Edmonton, AB – Novelist George Sand said, “No one makes a revolution by himself; and there are some revolutions which humanity accomplishes without quite knowing how, because it is everybody who takes them in hand.” From August 13 – 23, 2009, more than 550,000 local, national, and international visitors came together in Edmonton and brought about a revolution like no other at the 28th annual Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. Themed Stage a Revolution, this year’s festival will definitely hold a prominent page in Fringe Festival history books.

Post-revolution figures are in and it’s obvious that the people listened when Fringe Theatre Adventure’s Executive Director, Julian Mayne, put out the challenge “to embrace the spirit of creativity … and buy one ticket to one show”. This year’s Fringe lived up to its reputation as one of the largest and most successful Fringe theatre festivals in the world with paid attendance to indoor shows reaching a record-breaking 92,279, bringing ticket sales up almost 20% from last year’s total of 77,800. The bold collection of theatrical works at this year’s Fringe yielded 334 sold-out shows. Single day attendance at ticketed performances shattered records on Saturday, August 22nd, entertaining 11,303 theatre patrons. Record numbers of little Fringers and their caregivers took part in the evolution of theatre with 21,015 marching to the KidsFringe site to watch interactive theatre performances, play games, and create revolutionary artwork.

Fringe Theatre Adventures wishes to thank everyone who mobilized to help Stage a Revolution and who continue to celebrate democratic, unjuried, uncensored, and accessible theatre: our sponsors and supporters for their generosity; over 1,000 volunteers; more than 700 talented performers who graced our stages; more than half a million audience members who watched over 1,200 indoor and outdoor performances in 29 venues.
The Fringe Festival will continue to Stage a Revolution from August 26 – 30, 2009 with seven holdover shows presented by Fringe Theatre Adventures and for the first time, one BYOV holdover show presented by an independent producer. Show details and times are posted at www.fringetheatre.ca. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students/seniors (plus a $2 Capital Replacement Fee per ticket) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at www.fringetheatre.ca, by phone at 780.409.1910, or in-person at the Central Box Office in the TransAlta Arts Barns (10330 – 84 Avenue).
The 29th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival runs from August 12 -22, 2010.

Media Contact:
Kathleen Chmilar, Media & Marketing Coordinator * Fringe Theatre Adventures * 780.448.9001 * kathleen.chmilar@fringetheatre.ca

Yes, here we go with my 40th…and last…column. The Fringe is well and truly over. Just the Artist cheques to collect, the accounts to do, and the final reckoning as to whether we’ve made a profit, just broken even…or paid for the honour of coming here!

Whatever the case, it has all been worth it. Will we do it again? Absolutely!

So, where does Dreamscape go now? Well, we’re not doing any other Fringes. I have no doubt that both shows will be performed by us again, but all that lies in the unknown future. So…for the present we have a few days in Edmonton, to relax, tie up any loose ends, and meet up with friends. Then…it’s back to the rush hour! On Friday we hop on a plane in Calgary, and fly to Heathrow. We then jump on a bus to take us up to Birmingham. All being well, we’ll arrive about 7pm. We shall then immediately load up a van with puppets, and set off for Slovakia! We hope to get a ferry about 2am, and will stop overnight at a friend’s house in Germany. There’ll be three of us (all drivers), so we should have chance to sleep off our jet-lag while travelling!

In Slovakia we perform for a week, and then drive to Croatia, possibly stopping to visit friends in Hungary en route. In Croatia we can semi-rest for a while, but we’ll be opening the Dreamscape Gallery to the public. So…a sort of working relaxation! All the same, there will be time to enjoy the wonderful Adriatic coast, and to go swimming in the clear waters. Then, in mid-October, I start working for the Royal Shakespeare Company in England, doing “Arabian Nights”. Six weeks of rehearsal in London, followed by a two month run in Stratford-Upon-Avon. And then….

….our next big production! Tina will be giving birth to our first child in February. Yes, those two-hander shows we performed at the Fringe were really three-hander shows! We’re both very excited about it. The Adventure continues!

