With 53 shows for 2018, the Hamilton Fringe Festival is bursting at the seams
Annual event celebrates 15 years with 53 shows
THE BUZZ IS BIG.
The 15th Anniversary edition of the Hamilton Fringe Festival is bursting at the seams. With 53 shows there are hard choices to make.
There’s everything from dance, opera, comedy, magic and music.
Shows are coming from as far away as Argentina and Saskatchewan. And some are coming from just down the street.
With so many productions how do you choose what to see?
You ask Rose Hopkins, of course. Associate producer of the 2018 Fringe, Hopkins has the skinny on everything that’s fringy.
“It’s going to be terrific,” she says. “Bigger than ever, with more social events surrounding performances. You’ll be able to feel a part of the whole thing. There’s a big kickoff party at Lincoln Alexander Centre where you can see 90-second teasers of most of the shows. It’s a chance to make up your mind, to decide what is hot. After the kickoff you can go to the Redchurch Café and Gallery, 68 King St. E. to extend your evening. This new Fringe Club is at the east end of Gore Park. You can eat, drink and mingle with performers and other Fringe customers. It’s very people friendly,” Hopkins adds.
This year, the Fringe is going up the hill. Well, up the Mountain to be precise. For the first time there will be shows at the Zoetic Theatre, 526 Concession St.
“In the first year everything was concentrated in one little area,” Hopkins says. “Gradually, there was a moving outward and people just followed the crowd.”
This year there are more shows coming from outside the area. “That’s because Hamilton is on the map. It’s now known as a centre for music, art and Indie theatre,” Hopkins suggests.
With Theatre Aquarius, our regional presenter of professional productions, community theatre groups like the 143-year-old Players’ Guild, and the burgeoning local indie scene, you might think we have enough theatre in town.
“Oh no,” Hopkins says. “There’s still room to grow. There’s space for everyone. The new can stand comfortably beside the old. The Fringe is at the heart of much of what’s happening in Hamilton.
“A Fringe offers artists and emerging artists the chance to experiment, to create new work. It allows them to be entrepreneurial, to produce their own shows in a fairly safe financial environment.”
This means artists don’t have to spend a fortune on publicity. There’s already a framework for promotion and their work gets seen.
Risks can be taken, mistakes can be made and those can be built upon.
The companies pay a $25 application fee. If accepted they pay $350 to $650 to present their show. They keep all box office revenue.
“The Fringe makes its money from the sale of one-time $5 buttons,” Hopkins says. “We also get grants from The Ontario Arts Council, City of Hamilton, Ontario Culture and Activities Club and sponsors who dip into their own pockets.”
You might wonder with so many shows if they’re all terrific.
“The productions are not vetted; not viewed ahead of time for quality control,” Hopkins says. “The shows are chosen at random. That’s the very concept of a Fringe. So standards vary.”
Then there’s the question of censorship. What are groups permitted to put on the stage? Just about anything, it seems.
“We don’t tell people what they can do and say on the stage. This has to be a place where artists are free to present work without restrictions.”
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GENERAL HINT for audiences is to listen to the buzz around the venues, listen to word of mouth, ask questions, examine the topic and then choose wisely. This also goes for knowing which shows will be this year’s Fringe hits.
An important offshoot of Fringe Festivals is the fact the shows attract a young audience.
It’s no secret most cultural events attract a mostly grey-haired crowd. Young people need to be encouraged to come to the theatre if it’s going to survive.
“They don’t go because they feel threatened by the big theatre experience. They don’t feel they belong there. And they can’t afford the ticket prices at places like Stratford, Shaw and Mirvish, even though those theatres try to offer deals when they can. Another crucial thing is, when young people go to the big spaces they don’t see images of themselves on stage. And that’s a big turnoff,” Hopkins says.
Prices for Fringe shows range from $8 to $12 and some offer $5 tickets for young people. Of course you have to purchase the one-time $5 Backers Button that allows you to buy tickets. Through schools and other agencies the Fringe also offers a number of free tickets for those young people who meet the criteria. Best way to check prices is to go to the Fringe site.
Hopkins has hopes for the future of Fringe in Hamilton.
“I hope to see more companies coming from outside to perform here. I hope to see more add-on events. I hope to see Fringe partnered with other agencies and events. Hopefully we’ll keep growing. In 2003, our second year we had a crowd of 2,400. Last year in 2017 we had 11,000. That’s progress.”
With 53 shows to choose from it’s difficult to select the ones that sound unmissable. Based on a wide range of shows here’s a small sampling of things that sound seductive. Go to hamiltonfringe.ca for more details.