Last week’s Toronto Fringe Town Hall meeting may have been light on attendees but it was heavy on productive conversation, including remote contributions from friends via Twitter. Everyone in attendance was encouraged to raise questions and concerns and to share commentary as Kelly Straughan, the Executive Director, ran the show.
First up was a report on the success of the 2014 festival. Last year was a record breaker for Toronto Fringe: the highest selling festival in the organization’s history. No small feat. The Fringe Club was another success as evidenced by artist and audience feedback as well as bar sales $15,000 higher than expected.
We didn’t wait long before addressing the BIGGEST change: ticket sales. This past year, Fringe introduced a new ticketing policy where 100% of show tickets were made available for purchase in advance. In previous years, 50% of tickets were available in advance while 50% went on sale at the door starting one hour before show time. Continue reading Fringe Town Hall Meeting: Notes From The Underground→
We Liked 100% Presale. This was the most financially-successful Toronto Fringe Festival in recent memory, with artist revenues skyrocketing and a record number of sellout performances. Every festival has their winners and losers: for every company who raked in a few thousand bucks, someone else lost their shirt. But that’s the nature of the beast — and never before have there been so many winners.
We Disliked 100% Presale. The presale policy was fantastic for the artists, but angry Tweets and indignant queue-chatter both suggest that the resultant parade of SOLD OUT signs has left plenty of theatregoers with 10-packs burning holes in their pockets and beefs to pick with the festival. Maybe there’s a sweet spot between 50% and 100%; maybe Fringe should sell rush tickets next year (10 names on the comp list, but only 2 showed up? Why aren’t you selling those 8 seats? [editorial clarification: If someone is on a comp list the spot can be released and ticket sold. However, if they have been issued a *physical* comp ticket – for instance a member of the media – their spot can *not* be released unless they have been able to notify ticketing in advance. The feeling seems to be their empty seat, visible by a final check before closing the doors, should be up for grabs by waiting list folks. – Megan Mooney]); maybe Fringe just needs to do a better job communicating which shows are sold out. But however they repair this damage, Fringe has to get on it soon. Continue reading 4 Things We Liked (And 3 Things We Didn’t) At The 2014 Toronto Fringe→
One of the most wonderful things about theatre is its ability to open up entire worlds of possibility. From the deepest depths of emotion to most whimsical and absurd fantasies you could ever think of, theatre runs the full gamut of imagination.
And who on Earth have imaginations as vibrant and lively than children?
FringeKids! captures all the ingenuity and creativity of the main Fringe Festival, but through age-appropriate shows, on-site performances and workshops.
As I walk through the crowded Fringe Club in the now historic Honest Ed’s back alley, I see that I am caught between clowns, food stands, and actors basking in a tipsy, post-performance glow. I push my way through the most densely creative parking lot in Toronto to sit down with Laura Philipps, the Visual Fringe Coordinator, to discuss the ins and outs of what goes on at the Fringe Club.
What does the Visual Fringe actually consist of? As Philipps explains much of what goes on at the Fringe Club is actually part of Visual Fringe: merchandise, alley plays, buskers, art exhibits, and games all comprise the Visual Fringe.
(Keep reading for photos and more on the Visual Fringe)
At my second show of the Toronto Fringe Festival I had an interesting conversation with a volunteer. Both of us were puppet show fans and both of us were struck by the sheer amount of puppetry available at this year’s festival. Not counting children’s shows, there are at least seven separate adult puppet shows—assuming adult puppet shows are rated PG and up–that indicate a resurgence in puppet popularity. Continue reading Pulling the Nostalgia Strings: Puppetry at the Fringe→
