News: Montreal Fringe Festival announces dates

The Montreal Fringe Festival has announced it's dates for the 2012 edition, its 22nd. The festival will run 20 days, from June 4-24, with 500 local and international artists featured. 

The Fringe will be running against several other events, notably Les Francofolies (June 8-16) and Le Festival TransAmérique (May 24-June 9).

Read The Press Release:

22^nd edition of the St-Ambroise Montreal FRINGE Festival, June 4^th-24^th 2012

Montreal, March 29, 2012 – MainLine Theatre is happy to announce that the 22^nd edition of the St-Ambroise Montreal FRINGE Festival will take place from June 4^th to June 24^th 2012. Following up on last year’s record-breaking festival, this year’s edition promises to build on the FRINGE’s tradition of providing an experience like no other, showcasing over 500 local and international artists from theatre, dance, music, visual arts and more!

“The FRINGE is all about discovery,” says Amy Blackmore, who returns as Festival Director for a second year. “I like to think of the festival as a giant potluck dinner. Anyone can get anything they want. Year after year, patrons keep coming back to discover new talent, new art forms and new work.”

This year’s menu will deliver three packed bilingual programs: FRINGE After Dark, nightly collaborative events where the walls between audience and stage are broken down; FRINGE Park, a series of free shows at Parc des Amériques (corner Rachel and St-Laurent); and FRINGE A-Z, the bread and butter of the festival, where you’ll find over 110 companies that were selected through our lottery process. Audiences will experience over 700 performances delivered by artists coming from across Canada and beyond, such as Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom.

The key to the festival’s success is in its mandate. All artists are free to apply to the festival and are selected by lottery or first come first served processes. There is no censorship; artists are free to present anything they want. FRINGE audiences can continue to expect low ticket prices.  100% of the ticketed price is turned over to the artists. A spirit of respect and acceptance, a neighbourhood vibe, a Bloc-party atmosphere and an exciting and unpredictable lineup that is accessible to all audiences will again be integral elements of this year’s edition.

Coming up soon – Be sure not to miss the MEGA FRINGE AUCTION taking place at 8 pm on April 20^th at MainLine Theatre (3997 St-Laurent). This is our main fundraiser for the year. There will be auction items up for grabs, such as festival passes, artwork, gift certificates and more. Finally, we’ll be announcing the mystery crew that will be joining Kirsten Rasmussen as hosts for this year’s L’Après FRINGE: The 13^th HOUR! 

About the FRINGE– The St-Ambroise Montreal FRINGE Festival has been Montreal’s ultimate neighbourhood festival of theatre, comedy, music, dance and visual arts since 1991, introducing thousands of new performers, directors, writers, choreographers, and works to Montreal audiences. We are excited to see everyone at shows, at special events and at our many nights of free programming in the park!

Programming details will be announced at our press conference on May 7^th, 5-7 pm at Coop Katacombes (1224 St-Laurent). Please RSVP in advance by contacting Kathryne Radburn.