What a rip-off: Broadway Ave. stripped of posters
There’s a poster pest on Broadway.
On Wednesday and Thursday night, someone ripped down every poster on each of the 12 barrel display posts on the street.
“Every single poster, on every single poster stand on Broadway,” said Fringe producer Danielle Altrogge.
However, the Fringe’s own wooden poster stands were not targeted.
This has been happening occasionally all summer, Broadway Business Improvement District (BID) executive director DeeAnn Mercier said — and in downtown and Riversdale as well. It’s not necessarily an anti-Fringe gesture.
“We think it’s a guy who’s mad I asked for a review of the poster bylaw last year. My office door is locked,” Mercier wrote on Twitter.
The perpetrator didn’t add littering to the crime of vandalism — the posters were deposited in garbage containers.
Mercier has been in touch with city police.
There’s round-the-clock security at the Fringe, but guards can’t be everywhere at once, Altrogge said.
“They were unable to locate anyone last night,” she said Friday.
Cory Thibert, in town from Vancouver with the play Awkward Hug, said posters are key to reaching audiences. Once they’re used up, he can’t afford to print more.
“This is such a sad thing for the Fringe and for the city. There was some poster vandalism that took place at the Winnipeg Fringe as well, and so in some ways it feels quite personal,” Thibert said.
However, “while the posters being torn down is extremely upsetting, we look forward to opening our show tonight (Friday) and connecting with the audiences here who are so supportive of the festival and its artists,” he said.
Despite the incident, the crowds were substantial on opening night of the Nutrien Fringe Theatre Festival, which runs to Aug. 11.