I don’t know about you, but I’ve really had the most wonderful time here at the Edmonton Fringe. It’s not just about audience numbers, or reviews, or hold-overs….it’s about atmosphere. So many people having a great time. Of course there is the rough as well as the smooth. The reviews which don’t like us, the empty seats in the theatre, the stress of trying to get the projector up and running…but hey! The positive outweighs the negative a million times over!

I have one cloud looming on my horizon. Paperwork and Tax. As usual, I shall do everything I can to keep everything above board and official (both here and in England), but my past experiences with the Winnipeg office leaves me with that worrying thought that no matter how properly we (and the Edmonton tax office) do things, there’ll always be someone willing to say we got it wrong. I shall take advice from an Accountant. It shouldn’t have to be this complicated…but better safe than sorry!

But enough of the cloud: let’s concentrate on the silver linings! And there are MANY! I am full of praise for the Edmonton Fringe, and here are a few of my highlights:

The Fringe Organisation. Thomas Scott and the rest of the team have done a marvellous job in keeping the Fringe friendly and accessible. In particular, it is NOT about big budgets or having powerful friends. This has allowed small overseas companies such as Dreamscape to come in and take part on an equal footing. My word of caution, though: if it is allowed to go too much over to BYOV’s, then it could end up descending into an “Edinbugh” scenario, with venues charging huge premiums, and vetting the productions. This would be a disaster…believe me: I’ve seen the results! However, a huge THANK YOU to all the Fringe Organisers. I cannont even comprehend the huge amount of organisation and paperwork involved.

The Volunteers. Can’t praise these people enough. So very Canadian. So wonderful! These people give up so much of their time and effort to support the Fringe, and without fail every volunteer we were dealing with were lovely: always friendly and smiling. THANK YOU to all volunteers!

Block 1912. Yes, I know it came in for a bit of criticism in one of my earlier columns, but it still was (and will be) our place of choice to rest and recuperate. Indeed, they excelled themselves yesterday, when a group of us went in there for food and hot chocolate. One of our group had a Chai Tea from one of the on-site vendors. We thought she wouldn’t be allowed in with it, but they quietly offered to pour it into one of their own cups, so that no-one would notice! THANK YOU Block 1912!

Our Front of House staff. Yes, I know they sort of come under the heading of “Volunteers”, but they have been wonderful, and I’ve really enjoyed our little chats before and after the shows. THANK YOU Walterdale FOH!

The Audience. What can I say? You made the effort to come to the Fringe. To come to our show. You spent your money, your time, and you supported the Arts. And many of you made the effort to chat to us to give us feedback, or to recommend the shows to your friends. Some of you remember Dreamscape from past productions SIX YEARS ago! Canadian audiences are amazing. THANK YOU Fringers!

Fellow Artists. I just LOVE the support one gets from other theatre teams in the Fringe. We’ve re-established old friendships, and made new ones. THANK YOU fellow Artists!

And my top thank you….my thank you for really making this Fringe something special: This accolade goes to our two Technicians at the Walterdale: Nico and D’Arcy (or is it simply Darcy? Whatever!). These guys are not only damned good at their job, but made us so welcome from the moment we arrived at the theatre. They put in extra hours to sort out our technical problems with the projector, they made us bacon sandwiches, and kept us to schedule, they ran the theatre like a tight (but very friendly) ship, and at all times remained cheerful. These guys really are the spirit of the Fringe…and of Professional Theatre! THANKS GUYS!

There are more, so many more to thank. Of course. Family, friends, even reviewers. But my final thanks goes to Patti and Paul for giving me the chance to write this Blog….and to all of you for taking the trouble to read it! I’ve had a great time. I hope you have too! THANK YOU!

A la prochaine!

FERNANDO

What a difference a day makes…or in this case, what a difference a night makes. Those late night slots: we all have them, don’t we? Love them or hate them, you’ve got to hate them!

Some shows, of course, lend themselves to a late night format. The Fringe Cabaret, for example, is perfect for those twilight hours. Plays and dramas are, of course, more difficult to sell at that time. Even the ever-bankable Erik de Waal was left with empty seats at his late night slot.

No different for us here at Dreamscape, of course. On Tuesday night we had an evening performance of “Full of Sound and Fury”:  a packed house, audience up for a laugh, all of which created its own momemtum as they fired each other up and set each other off. A wonderful evening.

Last night, we had the graveyard slot. And audience of 140 had been replaced by an audience of 30. I guess the review in the Journal didn’t help, but it was more that it was a late night slot…on a weekday. However, the point is: those 30 people had made the effort to be there. To turn up for the show at that time. Therefore, of course we’re going to put just as much effort into the performance.

