| Calgary’s on-again, off-again fringe theatre festival is on again. The A.O. Shirley Memorial Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the arts, is backing a revival of the festival in the summer of 2006. And this time it will take place on 17th Avenue S.W., using venues in Western Canada High School.
"The demographic and population around 17th Avenue are perfect for a fringe," says Blair Gallant of the foundation, who is serving as the festival’s producer.
The Calgary Fringe Festival will run August 11 to 20 and hopes to present as many as 40 indoor theatre productions as well as about 30 street performers. Gallant says the goal is to feature one-third local acts, one-third national and one-third international.
A member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF), Calgary’s fringe is timed to fit in between the Saskatoon and Edmonton festivals on the summertime circuit.
For a long time, Calgary has been virtually the only major city in Canada without a fringe festival, even though many local artists have been part of the scene, dating back to 1982 and the founding of Edmonton’s fringe – the first and largest festival in North America. There were early efforts by One Yellow Rabbit and Lunchbox Theatre to host select fringe acts, but a bona fide festival wasn’t attempted until 1999. It got off to a shaky start and was rescued at the 11th hour by the Green Fools troupe, which put on a "Plan B" mini-fringe. The full-blown festival made its debut in 2000, based in the Ramsay-Inglewood neighbourhood. It continued through 2002, overseen by the Loose Moose Theatre Company, but ended after the Moose left the Garry Theatre in 2003.
Playwright Jason Rothery was among the local artists who participated in the short-lived Calgary festival and says the city was clearly ready for a fringe at the time. He’s taken on the role of director for the new fest.
"We have a lot of confidence in the audience in Calgary," he says. "I don’t think there’s any trouble drawing them to a fringe festival, it’s just keeping them on the site." He says Inglewood didn’t have the area attractions to maintain a festival atmosphere. In contrast, 17th is teeming with restaurants and bars, and already sees a high volume of pedestrian traffic.
The area also has a number of potential performance sites. Gallant says the festival is looking at using Calgary Opera’s new rehearsal space in the former Wesley Church, and points to other possible venues such as Theatre Junction’s old rehearsal hall on the corner of 17th and Fifth Street and the Decidedly Jazz Danceworks headquarters on Fourth Street.
The festival already has the use of three spaces in Western Canada, including the school’s theatre and dance studio, and a setting for outdoor activities at Tomkins Park in front of Mount Royal Village. Performances will run from noon to 11 p.m. each day.
Like the Edmonton fringe, Calgary’s festival will choose its acts by lottery. Artists are invited to apply by January 20 and acts will be picked at random from the applications received. There is a $530 fee for successful applicants, but in return the artists keep 100 per cent of what they earn at the box office during the festival, and are provided with technicians, front-of-house staff and other support. Artists set their own ticket prices, to a maximum of $10 per ticket.
Gallant says the festival has a projected budget of between $300,000 and $400,000 (roughly the equivalent of One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo). A.O. Shirley, which helped build the Community Arts Centre in the former Currie Barracks, is providing seed money for the start-up year and the festival is also in the process of seeking corporate sponsorships.
For application forms and other information, go to the festival’s website at www.calgaryfringefestival.com. |
Copyright ©2005 FFWD. All rights reserved.