So, no more Fringes and irresponsible lifestyle right? WRONG! We know many people who have raised families within a theatrical context, and we fully hope to do the same. Who knows…one day we may even end up performing on stage with our child. Or maybe they’ll turn out to be an Accountant. The Future is all a glorious mystery. But the simple fact is we really do hope to return to the Edmonton Fringe next year…and maybe to some of the other Fringes as well. Life doesn’t stop because you have a child….it just gets more interesting! So….keep your eyes open for Dreamscape: We’ll be BACK!

And that’s it, folks. The end of the Fringe, the end of the Blog. I do hope you’ve enjoyed my ramblings and witterings. And do feel free to continue sending feedback: it’s always a delight to hear from you!

And so Goodbye. No. Not Goodbye. Let’s just say…

A la Prochaine!

FERNANDO

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

Well, here we are on the morning after the night before. The last performances have performed, the sets have been cleared, the traders have moved out, and there is only the Tumbleweed of redundant show-posters blowing in the wind to remind us of the fun we’ve all just had. Sad…in a way, but so it must be!

After all, think of what happens now. All of those performers go somewhere else. Some stay in Edmonton, or Alberta, or Canada. Some (like us) go abroad to many far-flung parts of the world. Some might be taking their productions elsewhere, for more audiences to enjoy. Others might be heading back to more “conventional” jobs….whatever they might be. It’s wonderful, isn’t it? All these many and diverse people came together in one place at one time to contribute to the great theatre party that is Edmonton Fringe Festival. For a while, everything was intense, fast-paced, even manic…but now it all returns to normal.

What should we call this day after the final day? The “Post-Ultimate” day, possibly? A day of sadness (possibly), tidying up (almost certainly), Rest and Recuperation (hopefully) and travel (maybe). As I write this, The Dragonwagon II is parked outside, with sets and costumes from both productions still in the back. No, that’s not quite true. The picture frames from “Red Wine and Canvas” we decided to break up and bin, rather than store. We needed to have a good think about this, as we hope to bring the full-length version of the show to Canada next year (out of Fringe time), if our sponsorship goes ahead. So, we’ll need to make up some new frames now. But it was still considered better than trying to store them.

As for the rest of the Dreamscape ephemera: well, the costumes will travel back with us. We’ll try to keep everything together, so that we can easily resurrect either show if required. But you know how it is…bits of costumes get used for other shows, other pieces were borrowed and have to be returned….and some just end up getting worn in “civvy street”!! Yes, there’ll always be a need to do more costume shopping at the Charity Shops!

The projector will stay here in Canada, to be used for future productions. Now that we have it and know it works, we have the option of adding slide or film projection to future shows. Excellent! And we shall certainly keep our Walmart bedsheet projection screen in storage here!

The Dagger will also stay over here. I’m not entirely sure what (if any) future application it might have, but I’m not going to try to take THAT back on the plane! And that’s it…nothing else to carry back. Well, that’s not quite true: we have our reviews (good and bad), which we will add to the Dreamscape Portfolio, along with posters, programmes, ticket stubs and the like. It’s nice to be able to flick back through the history of Dreamscape…and it will be something to show our child…if they’re interested!

So…a little bit of history is going back with us. Another page in the Dreamscape Chronicle, fitting neatly into the space between the Past and the Future. You know, maybe it isn’t really sad. It’s just another wonderful step of the Great Adventure!

A la Prochaine!

FERNANDO

This has been an experience to say the least. We had our final show today at noon, and we shared our last day with a great audience. We were nearly sold out, and the energy was high. We loaded up our set, and now we are catching the last couple of shows, and enjoying the last couple of moments that we can with the incredible people we have had the chance to meet while on the tour.

Between Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton- I did a count, and found that I have had the opportunity to watch 64 shows, that’s including four outdoor performances. There is no circuit like this in the states so to have this experience, to see this many shows, to visit different cities of Canada, has been one of those life affirming treats.

Nothing is a blur it is all very carefully and thankfully contained in my mind and memory. Many, many thanks to the City and people of Edmonton for supporting the performance art world.

For now Edmonton; good-bye and good-night

Thank you, again.

In past columns, I’ve touched on the subject of how the Edmonton Fringe has changed over the years that I’ve known it. It’s ten years since I first played Edmonton, and most of you by now know that Dreamscape is this year returning after a six year absence.

