Fringe fest bounces back

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This article was published 16/07/2024 (740 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Merry Fringemas!

An annual summer holiday for theatre-goers since its debut in 1988, this year’s Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival will feature 1,250 performances by artists from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Germany, Brazil and Japan.

Aside from an affordable and diverse lineup of productions, there are plenty of reasons for festival devotees to celebrate, as the post-pandemic bounceback is continuing at the fringe, which has grown into the second-largest festival of its kind in North America over the course of its 37 years.

This year’s festival, which opens July 17 and runs to July 28, will feature 150 shows, about a six per cent increase over the 2023 festival. There were 60 more (308) applications for the festival compared with 2023, according to the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.

Two years after the fest’s return from a pandemic-enforced two-year hiatus in 2022, the number of indoor companies participating in the festival continues to climb back toward 2019 levels.

During the final pre-pandemic festival, there were 178 indoor companies, 1,511 performances, and a total box-office revenue of $879,034. During the first festival back, in 2022, there were only 112 indoor companies, with 981 performances and a box office revenue of $536,365.

Last year, those numbers swung upward, with 1,217 performances raking in $716,248, representing a 34 per cent increase over 2022. Meanwhile, attendance leapfrogged by a similar quantity.

The rebound in the sector has been slow, but steadily positive, according to the Canadian Association for the Performing Arts. In 2023, the live performance domain contributed $3.6 billion to the national GDP.

“In constant dollars, this is essentially the same as in 2019,” the association says, noting there were 78,000 jobs in the live performance sphere last year, a 3.3 per cent increase over 2019.

Reel ’em in

Advance tickets ($12-$14) are available online at winnipegfringe.com or in person at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre at 174 Market Ave. The theatre lobby will be open from noon to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday, to July 27. (RMTC is the key institutional partner in making the festival possible.)

A Frequent Fringer Pass can be purchased for $144 (for access to 14 shows) or $84 (eight performances).

Spur-of-the-moment tickets can be bought at the door, but make sure to bring cash. If you’re 25 years old or under, tickets cost $10. Door tickets go on sale 30 minutes before the first performance of the day. After that, they go on sale 15 minutes after the previous show starts.

There is a limit of four tickets per person. Certain discounts are also offered for matinee performances for seniors and  students with valid ID.

All sales are final, with no refunds or exchanges. According to the fringe program, showtimes operate on “Bell MTS cellphone time,” but be forewarned: there is a no-tolerance policy on video, photography, phone calls, texting or social media use during performances. Give the performers your undivided attention.

Make yourself comfortable

Inside the fringe program, also available online, shows accessible to individuals with sensory challenges to vision or hearing are highlighted where applicable, with some companies offering American Sign Language or relaxed performance environments.

Each venue has a limited number of seats reserved for patrons who face such barriers as well as those who are experiencing mobility-related issues. The best plan is to arrive early to the venue to check in at least 30 minutes before showtime so festival volunteers can accommodate any concerns or needs.

Every venue except for Nos. 5 (side entrance to RMTC Warehouse, 140 Rupert Ave.), 14 (King’s Head Pub, 120 King St.), 23 (188 Princess St.) and 25 (The Gargoyle Theatre, 585 Ellice Ave.) is wheelchair accessible.

Listen to this

Live theatre and live music go hand in hand. Throughout the festival, outdoor performers take the stage at the Cube at Old Market Square. This year’s acts include the tight funk of Botox Grampa, the infectious beats of DJ Mama Cutsworth, the playful indie pop of Sundayclub, and the hip-swaying concoctions of the Mariachi Ghost. A full list and schedule of performers is available at the fringe website.

Doggy don’t-don’t

Unless your pooch is a certified service dog, leave the fluffy cuddlebug at home. The fringe has a no-pets policy, but some guy is all but guaranteed to show up to Old Market Square with a parrot on his shoulder.

Maybe baby? Nope

The fringe says no to babes in arms, except at the kids venue or at designated kid-friendly shows. We wouldn’t want the wee ones to steal the show, anyway.

Now — let’s review

Throughout the festival, the Free Press team will write brightly and tightly as they compose daily and nightly reviews of every single performance within our pages and at winnipegfreepress.com, but patrons are welcome to submit their own at winnipegfringereviews.com. Let’s agree, let’s disagree, let’s discuss, let’s consider, let’s reconsider, let’s laugh, let’s cry, let’s do both at the same time — let’s fringe.

Ben Waldman
Reporter

Ben Waldman is a National Newspaper Award-nominated reporter on the Arts & Life desk at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Ben completed three internships with the Free Press while earning his degree at Ryerson University’s (now Toronto Metropolitan University’s) School of Journalism before joining the newsroom full-time in 2019. Read more about Ben.

Every piece of reporting Ben produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.