What: Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival
Where: Various locations, including Victoria Event Centre, Langham Court Theatre, Metro Studio Theatre and more
When: Aug. 22-Sept. 2
Tickets: $11 and under with $6 membership button at Ticket Rocket (#101–804 Broughton St.) and Fringe HQ (1609 Blanshard St.)
Information: victoriafringe.com
No rules. That has always been the programming mindset of fringe theatre festivals across the country, and that maverick philosophy is why regional instalments of the alternative-theatre festival rank among the most well-attended events of the year. Festivalgoers come for what is advertised, but stay for the unexpected. At the Victoria Fringe, which enters its 32nd year next week, happy accidents are always part of the process for the performers.
“You can make the show whatever you want,” said Sean Guist, the festival’s marketing and development manager. “There’s no juries, no rules. It’s uncensored.”
The Victoria Fringe is the second-oldest festival of its kind in Canada, even though it is considered mid-sized when stacked against fringes in Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Toronto. To many, that is the inherent charm.
Intrepid Theatre founded the festival in 1987 as a three-day experiment. More than 20,000 fans are expected to take in a Victoria Fringe show this month, with 47 performances between Aug. 22 and Sept. 2. Artists from as far away as France, New Zealand and the U.K. will perform. There are seven traditional venues and five off-site venues. The Victoria Fringe accepts shows through an unjuried lottery system, which can often produce unexpected results.
There is a lot of local motion this year, according to Victoria Fringe producer Sammie Gough. There has been an explosion of independent theatre companies creating new work in the city, many of which will debut at this year’s Fringe.
Twenty-four Victoria-based companies are showcasing this year, up from 20 in 2017. Gough believes the increase in Victoria-based shows has helped accelerate advance ticket sales, as friends and family often pledge their support early, especially when a performer is making his or her stage debut.
The Fringe format means artists keep 100 per cent of their box-office revenues, so attendance at individual ticketed event events is key.
“The volume of applications we are getting from local companies was quite high,” Gough said. “It has gone from a very small amount of local shows in the 1990s to a lot of local artists. There’s always companies and artists that we’ve never heard of. Maybe they come out of the University of Victoria theatre program, or they are someone who has always wanted to get a show together they’ve been writing. Some of these folks who come out of the woodwork are complete surprises to us.”
Not every element of the Victoria Fringe is an unknown. Making appearances this year are several established homegrown talents, including Shawn O’Hara (Field Zoology 101; Fake Ghost Tours 2: Tour Fast Tour Furious), David Elendune (Sherlock Holmes & The Curse of Moriarty), and Kate Braidwood (The Wilds). Local heroes Morgan Cranny, Wes Borg, Ian Case, Rod Peter Jr. and Mike Delamont return with The War of 1812, while Ratfish Comedy, Theatre Inconnu, Atomic Vaudeville and Tops Theatre Company, among others, will also stage anticipated local productions.
Those are expected to be among the most in-demand performances, which isn’t a surprise to Gough. “There is this amazing, dedicated base of people who love the Fringe. That fanbase is so vibrant.”
Guist said his favourite part of the Victoria Fringe is the camaraderie between audiences of all ages. Some shows get by almost exclusively on word-of-mouth, the buzz coming to life as the festival progresses. The producers often know in advance what shows will work, but audience approval has a power all its own, he said.
“You’ll see a University of Victoria theatre student with someone in their 60s who has been Fringeing for 30 years, and they are at this show having this shared experience. There’s something so special about how the Fringe makes those conversations and experiences possible.”
Gough is from Melbourne, Australia, a city with a fringe that ranks as one of the biggest in the world, with 400 events in 160 venues playing to 350,000 people. There’s no denying the impact of such a festival, she said, but the Victoria Fringe has an endearing quality matched by few others.
“I’ve heard feedback from touring artists who play the Fringe circuit who say that Victoria audiences are really adventurous. The artists can take risks that perhaps they wouldn’t at other, bigger fringes, because of the impact it would have on the box office. There is definitely a dedicated, core Fringe audience that is on-board to go on a journey with the artist. The way Canadians fringe is phenomenal. It’s a Canadian characteristic, fringeing. People are so invested.”
Guist said it’s his job to convert Victoria residents who aren’t aware of the Victoria Fringe into supporters.
He believes the Victoria Fringe can be many things to a lot of people, from a regular theatregoer to a performing-arts newbie.
A great place for those interested in getting their feet wet in advance of the 12-day festival is the free Fringe Eve Preview set for Wednesday at Centennial Square. The showcase is where many who attend the festival make their must-see choices for the coming weeks, Guist said.
“There are so many people who come back year after year who love this festival, and who will keep coming back and have this Fringe-fanatic mentality.
“But I really want to try and find new ways to bring people into the festival fold.
“People love the showcase because it’s when shows in the festival get two minutes on stage to pitch their show. It’s such a perfect way to find out what’s happening and get a teaser.”