I thought long and hard about coming back to the Fringe. I had nothing against it. In fact, I have lots and lots of happy memories of my time at the Canadian Fringes, and Edmonton in particular. In fact….it was really at the Edmonton Fringe that I first started getting to know Tina, who is now my partner, and is expecting our child in February. Yes, Edmonton has a LOT of memories!

So why the doubts? Well, during the six years we’d been away, I’d heard a lot of negative press about how the Edmonton Fringe had been changing. Horror stories. Particularly up for criticism was the whole Online Ticketing thing. People were saying that it had killed the atmosphere, and that the public only turned up on the Fringe Site to see particular shows. There was no party atmosphere, and the street traders and performers were losing out big time.

And that is one of reasons why we decided only to do the Edmonton Fringe. We wanted to see if it was still as much fun as we remembered. And, let’s face it, we wanted to see if we were still the same people who could have as much fun at the Fringe as we used to.

Our friends at Purple Fish were quite keen to give it a go, and that sort of nudged us at Dreamscape to also apply. It would be an adventure. We had done many a Fringe together in the past, and it would be great for both companies to be working alongside each other again.

Well…it didn’t quite work out that way. Tina was in both productions anyway, but when the Purple Fish team found they couldn’t make it over, they suggested that they produce the show, and that I take over in the cast. So, it’s just two of us over here, rather than four. But all the same, we could still have a good time….right?

RIGHT! It has been fantastic. Sure, being in two shows was hard work, and meant we didn’t have time to enjoy other aspects of the Fringe as we might have liked. But we really have had a great time.

Most importantly, those negative reports of the Edmonton Fringe have now been dispelled from my mind. It’s just as much fun, if not better! Already Tina and I are talking of future projects. The online ticketing is fantastic, particularly as they still have On-Site Ticket sales (VERY important!). And I love the way that companies can check their pre-sales, though I would love to know if there was also a way of checking the running total of one’s income (“have we broken even yet? have we broken even yet?….The Artists’ chant).

Oh…there is one piece of the Edmonton Fringe that I miss. Where is “Cowman”? Does anyone remember “Cowman”? “Cowman” was a street entertainer. His act? Well, I guess it’s all in the name really. He dressed up as a cow, stood on his head, and played a Kazoo. And that was it. Pure Fringe! Where else? Yes, I lament the absence of “Cowman”. Maybe he’s moved on to pastures new…as it were. Sadly missed. But as for the rest? It’s still the best party in Canada! Let’s KEEP ON FRINGING!

A la prochaine!

FERNANDO

Who is the most important person in the Theatre?

When I used to teach at a Drama School in England, I would often ask that question of my students, early on in the course. The answers were diverse, but usually fairly predictable: The Actor, The Director…sometimes they would think a bit more broadly and suggest The Technician….or the more financially orientated might suggest The Producer. Others, of course, would realise that it was a trick question, and would try to second guess me, and suggest The Cleaner, or The Ticket Seller. Of course…they are all wrong.

The most important person in the Theatre is….the member of the Audience.

Actors are so quick to forget this. They can think of themselves as the Star on the theatrical Chistmas tree. All other people are there to support them, for they are the real TALENT of the show. “This light isn’t focussed properly! That bit of carpet needs to be fastened down! I can’t work under these conditions!”….you’ve heard it all before.

For their part, Technicians often learn to treat actors with a degree of contempt. Pampered egos who couldn’t get a proper job. Back in England, I have done many tours as an actor, and the Technicians and Stage Management generally remain polite but aloof. But I have also toured as a Stage Manager…and the moment you walk into the theatre you are welcomed by the Tech Staff, shown the Green room, and treated as a colleague and equal. Same person, different job!

But back to the audience. Without the audience…none of us would be here. There would be no theatres. There might be plays…but only as academic reading exercises. Everything we do, in theatre, is for the AUDIENCE.

So why do some actors have such contempt for the audience? If they’re not responding as the actor wishes, they are a “Bad” audience. If there aren’t enough of them, the actor feels they don’t have to put in as much effort. And so on…and so on…

But not in Edmonton! One of the beautiful things about this Fringe is that there really is a nice rapport between the Public and the Artists. We expect to have a small audience at times, and so we give the same show, with the same effort. After all, those 30 people might well recommend us to 130 more! Likewise, isn’t it nicer to have 30 people who are really INTO the show, than 100 who aren’t really enjoying it? True, it doesn’t help finances, but we all like our show to be LIKED, don’t we?

