Posted Dec 28, 2020, 2:04 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 6,782
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Fringe festival hangs in balance
https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/...ntline-workers
Quote:
The future of Edmonton’s International Fringe Theatre Festival, the second biggest in the world, is in doubt, says Bob Westbury, one of the festival’s most devoted backers.
“The greatest fear of supporters such as myself is that it might have to declare bankruptcy,” says Westbury, Telus Community Board chair.
“Whether it comes back or not, it’s going to be a struggle. The 10-day August festival was cancelled this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there was no income whatsoever.”
The Fringe Theatre event was launched in 1982 by Chinook Theatre’s artistic director Brian Paisley, who received $50,000 from Edmonton’s Summerfest to create a Fringe Theatre event in Old Strathcona.
The event was inspired by Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe and it grew every year, in 2019 setting a record with 147,358 tickets sold to 258 indoor shows during the 11-day event.
“The total box office revenue was up $1.72 million — up 18 per cent from 2018 — with $1.4 million of that going to participating artists,” said Westbury. “I’d estimate some 300,000 to 400,000 people from around the world enjoyed performances, street performers or local food and refreshment.”
Westbury was working for Calgary-based TransAlta in Edmonton when he became a director of the Fringe and talked his company president Steve Snyder into a $1-million donation to redo Edmonton’s dirty, dilapidated Bus Barns.
His crusade created the landmark TransAlta Arts Barns and to acknowledge his dedication, the Fringe board named the 375-seat venue The Westbury Theatre.
During Fringe, Westbury for many years has invited key Edmontonians to Fringe dinners and gently suggested they help finance the festival.
“Artists get 100 per cent of the net ticket price and with the Fringe cancelled this year, the future looks bleak,” he says. “I haven’t been able to contact anyone and no one has contacted me. That tells me The Fringe is in trouble.”
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