Edmonton Fringe Theatre
10330 84 Avenue T6E 2G9 Edmonton, AB, Canada

What does Production get up to when no one is around? Maintenance, of course! Our team has been hard at work giving our building a little facelift. First up is our production office, which becomes a second home for our technicians during the summer. This space received a fresh coat of paint and a well-deserved clean. Next is the board room, where the carpeted floor was removed and our cement received a wash and a splashy new paint job. Watch these two spaces transform thanks to the hard work of our amazing team of technicians: Chris Kavanagh, Selina Painchaud, and Meghan Wearne!

Today we’re travelling back in time to an outdoor show at our 10th Fringe Anniversary, Robin Hood from SAK Theater. We look forward to the day when we can party like it’s 1991 again, but until then, we hope you're staying safe and taking care of each other out there. From the bottom of our hearts, we miss you fringers and we can’t wait to fringe with you again! What other archive pieces would you like to see? Let us know in the comments below.

Over the past year, we’ve been cleaning up and reimagining the nooks and crannies of the ATB Financial Arts Barns. One of our major innovations is a shiny new recording studio! Did you know that the sound-absorbing foam in our studio doesn’t come ready to go? It actually has to be washed, dried, and hand cut before it is applied to the walls! Follow Technical Director, Selina Painchaud, and In-House Technician, Meghan Wearne, as they prep the foam and have a little foam party in the recording studio!

Have you met...Thomas Nguyen? Though we’ve reached the end of National Volunteer Week, we want to celebrate all of the amazing volunteers and staff who make Fringe possible. In our new monthly blog series, Have You Met? we’ll be interviewing volunteers, staff, and other amazing people who make Fringe special. This month we interviewed a member of our Volunteer team, Thomas Nguyen. Thomas (he/him) is an avid volunteer and adventurer at heart. He joined the Fringe staff in ...February 2020 as the Volunteer Coordinator. When he’s not working, he loves spending time out in nature, especially in the mountains. From camping to hiking to skiing and more, Thomas loves to make the most of his time outside, but volunteering is where he is most passionate. As he says as about his role as Volunteer Coordinator, it’s a joy to be able to do this for my work. Check it out today!

As we excitedly plan for our milestone of 40 years of Fringe, we also look toward the future of fringing. We don’t know what will be in store for the next forty years of Fringe and beyond, but we know, thanks to our spectacular volunteers and all fringers far and wide, that there will be many more shows to see, memories to make, green onion cakes to eat, beer to drink, stories to share, and fringe-ships to make. What do you think the next decade of Fringe will be like? What are you looking forward to seeing at a future Fringe?

Decade 4 (2012-2021): In 2016, the Backstage Theatre, the former warehouse storage space at the north end of the ATB Financial Arts Barns, becomes a year-round venue. Our most recent volunteer story is shared by Eric Matheson-Jones, an Information Services Team Leader and iconic kilt-wearing volunteer, who shares some of his experiences during 2017’s A Midsummer Night’s Fringe. With many changes around the Festival that year, including new volunteer team changes, new digita...l payment options, and changes to the site, Eric recalls how Fringe always continues to evolve. 2017 brought with it lots of changes for the Festival and our volunteer teams. After a review of the volunteer teams, three in particular were considered for changes: Friendraisers, Community Engagement, and Information Services. The Team Leaders were informed these teams would soon merge, and were asked to choose which team they’d like to join (at the time they were playfully called Team One and Team Two). I was previously a Team Leader for Information Services and Team One was basically Information Services with some additional duties, so that was the team I chose. By mid-April, the new volunteer team names were chosen: Team One became Information and Patron Services (IPS), and Team Two became Ambassadors. With the merging of these teams, there was a shift in Team Leaders, bringing our new group to a total of 18 Team Leaders! As part of our new duties, we also introduced new technology: computers, printers, point of sale devices, and tablets. So, to help problem solve the quirks of new technology, a small group of us became the IPS Tech Team Leaders, of which I was one. One evening during festival, I was walking on site after assisting with some troubleshooting. I said to the volunteers to radio if there were any more problems. On the walk over to Volunteer Headquarters (VHQ), I checked my tickets for later. The changes to our volunteer teams, and working with five more Team Leaders, meant I had more time to see plays, though there were fewer opportunities to socialize and get to know those I had not worked with previously. ‘More programs are needed at Info 3!’ came over the radio and cut off my thoughts. Time to get back to work. ‘Copy that Info 3,’ came a response on the radio from my fellow Team Leader on Shift before I could respond. ‘Still working like a great team,’ I thought as I entered VHQ. As we reach the end of another National Volunteer week we send a heartfelt Fringe thank you all of the volunteers who make our Festival possible! We couldn't do it without you. What is your favourite Fringe story from this decade?

