Fringe Fest offers more than theatre

North End

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/07/2024 (735 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Did you know that the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is the third largest Fringe in the world? The biggest one is the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland, which begins Aug. 2, followed by the Edmonton Fringe Festival, which opens Aug. 15.

Founded in 1988, the Winnipeg Fringe features plays by theatre groups from around the world and also features musical groups, acrobats, fire spinners, jugglers, comedians, circus acts and much, much more. A lot of the performances are free at the Cube stage in Old Market Square, and many of those who take the stage are paid via passing the hat system, whereby they they either hold out a hat or bag on stage or walk through the crowd collecting money from the audience at the end of their performances. Most of the bands performing on the stage are paid a set fee for their concerts.

Like most festivals, volunteers play a big part in the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. Doing everything from selling program guides to ushering, to picking up garbage, the volunteers earn credit towards going to plays depending on how many hours they volunteer. They also get invited to a lot of free volunteer appreciation shows. I volunteered years ago,in the early 2000s, after moving back from Vancouver and it was a great experience. I would recommend it to anyone.

I’ve seen some interesting plays at the Fringe over the years and met some pretty interesting people, both performers and audience members. There is always something going on at the free stage throughout the festival, with theatre performers taking to the stage to promote their shows at various venues in between performances. They even walk throughout the Exchange District in costume, handing out flyers and leaflets promoting their shows. Many performers are regulars and bring a new show each year as they do the whole worldwide Fringe circuit.

Every year I see something new on the free stage that not only wows me but inspires me. This year it was an acrobatic group from Nairobi, Kenya that absolutely blew me away. The Jambo Brothers performed incredible feats to Motown sounds. The very athletic group not only did some amazing flips and double flips, but they also brought skipping rope to a new level when they invited audience members onto the stage to dance and “follow the leader.” After the audience members took turns jumping rope, the Jambo Brothers dazzled everyone with their dance-type moves and doing push-ups while jumping their very long rope.

If you missed the Fringe this year, I highly recommend you check it out next year.