tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146056913190816228.post1898085002747966658..comments2023-06-08T09:09:26.663-04:00Comments on THE CHARLEBOIS POST - MONTREAL: After Dark, June 26, 2012Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146056913190816228.post-28363516876931945142012-06-27T12:35:51.759-04:002012-06-27T12:35:51.759-04:00Donovan King has a few things to say about the sta...Donovan King has a few things to say about the state of the Fringe movement. What do you think? http://maisonneuve.org/pressroom/article/2012/may/29/antagonist/Marianne Ackermannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4146056913190816228.post-59618869016179638242012-06-26T23:52:41.497-04:002012-06-26T23:52:41.497-04:00Provocative article, Gaetan! Let me take your comm...Provocative article, Gaetan! Let me take your comments one by one:<br /><br />1) The Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF) isn't the absolute boss of the Fringes: although it does hold the FRINGE trademark in Canada, the individual Fringe festivals are not franchises. CAFF and the Fringes all do their best to avoid overlap and, where that's impossible, to manage that overlap. Each Fringe has to deal with its own city's glut of festivals and availability (or lack thereof) of venues. There are also historical reasons for, for example, the Atlantic Fringe being when it is.<br /><br />Certainly, some artists do have to make choices as to which city to play. But this assumes all artists have actually gotten into all of the Fringes they want. Each Fringe has a different number of companies accepted, different quotas, etc. For more than a decade now, CAFF has tried to facilitate touring by creating a "touring lottery" for artists who intend to perform at five or more Fringes.<br /><br />2) You're right, the days of crap venues should be over. The problems are price and availability. Professional-grade theatres often aren't available 24/7 the way they need to be for the Fringe; or, if they are, they're not only charging for the rental but for the time of their staff every hour the Fringe is there. That overtime adds up.<br /><br />Location is also an issue. Though the Petite Licorne, l'Esquisse, or Aux Écuries could be excellent Fringe venues, they're not exactly within walking distance of the Beer Tent. But, moving forward, is that really an issue? It's certainly debatable.<br /><br />3) Events. Your comment that events are "sapping audiences away from the shows" is not actually a fact. The average Fringe audience member goes to see 1-3 shows during the festival and doesn't really get involved in events outside of the plays. Maybe they go to the beer tent, maybe they don't, but if they do, it's just a break between shows. Attendance at most events seems to be very casual. And most of the audience for the music events is only there for those events. That said, god help the Fringe artist who has to compete with the Drag Races.<br /><br />4) Growth and the indication of growth are not the same thing. Even though the number of Montreal Fringe shows has increased, the average attendance per performance has remained stable (somewhere between 35-40 people/show). Not all local companies have a following, and not all out-of-town artists are superstars. Elizabeth Blue did her first Montreal Fringe show last year and built her audience like Zack Adams and Jem Rolls did, when each and every one of them arrived as complete unknowns. Case in point: TJ Dawe, who arrived in Montreal in 1998 when there were only 50 shows in the Fringe and never came close to even selling 50% of his venue that year.<br /> I think your perception of the "frat-party" show is anecdotal, and certainly not unique to Montreal. There may be some truth in the notion that out-of-town companies are more experienced, that their shows have been performed before in their home cities, etc. But what I often heard when I was GM of the Fringe from Canadian artists was that they used the Montreal Fringe to workshop their new shows, then took that show on tour the following year. I have certainly seen my share of out-of-town Fringe shows that were not ready for prime time.<br /> It's true that touring artists don't make as much money in Montreal as they do in Toronto, Winnipeg or Edmonton, but there are historical, geographic, demographic, linguistic, and media-coverage-atic issues at play that have nothing to do with how many shows are at the Montreal Fringe or how many of them are local.<br /><br />So don't worry too much: despite what you may perceive, the Montreal Fringe has actually been quietly and steadily thriving.<br /><br />Patrick Goddard<br />General Manager, Montreal Fringes 1999-2004 and 2008-2011Patrick Goddardnoreply@blogger.com