Criticism can hit us hard in this game. We can fall into the trap of taking it far too seriously. A friend of mine in England once toured a one-man show. He recieved 20 reviews: 19 of them positively GLOWED, but one was critical. Guess which one stuck in his mind, overshadowing all the rest?!! But somehow, that form of feedback doesn’t seem so personal here at the Fringes. People see us on or around the site, and come up to us to say how much they enjoyed the show. That means a lot: they didn’t have to do that.

True, the people who come up to you usually do it to say something positive. But in the past I’ve also got into discussions with people who’d seen the show, and had criticsims to make. It’s wonderful that they feel they can broach their thoughts with you. As Artists we should be welcoming it. And isn’t it so much easier to discuss critical shortcomings of one’s work with a real person, face to face, rather than just read it coldly as the written word?

Vive la Publique!

A la prochaine!

FERNANDO

Yes, I’m back on the subject of Reviews again. I did warn you, didn’t I?! Thanks to those of you who sent feedback or otherwise made their feelings known following my last visits to this subject. At that time, I deliberately wrote BEFORE the reviews for our shows had come out. There was good reason for this: it would prevent me being labelled the “embittered artist” who had had bad reviews. As soon as that happens, people use it as an excuse to ignore anything the “embittered artist” might have to say.

Actually, it didn’t quite work. One person still tagged me thus, even though there had been no reviews, and I certainly wasn’t embittered! However…now that the reviews are out, how do I feel? Well….fine, to be honest! In fact, the reviews have been so incredibly diverse (for both shows), that it only goes to reinforce the fact that it is all OPINION.

OK, so there a four papers in Edmonton which seem to give good coverage to the Fringe. The Sun seems to have taken more of a back seat these days. The excellent Colin Maclean is doing his best, but can only see a limited number of shows. So, no reviews in The Sun for us this year.

As for the rest, well…for “Full of Sound and Fury’ we got 2.5 stars from the Journal. So that means the show is mediochre. But wait…we got 5 stars and “Pick of the Fringe” from Vue Weekly. So that means the show is excellent, right? Good, bad, good, bad. 2.5 stars. 5 stars. But now let’s look at “Red Wine and Canvas”. Vue Weekly gave us 1 star, and the Journal gave us 5 stars. Awful, excellent, awful, excellent? What on earth does it all mean?

It means….people are human. Even reviewers. They have opinions and differing tastes, just like the rest of us. Look a little further. The Online “Edmonton Journal” allows people to comment on the reviews. “Full of Sound and Fury” has received some amazing support there, very positive indeed. But “Red Wine and Canvas” has had someone completely disagreeing with the 5 star review, and finding the show “painful to sit through”. Opinions, all opinions.

Then look at the 30 second reviews. More opinions. It’s great.

Hats off to the Journal for allowing the public to post alternative reviews. It shows a healthy willingness to be contradicted. Likewise, the 30 second reviews really give the public chance to have their say. But be careful: these Forums (Fora?? Forae?) can be misused. It is not unknown for Artists and Companies to post their own reviews, extolling themselves to the heavens. My word of advice here is…DON”T. The open public forum is a wonderful tool which has been created to allow ordinary people to voice their opinions. It’s not there for Artists to advertise, stroke their own egos, or rail at perceived injustice. If the system is abused too much, it will be removed, and we will all be the worse off for it.

Needless to say, Dreamscape has never made up its own reviews…but I know of companies who do, including an British company who fabricates both reviews and star ratings. Egos, always egos.

So, back to those reviews. Some have been good, some have been bad. In an audience of 140 you’re unlikely to delight every single person. Equally, you’re unlikely to disappoint every single person. People are different….and thank goodness for that, or every show would be working to the same formula.

I don’t object to any  of the words written in any of the reviews of our shows. But yes, I still do object to the “star” system.  A review is an opinion, but by giving it a number, we somehow turn it into a “FACT”. But Art really isn’t about facts. It’s about abstracts. Isn’t that its beauty? Let’s leave the facts to the Accountants.

A la prochaine!