Work with us! We're hiring for the position of Director, Indigenous Strategic Planning. The Director, Indigenous Strategic Planning is invited to collaborate with and help shape the organization’s administrative, Festival, cultural, programming, governance, and community operations to help build a clear Indigenous-led strategy for organizational transformation and Indigenizing the performing arts. To learn more & apply, please visit our website: https://www.fringetheatre.ca//director-indigenous-strateg/

Settle in wherever you are & join the conversation! Amoris Projects hosts Crossed Wires Convos LIVE tonight on FringeTV starting...now! Artists from across Canada share their perspective on the state of theatre. Follow the link below to tune in. Be sure to say hi in the comments

THIS SATURDAY! Tune in to FringeTV for Crossed Wires Convos, as Amoris Projects chats with creators and makers from across the country about how live performance is adapting and evolving. Join us for three mini-panels where some of the most innovative artists and leaders coast-to-coast will chat one-on-one about where they're at and where they see future of performing arts. Bring your questions and come as you are! Watch it on FringeTV Saturday, January 30 at 7:30pm MST --> https://www.tv.fringetheatre.ca/en/c/crossed-wires-convo.334

You know we had to jump on board the Bernie meme train, right? We title this: "waiting to buy a Frequent Fringer Pass as the system crashes for the third year in a row." Special thanks to staffer Bradley for his mad photoshop skills.

Fringe Theatre Systems Analyst by day, 'Wizard King' by night! Meet our very own Bradley King, techno whiz and creative problem solver extraordinaire. Read more on 12thnight --> https://12thnight.ca//new-faces-in-theatre-up-and-comers-/

When life gives you vintage t-shirts, make masks! That's the saying, right!? We reached out to our crafty pals at Theatre Garage, and asked them to spin our shirts into non-medical face masks. These three-layer, one-of-a-kind, limited-edition, handmade masks are created from bonafide vintage Fringe t-shirts. No two masks are the same! Our thanks and love to the artists at Theatre Garage for sharing their upcycling skills! When you purchase a Locally Made Fringe Mask, you sup...port local artists AND Edmonton Fringe. Win-win! Snag yours now --> https://shop.fringetheatre.ca//locally-made-fringe-mas/255

Give the gift of Fringe this holiday season! Get your mitts on the Fringe Gift Guide, including curated limited-edition bundles designed with your favourite theatre-lover and Fringe fanatic in mind, or the option to make a charitable gift in honour of your most beloved fringer! Shop local this season --> https://www.fringetheatre.ca/blog/the-fringe-gift-guide/

No tricks, all treats! Let's see your Halloween best! Stop by the Fringe Grounds Cafe today between 11am - 6pm in costume, and we'll treat you to a free hot chocolate or coffee and popcorn! Bonus perks for group costumes Happy Halloween, fringers!

Calling all artists! We've partnered with Amoris Projects to bring you The Crossed Wires Cabaret - a celebration of what happens when live theatre and online technology mix. Is there something you want to try that connects live and virtual audiences at the same time? Do you want to experiment (with a little financial and production support from the Edmonton Fringe and Amoris Projects teams)? Selected artists will receive $1500, production mentorship & support, and more! Big ideas, small experiments, and unknown what-ifs welcome - you don't need to be a tech wiz to play here. Deadline to apply is October 25. Read more --> https://www.amorisprojects.com/crossed-wires-cabaret

Fall vibes call for made-with-care comfort foods. Introducing take-home Fringe Grounds Cafe Meal Kits! Your choice of a hearty vegetable beef or vegan Moroccan stew, bread with whipped garlic spread, green salad with garlic lemon dressing, and chocolate coconut truffles. Add on a freshly brewed cup of coffee from our pals The Grizzlar Coffee & Records or a cold Big Rock Brewery beer to make your meal complete. Single, double, or family sized servings available. Visit fringegroundscafe.ca to order!

This Saturday, October 3 from 1pm - 5pm join award-winning designers & KidsFringe fun experts Brianna Kolybaba & Tessa Stamp for a family-friendly Chalk Art Pop Up outside our Fringe Grounds Cafe at the ATB Financial Arts Barns (10330 84 Avenue)! Grab some stencils and chalk and add to the artwork. PLUS, Fringe Grounds Cafe will be giving away FREE popcorn all afternoon

We are proud to support the principles of the 35//50 Initiative. To the co-contributors of 35//50 YEG: thank you. Thank you for calling on us and our fellow arts organizations to uphold this movement. This is a gift to our local community. Representation matters. Representation onstage, backstage, in the Front of House and Box Office, in our administrative spaces, and in our mentorship and training programs matters. The future of theatre in Treaty 6 is equitable, diverse, in...clusive, and accessible. We believe representation within our organization will lead to greater equity, diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility in our community. As a theatre community, we have work to do to get there. The path forward requires commitment from cornerstone organizations like Fringe Theatre. We stand with our community. We will help build a cultural scene that includes and represents IBPoC, women, and nonbinary people. We commit to the ongoing learning and unlearning, change, and community engagement necessary to achieve this goal. We aim to provide opportunity to at least 35% IBPoC and 50% women or non-binary people in paid, professional positions by the 2025 season. The work is ongoing, and we commit to continuing that work. We will listen, we will learn, we will change. We will show up and do better. Our thanks to our community to their support in this work. To read our full response, including next steps supporting our commitment toward more equitably reflecting our community in our organization, please visit our website: https://www.fringetheatre.ca/about-us/35-50/