We had a lovely audience. With this sort of show, it’s not easy to be in a small crowd. It’s not always comfortable to laugh when you’re sitting on your own, and this show also relies on a fair bit of audience feedback, and again that can be difficult as an audience member when you’re feeling exposed and alone. But they did well. True, there were a few Tumbleweed moments, but I really do respect the audience for becoming part of the whole Fringe experience.

And that’s our last late nighter. Looking at the remainder of our performances, audiences are very healthy for all of them. We have crossed that particular Rubicon. But…it’s all part of the Fringe, isn’t it? It’s absolutely right that everyone has a late night slot, or a slot not ideally suited to their show. It’s FAIR.

Those of you who have been to Edinburgh will know that such is not the case over there. You pay a fortune to rent your Venue (in an unregulated free market economy), and even  then you buy a particular time slot for the week, or two weeks, or even the full three weeks if you’re feeling adventurous. Needless to say, the better slots (6pm -9pm sort of time) cost a small fortune compared with the graveyard shifts. It really is the most ghastly example of Fringe meeting Capitalism!

So, thank you Edmonton, for keeping it fair. Those late-nighters may not always be the best sellers. Indeed our only two small audiences (below 90 people), have been the two late nights. But it gives one something to work for, doesn’t it? Extra flyering. Pump up the Volume. Drag your friends along. It’s all part of the Fringe party spirit.

Last night, even our Technicians and Stage Manager were entering into the spirit of the night. We may not have made much money, but we all had a great time. And the audience seemed to have had a good time. Mission accomplished!

A la prochaine!

FERNANDO

In my experience, the media coverage in Canada is very good. VERY good. On the whole the media seem to be accessible and friendly, despite being overworked at Festival time. Compare this with Edinburgh. There, you have to really fight to get any media attention in a saturated market. The main paper up there is “The Scotsman”. Get a good rating in “The Scotsman” and you’re made! The trouble is, there are so many hundreds of shows at Edinburgh, that “The Scotsman” doesn’t review them all. It can’t. That isn’t their fault, of course, but at one time “The Scotsman” took to only reviewing shows which were in the venues THEY had sponsored. Wait a minute! That can’t be right! I thought the media were supposed to be unbiased! Now they’re just advertising their own venues. Not good. Maybe that has changed now: I haven’t been up there for 3 years. Who knows?

But back to Edmonton. Radio and TV coverage seems pretty good. CBC in particular seem to be on the ball and friendly. But, let’s face it, the main part of Fringe coverage is what is printed in the papers. They are the ones who REALLY put the effort in.

The problem with Fringe time is: suddenly Edmonton is awash with Theatre! Even a Theatre-loving city like Edmonton can only provide work for a comparatively small number of Theatre Critics for most of the year. But in August, there simply aren’t enough critics to go around. The result: EVERYONE becomes a critic! Yes, the sports reviewer is suddenly thrust into the world of high drama. The teen-writer, usually assigned to review computer games, is suddenly faced with sitting through a Political Satire, and the music reviewer who is happier hanging out at a Heavy Metal band gig, is suddenly asked to review a puppet show. How can this possibly work?

If I was asked to review, say, a tennis match, I probably wouldn’t do a particularly good job of it. I don’t know much about tennis, the techniques, or the finer points of play. I don’t play tennis, and I don’t particularly enjoy watching it. If I could persuade myself to be objective, I should be able to find positive points, but the simple fact is….you just wouldn’t ask me to review a tennis match. And I wouldn’t volunteer.

So, going back to the (hypothetical) teen-reviewer, who is an expert on computer games. They may know how to beat the thirteenth level Tharg. They may well be a dab-hand with a control console, and would no doubt thrash me soundly at pretty well any computer game. But does that qualify them to review a play? Of course not.

Therein lies the problem. Reviewing carries with it a certain responsibility, and that MUST be backed up with capability. There are some fantastic Reviewers at the Edmonton Fringe. The Journal’s coverage is generally excellent and well written (and I have had both good and mediochre reviews from them in the past). They have the experienced Liz Nicholls, of course. The Sun is not far behind, with Colin Maclean really setting an exceptionally high standard. The others…? Well, I’m not going to name any names, but the others maybe don’t always live up to the mark. Sometimes they are up to it, but some of their reviewers are no more qualified to be reviewing plays than I would be at that tennis match.

Going to a play does not make one a Theatre Reviewer. Perhaps is shouldn’t be about getting every play reviewed. Maybe it would be better to have a smaller number of GOOD QUALITY reviews, than a vast array of inexperienced writers writing about what they know least.

