April 11, 1997

(ORLANDO, FLORIDA) - The Slant, Orlando's Community Webzine, has launched the official cybercast of the 1997 Orlando Fringe Festival, the first in-depth Internet coverage in the festival's six-year history. Between April 10th and April 20th, the Slant will post content in a special Fringe '97 section of the publication, which also features interactive festival schedules, discussion groups, and more.

This cybercast aims for a local audience to raise awareness of the event and increase attendance by giving potential visitors as much information about the shows as possible. A core of about fifteen reporters attends the performances and contributes informative commentary, which is posted quickly after the events, along with photos, audio, and video to capture the full flavor. As an added feature, each article contains a reader polling option and a linked discussion section, encouraging the community to participate directly. Other aspects of the cybercast site include a searchable schedule of Fringe events, a printable map marking each venue, and other Fringe information. The Slant will publish this section during the festival and will maintain it online after the event as a lasting record.

Publisher Dan Leeds explains the Slant's participation: "The Slant is proud to kick off an aggressive schedule of cybercasts, including the 1997 Florida Film Festival and the Orlando stop of the Res Digital Film Festival, with the '97 Fringe Festival. These events give us an excellent opportunity to work in close cooperation with the community for a great cause. Only a publication like The Slant has the versatility to offer that kind of coverage."

The Orlando Fringe Festival, now in its sixth year, carries on a tradition that began in Scotland, providing an outlet for performers excluded from more established performance arts. Fringe producer Andy Anthony explains, "The Orlando International Fringe Festival continues this tradition as the first festival of its kind in the United States... offering an encouraging springboard for new, creative work in the theatrical arts...[What] separates the Fringe from any other type of theatre [is] that the audience decides what it likes instead of producers making content, form, style and artistic judgments for the entire community. The Fringe is for, and by, the community."

The Slant opened its online doors in Orlando on March 3rd, 1997. The publication contains Central Florida's first truly interactive events calendar and custom start page, which informs readers only of those events that interest them. People involved in all aspects of entertainment and news - including music, sports, food, arts and media, nightlife, and local issues - contribute The Slant's articles. Each article invites readers to participate in a dialogue by linking to a posting by the author in our free discussion area, where readers can support or dispute the author and other responders.

Editor Anna Sheldon sums it up: "Most publications are about the views of the publishers; whereas at The Slant, we are more interested in the diverse views of everyone in Orlando - the more far-ranging, the better."

The Slant is an official sponsor of the 1997 Orlando Fringe Festival.