Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia

Fringe Movement

Brad Fraser and Sandra Shamas - two who have "fringed"

Although the fringe movement originated in Scotland at the Edinburgh Festival (which gave birth to the fringe [of the festival], which outgrew the main festival), Canada has more Fringe Festivals per capita than any other country in the world. The first, and largest, fringe in Canada is the Edmonton Fringe Festival (established in 1982).

Fringe theatre is the most democratic and accessible theatre in the world. Each festival follows a series of basic guidelines which can include: admission prices must be kept low (the average ticket price is $10); companies for a festival are chosen on a first-come first-served basis at some festivals and by lottery at others. (Companies which go the former route act as follows: the fringe organization sends out applications to all companies interested, and the first applications returned after a given date - and based on the postmark and handicaps [ie: distance of an applying company from the organization offices] - are the companies which appear in the festival for that year. Certain quota guidelines may apply to some festivals; for instance, the Montreal festival tries to assure that there are a certain number of French-language companies.) -There are no limits on content or title, no censorship is applied. (There are two recent notorious Canadian fringe works which had some censorship applied to them by outside-the-fringe community pressures: The Happy C**t and The F**k Machine.) -Some fringes charge guest companies extra for the length of a work (as it limits how many works can play the same hall on the same day). -Fees paid by the participating companies must also be kept as low as possible (in Canada they range from aprox. $250-1000). -The fringe administrators usually provide shelter for the visiting companies. -All monies paid by spectators at a given show go to the creators/performers. -No latecomers will be admitted. (There has been some loosening of this rule at various fringes.) -Audience-members are encouraged to spread the word about shows they liked or disliked. (Word of mouth can make or break a fringe production as critics cannot usually review all the productions in a given fringe. Some festivals actually set up bulletin boards where audience members can post their opinions.) -No refunds. -Typically, a production has one hour to set up, one hour to take down (though this rule can varry from one festival to the next). There are some more specific rules which apply to each festival but it is clear that a fringe festival can, and does, represent the broadest spectrum of small-scale theatrical activity from the absolutely execrable, to decent-amateur, to magnificent solo and group efforts from artists who understand the dynamics of the fringe festival.

The fringe has become the essence of theatrical development, in this country and abroad. Whereas at one time an artist's resumé was likely to contain references to Stratford , the National Theatre School of Canada or regional houses, more and more resumés in Canada contain a reference to a fringe festival.

Orlando, Florida's Sak Theatre (Men in Tights) performing outdoors at the Edmonton Fringe; the company's motto: "If we can't make you laugh, you're dead." (Photo provided by David Cheoros)

Artists like Rick Miller , Jeff Haslam , Daniel MacIvor , Aviva Ravel , Brad Fraser , Stacey Christodoulou , Jean-Claude Coté , Sandra Shamas , Steve Galluccio , Ron Chambers , Marty Chan , Stewart Lemoine and France Rolland and their works were or are fringe favourites. But so, too, are the less outré works of dance, theatre and music that could not find a home (for reasons of rental cost) outside of a fringe festival. Certain fringe companies, like Gams on the Lam from the United States, or Ghost River , from Calgary, develop a devout following on the Canadian and international fringe circuits.

It is also becoming clear that the fringe festivals are serving as alternative/experimental festivals for works which, outside of Toronto, would never be performed. There is a higher quota of Gay and Lesbian works in an average fringe than there is in an average city's theatre season. Cities who do not have a Primus , Carbone 14 or Robert Lepage , are also getting the chance to see multidisciplinary works and, by such contact, becoming open to the creation of such works within the city's ongoing cultural life.

Also, and this is an important evolution in Canadian theatre, the Canadian and international fringe circuit is keeping many artists working all year round on a theatrical product which they have often created and wish to keep alive.

Among the cities and towns which have or have had fringe festivals in Canada are: Edmonton, Montreal, Saskatoon, Vancouver, St. John's, Halifax, Peterborough, Lloydminster, Kelowna, Abbotsford, Duncan, Nanaimo, Toronto, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Victoria. In 1999, Calgary, Thunder Bay, Prince George and Athabasca join the Fringe circuit.