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Fringe festival draws record numbers this year

More than 80,000 take in 146 acts

By: Matt Preprost

27/07/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

BORIS.MINKEVICH@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Enlarge Image

Victor Rubilar entertains enthusiastic crowd on Sunday.

FRINGE fanatics "came out in droves" to this year's festival, setting a new attendance record, organizers said Sunday.

Final numbers will be released today, but as of Sunday at 8:30 p.m., ticket sales had reached more than 80,000, said Chuck McEwen, the festival's executive producer. That tops rival Edmonton Fringe's sales last year, but the Edmonton festival could still catch up next month.

"It feels great," he said.

"A lot of people are staying in the city and checking out hometown tourism, and spending money in the city."

Last year, ticket sales for the festival reached nearly 73,000.

McEwen credited fringe fan enthusiasm for the attendance spike.

"A lot of credit goes to the Winnipeg audience that loves the fringe," McEwen said.

"They're not seeing just one show, but are going to see 10 or 20 shows. "The overal quality of the plays have been phenomenal," he added. "It shows that the fringe, in its 22nd year, is really maturing."

The beginning of the Fringe was marred by less-than-desired weather, McEwen admitted, but it gave way to perfect fringe weather.

"The first two days were rough and chilly," he said. "After that, it was perfect fringe weather. You didn't have to escape the rain or heat and stay indoors."

The nice weather helped sell a couple thousand more tickets, McEwen said.

This year, there were 146 productions at the festival from Manitoba, Canada and even as far away as South Africa and Israel.

Twenty-five plays went home with a Best of Fest status, including locally produced 13 Plays About Love, Misadventures of a Massage Therapist, and Zombie Prom.

Meanwhile, Joseph Aragon's play Bloodless: The Trial of Burke and Hare won the Harry S. Rintoul Memorial Award for Best New Manitoban Play.

The prize is awarded annually by the Manitoba Association of Playwrights.

Meanwhile, Brandon's Folk, Music and Art Festival also had a record-breaking year for it's 25th anniversary, which wrapped up Sunday night with performances by Ghosts of the Highway, Hard Ramblers, Rolla Olak, Volcanoless in Canada and Veda Hille.

"We have record numbers for Friday ... it looked like almost twice the amount we usually get," said Shandra MacNeill, acting executive director. "And Saturday looks pretty close."

The campground started to fill up the day before the three-day festival started.

The festival also expanded a few aspects, such as yoga and cultural dance.

"The more people you can engage in the community, the more the community feels like it's theirs," MacNeill said.

-- With files from Brandon Sun

matt.preprost@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 27, 2009 B1

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