FRINGE FESTIVAL IS BACK
Kiana Woo, left, and Melanie Bahniuk put up posters to promote some of the eclectic performances at this year’s Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, which kicks off today in Old Strathcona and will feature 220 shows across 42 venues.
Asking what makes the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival so fringe-y is like wondering what makes Canada so Canadian.
Nation-wise, is it free health care? Beaver tails? Sunny ways? Fringe-wise, it could be that the 220 shows in the 2017 lineup are not juried or censored, are artist-accessible and audience affordable. The fact that the festival puts $1 million every year into the pockets of the artists involved — the ticket price goes right back to them — is another compelling feature of the Fringe.
But, according to Fringe Theatre artistic director Murray Utas, there is something else that makes the Fringe exactly the ineffable, hard-to-pin-down, whoosh of wonder that it has become, 36 years down the pike.
“It’s the sense that anything is possible, anything can happen,” said Utas, entering his fifth season at the helm of the largest — and oldest — festival of its kind in North America.
Utas, also an actor and director, first came to the Fringe as an actor in 1994, fresh out of theatre school at Red Deer College. When he wasn’t acting in a play called The Narrows, Utas was working at his other job, which was installing porta-potties on the Fringe site. He remembers coming out of one of the freshly-installed units and running smack into two women who had seen him earlier at the play and loved his performance. It was a sort of “best of times/worst of times” moment, and he never forgot it.
Those were the old days, preinternet, when artists were even more driven to connect with audiences wherever they could, including in lineups at the toilets, because that was one of the few ways to draw attention to your work and get people to come to your show. Another element that makes the Fringe what it is today is just that — performers are more than artists. They must sell their shows, becoming hucksters, persuaders, magnets.
“It has a heart and a pulse and it draws people,” reflects Utas. “There is no other place where you have an instant connection between artists and the audience.”
This year, there are a few tweaks designed to make that connection ever tighter. There is a new Welcome Gate near the entrance to the site, where volunteers used to hand out stickers and solicit donations. Now, the volunteers are just there to help visitors navigate, to point to the box office and the daily discount booth and to suggest the best place to get a $10 hard copy of the program. This year, for the first time, the entire program is available online, where it is free.
The number of venues in the program sits at 42, including more far-flung stages than in the past. To make sure we all know just how far-flung, the program now notes walking times to all venues from the heart of the Fringe in Old Strathcona. In the case of the Sound off!, debuting Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Kingsway Legion (14339-50 St.), that walking time is 160 minutes. Most shows, however, are within 10 minutes of the gazebo at Wilbert McIntyre Park.
Remember this: distance doesn’t stop artists from seeking out a spot at the Fringe, and so why should it be a deterrent to audience members? If you feel concerned about the prospects for shows that have set up in less-convenient locations, remember that big success stories have come from inauspicious beginnings at the Fringe. Both Teatro La Quindicina and Shadow Theatre began their now-illustrious runs at the Fringe. Almost everything good starts way off in the distance.
The other thing that makes the Fringe so fringe-y is that though it’s much beloved locally, it’s also an increasingly big deal internationally. (Parallels to Canada there, too, eh?) This year, there are more than three dozen shows that hail from the United States, more than two dozen from other Canadian cities, plus seven from the U.K. and seven from Australia and New Zealand. One hardy troupe is travelling all the way from South Africa.
“Our festival resonates around the world,” said Utas.
It’s the sense that anything is possible, anything can happen ... It has a heart and a pulse and it draws people. There is no other place where you have an instant connection between artists and the audience.
Like a well-tended garden, the annual Edmonton International Fringe Festival grows yearly in colour and complexity.
To get the very most out of the 36th annual event, which kicks off today in Old Strathcona and features 42 venues with 1,600 performances, make sure to assemble your Fringe tools (trowel, fertilizer, transit tickets, festival guide) before you hit the site.) Here are a few tips for minimizing weeds and maximizing this year’s harvest.
TICKET PURCHASE
Tickets range in price from $10 to $16. Do remember that artists receive 100 per cent of the net ticket price (less the Fringe’s $3 administration fee), and artists decide the cost of their own shows. You can order tickets online (fringetheatre.ca) or over the phone (780-409-1910), but you still have to pick them up in person at any of the Fringe box offices. Bring photo identification, and your transaction number or your payment card.
Tickets are available at the ATB Financial Arts Barns Box Office (10330 84 Ave.), at Tix on the Square (9930 102 Ave.) and also at numerous satellite box offices (where lineups can be shorter than at the main box office) that are scattered about the festival site, including at La Cite Francophone. A Daily Discount Booth, located just north of the Arts Barns, offers specially priced tickets to a variety of shows scheduled for that day.
The entire program for this year’s Fringe Festival is online. There is also a master schedule of all performances posted in four locations on the Fringe site, including the main box office, which also has a television screen that flashes whether tickets to certain shows are widely available, available on a limited basis or sold out. Watch also for volunteers selling tickets for that storied game of chance, the 50/50, to be drawn at the end of the festival. Proceeds go to support Fringe productions and artists.
Don’t arrive late to shows, or you won’t be allowed in. Arriving early, in fact, means you will have time to stand in line outside and talk to other patrons about their favourite shows so far. This is an excellent way to discover hidden gems.
TRANSPORTATION
Parking is a muddy affair at the Fringe, so you are advised to bike, walk or take public transit. Bike parking is provided by Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society, but you must bring your own lock. Lots are next to the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre (8426 103 St.) Bus routes 4, 7, 52, 57, 94 or 327 along Whyte Avenue will get you to Calgary Trail or Gateway Boulevard, just a block south of the site.
If you need to get between the main site and La Cite Francophone, which boasts five stages, there is a free shuttle that runs between noon and midnight. Pick up a Fringe guide to find out where the shuttle stops and at what times. Pogo Carshare has also struck a deal with the Fringe to offer a free membership and 15 free car minutes. Visit pogocarshare.com for more information.
ACCESSIBILITY
Not every Fringe venue is fully accessible to disabled members of the public. More information is online at fringetheatre.ca. For recommendations of shows suitable for visually and hearing impaired patrons, please contact organizers at communications@ fringetheatre.ca
FOLLOW OUR REVIEWERS
The Journal has a team of eight crack critics at this year’s festival who will be sitting through more than half of the 220 shows, just to let you know what’s good and what’s not. Read our assessments at edmontonjournal.com. Some reviews will run daily in the City section of the newspaper’s print edition.
BRING THE KIDS
The Fringe is a family-friendly event, offering oodles of outdoor entertainment, and an assortment of shows geared to young audiences, as well as to families. There is a Craft Corner, face painting and a Tots Tent sure to delight children under five. A KidsFringe Stage bursts with daily, interactive performances. Again, the festival guide is the best way to organize your family’s visits to the Fringe.