Dangerous stuff. But then, it’s only my opinion. ONLY.

A la prochaine!

FERNANDO

You know, around this time, on the other side of the globe, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is in full swing. Everyone’s heard of the Edinburgh Festival, haven’t they? It’s the biggest, oldest, bestest Fringe in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD! Well…possibly. “Oldest”…yes, it may well be. “Biggest”….certainly. But “Best”? There, I’m not so sure.

I’ve been to Edinburgh with shows many times. Usually as an actor, once as a director, and often in the dual role of photographer! However, I’ve been lucky. Very lucky. Every time I’ve been with a Theatre Company up to the Edinburgh Fringe, I’ve been on a wage. None of this profit-share stuff where there’s never any profit. And none of this can-everyone-chip-in-to-fund-the-trip stuff. I’ve always been on a decent wage with a professional company. So I could always ENJOY Edinburgh. I could afford to go to see shows! Mind you, I always felt sorry for my Producers. They may as well just take a bucketful of money, pour petrol over it, and strike a match. Unless you’re a stand-up comedian, Edinburgh is no place to try to make money. The venues are expensive…and you don’t just book into a venue, you book into a time slot. So needless to say the “prime” slots are much more expensive than the graveyard shifts. You also have to sort out the venue yourself…AND your digs. And needless to say, at Festival time ALL rooms become ridiculously expensive. Canny, those Scots!

And if being fleeced by the venue and the digs isn’t bad enough, you also have to pay a fortune to get up there (petrol is more than twice as expensive in Britain, and as for trains….you might as well take a mortgage out on a ticket!). And after that….nobody comes to see the show. Apathy. Well, not quite that bad, but there is something of an overkill on the number of shows. Competition is fierce. No, competition is CUT THROAT. And none of this co-operation between theatre companies or artists: EVERYONE IS A RIVAL! Those are MY PUNTERS you’re flyering. Get off my patch, you amateur!

Enough said. You’ve probably got the gist by now. And OK, for the sake of dramatic license I’m laying it on with a trowel somewhat. But look at it this way: I could be in Edinburgh now, if I wanted. But I’m not. I’m here in Edmonton.

So, why Edmonton? Well, it all started because I have some family here. Not family I’ve grown up with, of course, as I grew up on a tiny island off the coast of France. But family nonetheless. It was a good connection. So, I started coming to the Edmonton Fringe in 1999, then in 2001, 2002, 2003….and now, after a 6 year gap…in 2009. Edmonton Fringe is GREAT! You pay your Fringe Fee, and then you get Venue sorted out for you, as well as Technicians, Box Office and Admin, Front of House, Artist Services, and a whole lot of infrastructure which allows you to just concentrate on the task in hand: getting the play up and running.

Not only that, but the Artists are supportive of each other. They give out passwords so they can see each others shows for free. They stop and chat in the street when they meet you flyering or postering. They ask how the show has been going! This isn’t like Edinburgh at all! The people are friendly, the Administration is magnificent, the Volunteers are just INCREDIBLE….and you get your billet organised if you need one! What more could an artist want. Oh sure…it’s profit share, but if we only break even, we’ll consider ourselves rich. A great time in a great country…and all paid for by Theatre!

You know, Edinburgh could learn a lot from this!

A la prochaine!

Marcus

• Edinburgh
• Edmonton (CAFF)
• Orlando (CAFF)
• Victoria (CAFF)
• Vancouver (CAFF)
• Saskatoon (CAFF)
• Rogue Fest (Fresno, California)
• Austin Frontera Fest
• Winnipeg (CAFF)
• Boulder (CAFF)
• Minneapolis
• NYC Frigid (CAFF)
• Adelaide
• Toronto (CAFF)
• Ottawa (CAFF)

It is hard to say which is my most favorite, but I can offer various tips to those thinking about fringing and I will write various tips over a few different emails. First tips is regarding Edinburgh Fringe. NOTE: This is just my humble opinion:

Edinburgh Fringe http://www.edfringe.com/index.html?r_menu=global&static=true:

