We generally avoid commenting on press coverage regarding the Hollywood Fringe Festival — it’s a barrel of worms we’d like to avoid. It’s only when the underlying mission of the Fringe is unjustly misrepresented and the larger picture is missed that I feel a respectful rebuttal is required. Honest and open debate helps us evolve as professionals and cultured minds.

Don Shirley is one of the finest theatre critics in Los Angeles and I have read his work for several years (fewer than most, more than some). Mr. Shirley has my utmost respect as a writer and a critical mind. It is individuals like Mr. Shirley that represent the imminent professionalism of Los Angeles theatre.

Along with many others, I enjoyed the healthy debate on critical coverage of LA Theatre on the last Sunday of the Fringe (hosted by LATheatreReview.com). As Mr. Shirley claims, he was the voice of skepticism on the panel. We need dissenting voices to keep us honest while working towards the ideal. It’s in this definition of the ideal that my opinions diverge from Mr. Shirley’s.

Mr. Shirley thinks the Fringe will have no impact on our arts ecology. Having been to Fringes around the world, I have seen firsthand what a Fringe can achieve. Fringes are wonderful incubators for the next generation and a font of new creative growth. My hometown of Washington DC would not be the rising theatrical powerhouse of today without the Capital Fringe Festival.

The Fringe fosters a palpable sense of community by encouraging smaller companies to combine their strengths. As far as I know, Mr. Shirley was not involved in the gatherings, events and celebrations we presented for artists therefore could not be expected to comment upon them. It’s only in the aftermath of the Fringe the fruits of newly minted relationships become evident. Many young artists (the mavens of the future) have seen their networks tripled. Here’s an amazing thing: Again and again I saw young people going to theatre. We are hatching the next generation of arts makers and arts patrons.

I can pledge the Fringe in Hollywood will never be curated. This would contradict our entire mission. With a subjective, biased body determining who enters the festival, our mission of providing an unfettered platform for emerging artists would be stymied. We have many curated festivals of new plays and solo shows; they are called theatre festivals, not fringes. I know of only one Fringe in the world that is curated, Fringe NYC; the exception that proves the rule. It’s our methodology that makes us the alternative, not our aesthetic. Mr. Shirley is correct, the Fringe has no aesthetic and I am glad for it. I’ve seen shows people call “fringey” — zany, wacky, oddball. This certainly has its place within Fringe but as we seek to present a cross-section of today’s emerging art, it should not dominate as a monolithic aesthetic.

In our model every venue has the option to curate their own slate of shows and some did just that. Theatre of NOTE’s offering, for example, had a very NOTE aesthetic. The Complex, on the other hand, took all comers on a first-come-first-served basis. The central Fringe organization never turns anyone away who has a booked venue and wants to register — a model directly derived from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world. I envision a day when we launch a “Hollywood Festival” with programmed acts from major performers and exhibitors.

I understand Mr. Shirley has quality issues with the small handful of shows he saw and that’s to be expected from a man with strong opinions and high standards. Not every show will appeal to everyone’s taste, especially those with a single standard for what is “good” and what is “bad.” Every show in the festival found at least one supporter (some hundreds). It is not for the Fringe to stand between the voice of the artist and the ears, minds and hearts of the people. The Fringe is an open source festival providing a timely slice of culture reduced into a very accessible two weeks with international prestige and a spotlight.

I must also rebut his claim that LA theatre people were not represented. By my count over 125 of our 180+ participant productions included artists based in the greater Los Angeles area. In fairness, I believe Mr. Shirley was referring to the absence of LA Theatre people he knows personally. This is a Fringe — a word whose origins simultaneously refer to the Fringe of a larger festival, the Fringe of an established theatrical scene and the class of artists whose work is emerging. An established company may not consider themselves “Fringe,” thus not participate. Of course, we welcome our midsized theatres next year and I laud Mr. Shirley’s full-throated support of companies deserving more attention and audience. Perhaps he can help us encourage them to participate in 2011.

One of the reasons many of our midsized companies didn’t participate was the “geography issue” — why go down the road when you own your own store? We are currently approaching established companies with the idea of Fringe as a feeding ground for future seasons — similar to Sundance’s relationship with the Hollywood film industry. Representatives from several midsized theatres in LA have already approached us regarding next year. I imagine this is music to Mr. Shirley’s ears, a tune we are glad to hum.

There were indeed plenty of out-of-town artists from our nation and those beyond. Those that had a wonderful experience are currently traveling back to their homes spreading word that LA arts are on the rise. I see this as a very positive and lasting outcome of the Fringe and a boon to its mother city.

Mr. Shirley expresses (actually quotes an anonymous source) that we have a Fringe atmosphere all year, thus an annual Fringe Festival is redundant. Fifty weeks a year, I do not experience the choice of over 180 shows and near 800 performances within a short walking distance of one another. I cannot see shows from England, Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, Canada and all over the United States for prices averaging $12 and many free. I wish I lived in that city but I don’t yet. In a sprawling, international metropolis the Fringe provides a sense of place for the arts in the form of a densely packed festival.

One of our participants was quoted recently in the LA Times labeling me an “eternal optimist” (despite the questionable context of the LA Times article, his intention was complimentary). This is very true and I proudly wear that badge. I believe it is optimism and positivity that will transform LA theatre into the gold standard for international cities. Of course it will take much more than wishing it so — it will take work, commitment, enthusiasm and a little faith – all qualities we reward in the Fringe.

This is our first year and we intend to mount this festival annually. In the past several days, Mr. Shirley has compared us to the Olympic Arts Festival of 1984 and the recent production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle and its associated festival. I think reasonable minds can agree the comparison is unfair. We are a first year festival built from the grassroots with no major funding. The other events were extremely well financed affairs organized by central committees. We operate on an open paradigm, the others on a closed one. Can both styles of artistic presentation not co-exist feeding the theatrical ecology and economy of the city? Think of biodiversity and why it is healthy for any ecosystem.

As an eternal optimist, I am somewhat taken aback in the face of cynicism. As supporters (not critics) of the arts, it is Fringe’s role to make Los Angeles more culturally rich and diverse. In the spirit of Steven Leigh Morris’ recent pieces in the LA Weekly, I look towards a new renaissance for the arts in our city and national culture. We will continue to do our part to realize that goal.

Thanks to Mr. Shirley for his participation and thoughts on our first year. Though I am sure my words won’t reverse his initial opinions, I hope the fruits of our perseverance will one day lead to a friendly drink where he smacks me on the back and says: “okay, I may have been wrong all those years ago.”

Feature image of Ben Hill by Star Foreman.

Ben Hill is the Festival Director of the Hollywood Fringe Festival; HollywoodFringe.org