Organizers of the Nanaimo Fringe Festival are turning to the public for help after sound and lighting equipment used at the festival was stolen on the festival’s opening night.
The equipment was taken Aug. 11 from a locked shipping container located at the festival’s outdoor stage, near Gallery Row on Fitzwilliam Street. It was discovered missing by one of the festival’s producers, who arrived for set-up the morning of Aug. 12.
“There were metal shavings on the ground near the door, and the lock had been completely removed,” said managing artistic producer Bryony Dixon of Pacific Coast Stage Co., the not-for-profit performing arts organization which has presented the Nanaimo Fringe Festival since 2011.
Two large speakers, a mixing board, and lighting equipment are among the stolen items. The festival was able to re-rent some of the gear from music store Long & McQuade, but has had to rely on outside help in order to complete its full schedule of Fringe performances, which run until Aug. 21.
“Lots of events are back on this summer, so Long & McQuade couldn’t re-rent us all the gear that was needed,” Dixon said. “We had a few community members reach out to say that they have items we can borrow, so we haven’t had to cancel one date.”
Dixon said she filed an insurance claim but was told the festival’s standard liability insurance did not cover the loss of the rented audio-visual equipment stored inside the locker. Insurance that was purchased through Long & McQuade only covered $1,500 of the $7,000 cost to replace the gear, she added.
“This was the first year we’ve used a storage container. We usually load and unload everything each day, and pack it up in vehicles and drive it off. I thought this was going to be a solution so our volunteers wouldn’t have so much work to do.”
An online fundraiser has been set up to help offset some of the damages. The festival belongs to the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals, whose artist-friendly business model nets performers 100 per cent of the revenue from ticket sales. As a result, admission revenue cannot be used to cover costs associated with things such as equipment replacement.
“It would be quite devastating to the artists [to cancel their shows],” Dixon said. “We’re hoping that the online fundraiser can cover the loss.”
Twelve performances and two special events are scheduled for the outdoor stage during the Nanaimo Fringe, which Dixon hoped would bring some much-needed vibrancy back to the city’s Old City Quarter neighbourhood. “We’re trying to revitalize that area. It’s really charming and quirky, and the architecture is really cool, it’s just a real shame that it has a problem with crime. Hopefully people recognize that and want to come out and support what we’re doing.”
mdevlin@timescolonist.com
