and the Jetpacks” (Fizz and Chips Productions)
• Outstanding Ensemble: “79 Ways to Die” (Veronica Rosas)
• Fringe of the Fringe: “Censored Heart” (Golden Corpse Theater)
• Social Awareness: “105 Miles from Home” (Alexis Hernandez
• Cultural Exchange – New Zealand – “Mark Pleases You” (Mark Vigeant)
• Cultural Exchange – Sydney – “Delusions and Grandeur” (Karen Hall)
• Beth Accomando’s Fringe Geek Award of Appreciation: Brian “Gmork” Marz (technician at Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre) and Alejandro Montero (technician at Centro Cultural De La Raza). These guys are amazing! They have to learn the cues for about 10 shows each, usually with just one tech rehearsal and then have to be running at least four shows a day for 11 days. Fringe would be in the dark and silent without them. So grateful for them.