CULTURE GECKO
Fringe Returns in Sustainable Model Post Covid
By Ezekiel McAdams
July 31 2024
Saskatoon’s annual Fringe Festival returns August 1 2024. It is the thirty fourth year of the festival but this year is particularly special as it marks the company behind the festival, 25th Street Theatre’s fiftieth anniversary.
Twenty Fifth Street Theatre began in 1974 as Twenty Fifth Street House Theatre as an artist’s collective. Their first production was A Virus called Clarence. In 1977, the company produced one of Saskatchewan’s most well known productions, Paper Wheat. The first production was performed and has toured all over Canada and was adapted into a film.
The city’s first Fringe festival began in 1989 albeit in a shortened form by 25th Street Theatre. Tom Bentley Fisher was the artistic director at the time. The first full festival was in 1990.
Originally there were twenty one shows scheduled at this year’s festival, it is now twenty. Neurospicy by Cate McCoy and The Adventures of Ickey-Oney and Captain Mittens by Squirrel Suit Productions both Canadian productions were previously scheduled are now canceled.
Jason Circus was scheduled as one of the outdoor performers is replacing Neurospicy at The Refinery. Circus is performing the world premiere of his show Catching Feelings: The Most Romantic Juggling Show in the World two weeks early before the Edmonton Fringe Festival later this August.
When Saskatoon actor and director, Anita Smith, came aboard as the artistic director of the company in 2019, it was during a particularly tumultuous turnover. “I walked in 90 days before the Fringe was scheduled to start. There was nothing, there was literally not even have garbage cans, internet, anything and that was an incredibly stressful year and then the pandemic.”
Now five years later, Smith, is excited at the progress she and the team assembled have accomplished. “I feel good we have so many returning staff that the stress level for me personally, is down, especially compared to 2019. And now, we’ve had a few years, our site is different, we don’t have as many shows or venues pre-pandemic but that is pretty normal for Fringes around the continent. Everyone felt the impact, so we’re not alone in that way. I feel really good that the model we created is sustainable. ” she said.
This year has a lineup of twenty one shows from local, national and international collective of companies and performers. “That’s one part of the reason I make such an effort to see every show because that’s part of what’s brilliant about the Fringe. It removes that gatekeeping element, we have a lottery system, there’s no jury. It’s great for me to see some talent I might not get to see. That’s exciting for me as a local person.”
Smith is incredibly proud of Saskatoon’s ability to make it an outdoor experience. “Saskatoon is unique, I don’t know that people from Saskatoon know this, but when we’re compared with other Fringes, we have an exceptionally large outdoor component to our festival. Edmonton is known for being this huge festival but it’s mainly tied to the companies that are performing for their event.“
The festivities for this festival include events such as Broadway Days, Thelma Pepper Art Walk, Fringe Fun Run Yoga, Garden, Carnival games, Collaboration Station and more. “I think when they think of the Fringe quite often is the outdoor component. What I want people to remember or discover that we have this world class shows coming in. Local folks, kid shows, there’s a show from Brazil this year. There’s exceptional theatre that you can watch. And what I always tell people, love it or hate, you’ll remember it!” Smith said.
Smith is particularly happy with the Fun Run event. “So for the Fun Run, there is a lot love of running for our team and bring our personal connection to the festival and make it silly and fun in our own Fringe way.”
The company is excited to celebrate the fifth anniversary with special guests and activities throughout the day. The first event the reunion starts at 4pm on August 1st before the festival opens. When patrons buy a ticket they will be given a voucher to one of the productions. “This year it’s our fiftieth anniversary, so we have some special events planned so it’s been really nice journey to reconnect with people who played an integral role that have been keeping this company alive for fifty years because let’s face it, it’s not easy.” Smith explained.
For Smith it was really important to bring back individuals who were integral to the company’s legacy to bring it full circle. “We shoulder tapped former artistic directors and asked what sticks out to them, I did say to Lauren Griffin who’s planning our event, whose mum, was also performer in 25th Street Theatre in the 80s. I mean I don’t know how we don’t do an excerpt of Paper Wheat. It’s often billed as the most famous play to come from from Saskatchewan It’s so closely tied to our roots.” Smith said.
The event continues at 6pm when the festival opens and extends till nine pm, where the event is now dubbed Fringe after Dark. “We have our fiftieth reunion portion with speeches, memorabilia and we’re going to read excerpts from old scripts. And then at six o’clock when the Fringe site opens, it’s going to open up to everybody. We’re going to have a dunk tank and paint by number mural project.” And then at nine thirty, if you think of it as a wedding, the dance portion, it’s more like, come let your hair down and celebrate. You can come to any part of it or every part of it.” Smith continued.
As for the outdoor performances, Smith committed to bringing a variety of versatility and uniqueness from around the world. “For our street performers, we have the Jambo Brothers, Kenyan acrobats, I think there’s five of them and then the Unicycling Unicorns, I mean how do you not want to see that?”
For more Information on The Unicycling Unicorn and the Kenya acrobat troupe, Jambo Brothers can be on their website and Instagram or follow 25th St Theatre for the performers' schedules.
Inclusion has always been very important for Smith both in her personal and professional life both as an actor, director and artistic director. Smith co-founded Ferre Play Theatre and directed productions of The Penelopiad in 2019, J. Caesar in 2016 and currently running at Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Vancouver actor, Kate Besworth's Done/UnDone. “Fringe in particular, this space is the idea of taking away the gatekeepers and allowing for freedom of expression of who you are. I think it’s really important that our spaces, our fringe spaces, are safe for people to be themselves and express themselves. It’s so integrated in who we are and it makes any sort of decision making easy. I hope that people in our community feel that.”
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Smith is proud of the mandate, environment and atmosphere she created. “When I stepped in 2019, that festival taught me what I wanted to do more of what I wanted was community engagement. I felt our festival could really enhance what we were doing to connect artists with our community but also artists from outside our community. So our goal is to make our event, accessible.”
There is the annual kick off of the Fringe Preview Night at the Broadway Theatre on July 31st 2024 at 8pm. It is hosted by local actor and performer Danny Knight and shows a two minute snippet of each production.
The Saskatoon Fringe Festival runs from August 1st-10th 2024. Passes and tickets can be bought online, at the box office on site or individual tickets can be bought at the venue.
“It’s a really vibrant place to be, I hope people come and enjoy it. There’s great food, shopping, so many artisan vendors, wonderful theatre and outdoor performers. It’s the place to be!”