June 6, 2003

I submitted this to montreal.com in the hope that they could use it, to counter some of the hype over the Big Shows that were being mentioned before the Fringe even got out of the gate. No word from them, though perhaps they never got it. Since I've now become visible, I might as well put it up here, as content that I do have in place, to make up for the couple of bits that I never got around to finishing or keeping up, due to lack of sleep.





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There were two troupes that went naked at the Fringe For All, the preview show for this year's Fringe Festival June 12 to 22, A couple of others looked like they were going that way. One performer seemed very uncomfortable, at first covering up with her hands, but the longer she stayed on stage, the less she tried, until she was finally totally naked.

That's the Fringe, taking a risk. Risking money to put on the show, and taking the risk that nobody will attend. Risking that no one will like what you have to say. Risking being on stage naked, literally or otherwise, while people look on.

While I think too many of this year's shows have passed out of the Fringe category, a Fringe by definition is about shows we wouldn't otherwise see. There are performers that are just starting out, or going solo for the first time. Shows that have limited appeal, but tell different stories. Shows that belong in more traditional venues, but there's no space or they can't wait for a place on the schedule. Shows that can't be categorized, so where in the world would they fit in unless they go to a Fringe or create their own venue?

It's not a theatre festival, though it unfortunately gets classified that way. It's not theatre, dance, comedy (sketch and improv), spoken word, children's shows, or music or whatever, but a melange of all of the above.

This is my tenth Fringe, and except for my first year when I went to only a few dance shows, it's always been a Festival of Discovery. I don't go because some show jumps out at me, I go because it's the Fringe and then catch whatever passes by. I set out to see some shows, and by the end have seen a very different slate. I bump into a performer and for some reason decide that I'll go see that show. Or bump into someone I know, and go along with them to whatever they are seeing. Sometimes I go to a show because it has a low ticket price.

I never go to a show because it's drawing a crowd. Indeed, I tend to avoid those. What fun is there in a show that someone has already decided is worth seeing, when there are plenty of shows that are waiting for an audience? The best shows I've seen had tiny little audiences, which I was sad about, but I was really glad they came to our Fringe because they spoke to me in some way.

The Fringe shows are not weird because that is their content. The weirdness comes because all these troupes are competing for the audience, and competing for space in old media, with almost no money for publicity. If you can get naked at the Fringe For All, or even suggest nakedness or some other weirdness, it makes the show stand out in some way, getting the attention of the potential audience and of the press. Get the audience in early, and they will be talking about the show, which brings in the rest of the crowd. Fail at that crucial time, and you're running around at the end of the week trying to get an audience. Or worrying about the show itself, because "it must be at fault if nobody is in the seats".

Virtually all of the shows are pretty "normal", given the restraints of space and low budget.

It was refreshing to see nakedness at the Fringe For All, something I don't recall seeing there before. Because this year there are a whopping 81 shows, with at least 21 of the companies having attended before. That's an awful lot of competition, and it's weighted in favor of the returning shows. Seeing such risk reminded me that the only purpose for the Fringe Festival is the shows. All the ancilliary stuff that the festival's presenting is either to fund the event, or a distraction. Instead of made up events, we should be entertained by someone roaming around in a costume, trying to lure an audience to their show. Yet as the Fringe gets slicker, little of that wonderful promotion that was a show in itself, is being done.

Sadly, ticket prices tend to go towards the upper limit of $9 and I count only six at the $5 and $6 level. Those low prices of yesteryear sure encouraged the audience to take a risk on a show. However, many of the shows now have a 2 for 1 performance, so you can bring someone and both will get into that day's show for half price. Or, if there's no restrictions, find someone else in line to share the ticket price, or go to the beer tent and drum up another audience member.

But there is a bounty of shows this year, with a record number from Japan and a show from France for the first time I can remember. There are some intriguing new forms that ought to be caught for their uniqueness alone, some opera, some lassooing and some aerial dance. I'm not so sure we are seeing as wide a variety of stories as we could, but I can't really tell until I start seeing shows. What will be the show this year that can't be categorized, that brings something very different, like the Acme Flea Circus in 1996, or See Me Naked last year?

And that's the point, seeing shows. Take a risk on something nobody has mentioned, or on a show that merely piques your interest. Give the shows an audience, which will make the performers very very happy because that's why they perform. Then be the one to move that show from underdog status to one that stands out from the pack. Or trash it badly because you didn't like it. The audience is all that counts, and the shows are there for them.

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