About Capital Fringe
Founded in 2005, Capital Fringe is a leading force in championing cultural democracy and expanding access to independent artistic expression. For nearly two decades, our annual open-access Fringe Festival and year-round programming provided a vital platform for boundary-pushing work and radical experimentation in performance. Through these efforts, Capital Fringe engaged over 87,000 artists and welcomed more than half a million audience members, generating more than $3.29 million in direct revenue for artists. Over time, we cultivated a community of theatergoers untethered from traditional institutions, audiences who were curious, loyal, and drawn to work and places that felt authentic. Capital Fringe began in a Columbia Heights group house and grew into a multimillion-dollar arts organization with its own building. In time, we returned to our nomadic roots, remaining committed to accessibility, flexibility, and our unwavering artist-first values. Today, Capital Fringe continues to evolve, supporting independent artists through initiatives like the Ed Tyler Fringe Touring Fund and advocating for equitable, artist-centered arts infrastructure. Always evolving, Capital Fringe looks for new ways to support bold ideas and independent creativity. If you’re interested in collaborating, we’d love to hear from you.
Julianne Brienza was born and raised in Montana, where her passion for live performance began at the Depot Theatre in Dillon—a former train station turned vaudeville house and community hub. From acting on stage and painting sets to working concessions and watching her town gather for performances, that early experience sparked a lifelong commitment to creative expression and the power of collective imagination. She holds a BFA in Theatre with minors in Visual Art and Philosophy from Viterbo University, and lived in Philadelphia working in theatre before moving to Washington, DC in 2003.
An arts leader, creative producer, and cultural strategist, her career has been dedicated to supporting independent artists and building sustainable arts infrastructure. As the founder and longtime Director of Capital Fringe in Washington, DC, she transformed a grassroots idea into one of the nation’s most influential Fringe Festivals. Her work redefined where audiences in Washington went to experience live performance, activating everything from storefronts and church basements to fully equipped arts campuses. In response to financial constraints that made the annual festival unsustainable, she established the Ed Tyler Fringe Touring Fund in 2025, using that moment to reimagine how the organization could continue serving artists. Today, she champions programs that prioritize equity, access, and artist mobility, ensuring the Fringe ethos thrives in new forms.
“I think it's increasingly rare in our world today for people with original ideas to be able to put them up.”
— Julianne Brienza, The Washington Post (Stephanie Williams)
“Fringe is supposed to be in opposition to something.”
— Julianne Brienza, The Georgetowner (Richard Selden)
Recognition
Capital Fringe and its founder, Julianne Brienza, have been widely recognized for bold leadership, innovation, and impact on Washington, DC’s cultural landscape. The organization has received multiple Mayor’s Arts Awards across three mayoral administrations, including Innovation in the Arts, Service in the Arts, and Visionary Leadership. Under Julianne’s direction, Capital Fringe also earned two Momentum Awards from the Downtown DC BID and was celebrated by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the “People Who Made a Mark on the District.” Individually, Julianne was honored with the Helen Hayes Award for Innovative Leadership from Theatre Washington, named Nonprofit CEO of the Year by the Washington Business Journal, and recognized in its “40 Under 40” list of emerging leaders. These awards reflect the lasting influence of Capital Fringe’s artist-first values and its role in shaping a more adventurous and inclusive arts scene in the nation’s capital.
Subscribe
Sign up for the Fringe newsletter for exclusive deals, news, event information, contests and much more.
Contact
Phone (202) 731 6634
Email info@capitalfringe.org
Tickets (866) 811 4111