Artist Workshops
FringeArts staff host an annual series of in person and online workshops to help artists prepare for their Fringe Festival Productions. Online workshops are recorded for reference and can be accessed below.
You can find our Spring workshops below. Stay tuned for our Summer 2025 workshops, including collaborations with Philadelphia Scenic Works!
For detailed guides on self-producing your work in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, check out the Artist Resource Center.
If you have any questions or concerns about topics not covered in these workshops, contact the Fringe Festival Manager, Simon Rabinowitz, at Simon@FringeArts.com
Stone Textures: Scenic Painting Intensive
Join PSW Scenic Sharge artist Keri Kelly for a hands-on workshop focused on the art and physical skill of creating realistic faux finishes for stone textures. This session will emphasize body mechanics and physical conditioning essential for working safely and effectively with specialty texturing tools—from extension brushes to sprayers.
Participants will receive guided practice in proper tool handling and technique, learning how to shape and sculpt surface treatments that convincingly replicate unique details in marble or natural stone. By the end of the workshop, you’ll create your own sample boards and walk away with practical knowledge to apply on any scenic build.
Perfect for scenic artists, props professionals, and students looking to build strength, skill, and texture confidence.
Press & PR with Bryan Buttler
July 22nd, 6 – 7 PM
Online
Join festival publicist Bryan Buttler for a one-hour PR workshop, specifically tailored to Fringe Festival Artists.
Producing Your Fringe Show: A Q&A Panel with Independent Artists
Your festival show is in 2 months – what can you do to maximize the opportunity? Hear from a panel of Philly’s most prolific and experienced independent artists and self-producers for a candid conversation about what it takes to bring your work through its first run and beyond. Whether it’s learning about best practices to find collaborators, brainstorming funding sources, taking your technical elements to the next level, or preparing to take your show on tour – our panel of experts is here to talk through their experiences. This session will largely be shaped by the people in the room and their most pressing questions. Let us help you in Producing Your Fringe Show.
Cardboard Mache Props
Cardboard is one of the most accessible, affordable, and surprisingly durable materials in a prop maker’s toolkit. Whether you’re crafting on a budget or exploring new techniques, this workshop will introduce you to the endless possibilities of cardboard construction for theatrical and artistic use. We’ll focus on how to manipulate cardboard to create sturdy and expressive base forms—ideal for masks, puppets, and other sculptural pieces. Participants will learn how to pattern organic shapes, cut cleanly and accurately, and assemble three-dimensional forms using various types of cardboard and adhesives.
We’ll also cover:
- Choosing the right cardboard for different projects (corrugated, chipboard, etc.)
- Essential tools and safety tips for cutting and shaping
- Pattern-making basics, including how to translate a flat drawing into a 3D object
- Techniques for curves, angles, and smooth surfaces to take your builds to the next level
Whether you’re a beginner looking to build confidence or a seasoned maker ready to add new tricks to your repertoire, this workshop offers a strong foundation in cardboard prop construction.
All materials provided. No prior experience required.
What’s Next for Your Show?: A Q&A Panel with Independent Producers & Artists
October 6th, 6 – 8 PM
FringeArts
140 N Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia PA 19106
Let’s take this show on the road! Hear from artists with local, national and international touring experience to help you find your next performance opportunities. Take your self-producing to the next level as you learn how to navigate funding sources, create budgets, and bring your art around the world. Learn the logistics of venue outreach and best practices for pitching your show, creating riders, coordinating press and marketing efforts in unfamiliar landscapes, and getting through the hurdles of production unknowns. Hear from Philly Artists who have found success and overcome challenges, so you can figure out What’s Next For Your Show?
Past Workshops Below
How to Eventotron
April 14th, 6 – 7 PM
Online
Join Independent Artist Program Manager Simon Rabinowitz as he walks through the Fringe Festival Registration process via Eventotron, and answers any questions about festival participation.
Fringe 101: Budgeting, Marketing, and Front of House
April 22nd, 6 – 8 PM
Online
Hosted by the FringeArts staff, this workshop provides producers with a toolkit for producing their shows while answering some of the most commonly asked questions. The workshop will begin with Managing Director Melissa Bridge teaching basic budgeting terms and strategies, and walking through the creation and populating of a budget. Director of Marketing Melissa Negro will review marketing services offered to festival participants and provide tips and guidance on how artists can structure their own marketing plans. Finally, our Director of Venue and Patron Services, Devi Bass, will review best practices for managing your front of house experience at your show and review festival ticket policies and procedures.
Artists U: Building New Audiences
May 5th, 6 – 8 PM
FringeArts Studio
In this interactive workshop, we will look at how we find and build connections with our audiences. Andrew Simonet will share practical tools for starting where you are and keeping the art in the center as we promote and build conversations around our work.
Artists U: Sustaining in a Time of Change
May 18th, 10 AM – 4 PM
FringeArts Studio
Based on twenty years of work with artists locally and nationally, artist leader Andrew Simonet will build conversations and offer tools for making a balanced, sustainable artist life. This workshop is an opportunity to build clarity around your artistic practice and the resources that sustain it. It is community organizing, creating positive and rigorous conversations across artistic disciplines, ages, and cultures. And it is specific and practical: the principles, tools, and prompts artists use to make sustainable lives and to make the art and impact that matters most to them.