• It’s fascinating and crazy and huge and (can be) fun, but in my experience not as warm as the North American fringes.
• It costs a HUGE amount of money, and most shows that do well are the famous stand up comics who are trying out new material. You need a good $5000+ to even consider producing it well, and need to be in one of the 3 main venues (Pleasence, Guilded Ballon, or Assembly Rooms) if you want to be in the hub of it all.
• You need to budget to not make any money. Most people are lucky to even come close to breaking even.
• It is worth doing if you, 1. get a big grant or funding 2. if you are produced well 3. if you are interested in getting reviews from UK press and the potential of maybe being picked up for TV or off west end (but you better
• It is a beautiful city, but very expensive.
• The fringe does not provide billets. It can be hard to find accommodation, unless you have a friend or contact that can hook you up.
• I have heard that the “Free Fringe” is becoming popular, and you can actually make more money doing that, than producing a show. The premise is that people can come for free to your show, but you ca earn money from passion around a hat. therefore, lots of people come, ‘cos it’s free, but if you are actually good, then they’ll most likely pay you something…I am not sure on the application process.
• I have friends there now: Die Roten Punkte (http://www.dierotenpunkte.com/)…and I think they are doing pretty well. You must have a very strong show that has a big draw! They also have a promoter and are in a great venue.
• You can see some awesome shows!
• Do it at you own risk. Do not go into it blindly. It takes hard work and resilience. And money!

It’s been 6 years since I was last at the Edmonton Fringe. Six long years! Of course, I haven’t been idle in that time. Oh no. I’ve taken shows to Winnipeg in the depths of winter, Croatia in the blazing heat of summer, and New Zealand in a nicely temperate Autumn. I’ve taken shows to Edinburgh, to Portugal…and to England (of course!). But now….I’m back!!

It really has been a case of hitting the ground running. A lot has changed at the Edmonton Fringe since I was last here. For a start, there’s all this Online stuff. Ah….the wonders of  modern technology! It makes life so simple doesn’t it? Well…possibly. Unless (like me) you’re a complete techno-idiot. I’ve fretted and cursed and raged at the machines while trying to fill in Online forms which don’t want to be filled, open file formats that my computer doesn’t recognise, and access websites which would rather remain anonymous. Computers! Love them or hate them, you’ve GOT to hate them!

And now…here I am doing an online blog! How did I manage to get myself into that? More computers! More compatability issues. No learning curve!

Anyway, enough ranting….for now! Today (Thursday) is the opening of the Fringe. So…all shows are ready to roll, right? Wrong! I’m here with two shows, and at the moment only one of them is ready to go. The other…TECHNOLOGY again! Let me explain. “Full of Sound and Fury” relies for its very existence on our being able to project images onto a big screen. When we did the show in New Zealand we used an old-fashioned slide projector, and all went perfectly. Since then, we have moved into the 21st century, and when we did the show in England and Croatia, we hooked up a laptop to a digital projector, and all again went perfectly. Fine. Marvellous. What could possibly go wrong in Canada?

Yet here we are, projector and screen all hooked up in the Walterdale…and the laptop and projector are just NOT on speaking terms. Nothing. Zilch. Blank screen. So…maybe it’s a Brit thing. Maybe Canadian projectors don’t like British laptops. Our trusty venue technician leaps to the rescue. Hooks up his (suitably Canadian) laptop, and lo and behold….IMAGES BEAUTIFULLY PROJECTED! Angel choirs and polished halos all round. Then the screen went dark. No more images. Back to square one.

Which is…incidentally….where we stand now. The show opens tomorrow, and at the moment we have no way of projecting the images which are essential to the plot. However, we’re working on it. Our UK laptop is in the repair shop to try to remedy the problem, and our Trusty Tech is trying to get his laptop to speak to the reclusive projector. We’ve even got our Stage Manager bringing in her Apple Mac. Maybe the projector is a bit of a snob: maybe it only moves in higher MAC circles, rather then mixing with the PC plebs?

Whatever the case, we’ll be burning the midnight oil today to get it sorted out. Wait a minute…CAN you burn midnight oil during the day? Probably not. But then, anything is possible at the Fringe! I’ll keep you up to date on developments. If necessary, we’ll just have to get our long-suffering Stage Manager to parade around the audience, showing the images on her laptop. Might work….give her a nice low-cut spangly dress…or maybe a gold spandex bikini….I don’t think they’ll notice a thing!

Edmonton Fringe eh? Long hours. Low pay. Sleepless nights. Techno-headaches…..Wouldn’t have it any other way!

A la prochaine!

FERNANDO

Want to watch? Look up! (waaaaaay up) at the tabs at the top of the page. Anytime we are live (or mostly live) there will be a new link up there that says “Live” (Originial, I know). Click said link, and *BAM* you are in the thick of the Edmonton Fringe. Cool! Wanna know when we are live? Follow @edmontonfringe on the Twitter.

Some of the things you can expect to see:

• Performers talking about performances.
• Pretty people (Talking to Performers talking about performances).
• Interviews with Fringers coming form all over the world.
• A couple of fringe shows
• “Helmet cam” roaming
• Other… things…?

Have a suggestion/idea for streaming? Post a comment!

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