We will talk about:
- The role of artists, our impact and value
- Planning, i.e. setting long-term intentions, the most powerful tool for sustaining as an artist
- Time design: identifying and prioritizing the time your art practice needs, doing fewer things better, and tackling all that administrative work.
- Financial thinking for artists: Knowing your time cost (hour, day, and week), understanding revenue streams, negotiating, debt, home buying, and how artists can reach beyond solvency to security
- Your mission: What audiences, communities, and impacts matter most in your work? We will work individually and with a partner to generate language around your practice and mission, not just what you create but why it matters to you and why it matters to your communities
QLab 101: Playing Audio & Video for Your Original Show
Whether you’re a stage manager, sound designer, or curious technician, learning QLab is an essential skill for anyone working in live performance. This workshop is perfect for beginners who want to build confidence with QLab—an industry-standard software used to run sound and video cues for theatrical productions.
You’ll learn how to take the audio files you already have—like a Spotify playlist, downloaded sound effects, or original compositions—and begin building a cue list that can run an entire show. By the end of this session, you’ll be able to confidently create, edit, and organize basic sound or video cues for live performance, giving you a valuable new tool to add to your resume and production toolkit.
In this workshop, you’ll learn how to:
- Import sound files and organize your cue list
- Set up fades, loops, and stop/start commands
- Build transitions between cues and manage cue timing
- Troubleshoot common QLab issues
- Think like a board operator and sound designer as you prepare for tech rehearsals
What to Bring:
- Your own sound files (MP3s, WAV files, or links to music/sounds you want to use—playlists are welcome)
- A Mac laptop with QLab pre-installed (free version is fine)
→ If you don’t have access to a Mac, let us know in advance—we’ll make sure one is available for you to use during the session.
Note: QLab is only compatible with Mac OS, so please plan accordingly.
If you’re prepping for a future show, looking to expand your design skills, or just want to understand how sound gets cued in a professional setting, this workshop will get you up and running.
Carpentry Fundamentals for Theater
The Carpentry Fundamentals introduce participants to the use of power tools, materials, and safety practices used in scenic construction and fabrication. With a focus on accessibility and confidence-building, this session is perfect for beginners, performers crossing over to backstage work, or anyone interested in learning how to safely and effectively use shop tools commonly found in theaters.
Under the guidance of PSW Shop foreman Matt Goldsborough, participants will work together to cut and assemble a basic plywood platform box- a foundational element in most stage builds. You’ll get familiar with essential power tools and gain practical experience in measuring, cutting, fastening, and finishing.
Topics & Tools Covered:
- Safe operation and handling of impact drivers and drills
- Introduction to jigsaw and circular saw cutting techniques
- Understanding and working with common theatrical hardware
- Basics of using an air compressor and pneumatic tools
- Key safety practices and shop etiquette
By the end of the workshop, you’ll walk away with a more solid foundation or refreshed practice in tool usage and simple scenic fabrication carpentry know-how.
DIY Theatrical Lighting: Make Your Own Lighting Kit
You don’t need a full professional lighting rig to create striking theatrical effects. This workshop will guide you through the fundamentals of building dynamic lighting looks using affordable, off-the-shelf lighting gear from places like Home Depot, Lowe’s, or your local hardware store. Designed with independent artists, small companies, and DIY theater-makers in mind, this session will break down how to design and implement effective lighting setups using practical, budget-friendly tools—perfect for fringe shows, storefront stages, pop-up performances, or immersive events.
With step-by-step instruction, participants will:
- Learn how to choose and modify inexpensive lighting fixtures for theatrical use
- Explore color, angle, intensity, and placement to build mood and focus
- Understand basic wiring, safety, and power supply setup for portable lighting
- Get hands-on experience assembling and testing a simple, versatile light kit
By the end of the workshop, you’ll leave with a functional, take-home DIY lighting starter kit, complete with fixtures, a power source, and knowledge of how to set it all up. You’ll gain confidence in how to create lighting that enhances storytelling—even without a traditional theater lighting system. Great for: Emerging designers, solo performers, directors, or educators looking to add lighting design to their toolkit.
Sourcing and Acquisition for Props
This workshop explores the essential skill of sourcing and curating as a props professional, helping participants become expert “hunter-gatherers” for hand props, furniture, set dressing and more. Through practical guidance and real-world examples, you’ll learn how to create a comprehensive sourcing strategy that saves time, money, and creative energy—while allowing you to deliver beautiful, functional, and story-driven props with precision and flair.
Topics we’ll cover include:
- Thrift stores, flea markets, and antique hunting: How to shop with purpose and find hidden gems
- Prop warehouses and inter-theatre borrowing: Tapping into institutional resources and understanding how to navigate lending systems and fees
- Theatre community resource-sharing: How to make the most of networks like props committees or artist collectives
- Building and maintaining vendor relationships: Developing business connections with shop owners, vendors, and rental houses for long-term sourcing success
Ideal for props professionals at all levels, as well as designers, stage managers, and educators looking to better understand the prop acquisition process. You’ll come away with how to create solid paperwork to track your items, expenses, and communicate your sourcing strategy to your collaborators. Please bring a laptop/smartphone for a research activity!
Though our 2025 Workshops have the most up to date information, you can explore recordings of workshops from past years below!