FERNANDO

Don’t you just love the word “Penultimate”? I mean, it’s such a useful word, isn’t it? The only other way you could express the same meaning is: “The one before the last”, or “second to last”, or something like that. “Penultimate” makes it sound…I don’t know…more cool!

Anyway, here we are on the Penultimate day of the Fringe. Where has it all gone? Eleven days of Frantic Fringe-ing, eleven days of fervent flyering and persistent postering, and now the party is nearly over. Penultimate. But hey! That means we still have TWO DAYS TO GO! Let’s party! The fun is not yet over! Mind you, by the time you get to read this, it will probably be nearly the final day. The ULTIMATE!

Well, at least I managed to get to a few more shows over the past couple of days. “Manners for Men” by Justin, from Screwed and Clued, was very entertaining. A bitter-dark comedy, but nicely told, and with great commitment to Physical Theatre and Mime. Very well done…and a nice blast from the past: happy memories of performing “The Mysterious Mr Love” in that venue way back in 2002!

We also managed to catch “Boxhead”; a tale for children about a boy who (quite literally) loses his head. We so much wanted to catch this show partly for the Physical Theatre and Mask work (both of which Tina is particularly interested in), but also because we kept on meeting the hard-working Todd around the Fringe site. In fact, he was one of the first Fringe Artists we met this year. The show was a lot of fun…and most importantly: the kids loved it!

Next show up was “Pitch Blond” over at the Cabaret Lounge. Again, an interesting and thought-provoking play, telling a true story from the American “witch hunt” years. Nicely performed, though a little self-restricting through extended use of recorded soundtrack, which rather limited how much the show could be adapted to allow for the different reactions of audiences. However, it was still a good show, and maybe all the more disturbing because of the fact that in some ways we’re not so very far from that sort of thought-bullying today.

And then, of course, we managed to see “Full Frontal Nudity”. A title suited to any half-decent Fringe, but in fact there was nothing of the sort in the the drama. Directed by the lovley Jim de Felice, it featured a cast of 4, and some nicely judged performances, and delightfully simple staging.

Sadly, we weren’t able to fit David Belke’s “The Maltese Bodkin” into the schedule, but we’re hoping to get to see his new work “A Final Whimsey” tomorrow, before our final show.

And that, as they say, will be that. The end of another Fringe. I may not have seen as many shows as I have managed to see in the past, but I’d have to say that all the shows I’ve seen have been good. Some, indeed, have been excellent. And which of all the shows I’ve seen has been the best? Well, I can’t really say. It’s all only a matter of opinion, after all…

A la prochaine!

FERNANDO

Final day of the Fringe! I’m up and about. I’m showered. I have my coffee on the desk to my right, and I’m ready to start the day. So…what’s on the agenda? Well, first thing is to get some Blogging done. I’ve written 33 out of my quota of 40, so I really need to get finger to keyboard. Not that I have to finish today, of course, but I still have plenty of thoughts swirling around in my head, so there’s never any shortage of material.

When I began these Fringe blogs, I set myself the personal goal of making sure that each of my entries would be at least 500 words. Actually, it wasn’t that diffiicult. In the event, some were a good deal longer, and when I started writing about Reviews and Reviewers, I ended up having to divide it into three different Blogs! (Incidentally, there’s more on that subject yet to come).

So…apologies to any of you who have found my style to be long-winded or overblown. And thank you to all of you who have come up to me to tell me you’re reading the Blog! This morning, I even had an e-mail from someone in England who had been reading it…and I hadn’t even told them about it!

Any writer likes to be read. Just like any actor likes an audience. And that’s why we put in all the extra effort over and above what is required. Most Artists do this. I’m sure we’ve all played that game of working out exactly what we have been paid, if it was being calculated on an HOURLY rate. The figures are pretty dismal. As Artists we have no set hours. We will frequently work late into the night. Sometimes (if desperate) early in the morning. We look forward to our work, and are disappointed when it doesn’t happen. We work for low wages, or no wages…or sometimes even at our own expense. We take pay cuts…if there was any pay in the first place. And as for job security….forget it! But WE LOVE IT!

And it’s not just the Artists. Many (if not most) of the Technicians at the Fringe are taking a pay cut to work it. They too work long hours, and have a huge responsibility for the efficient running of the venues and the safety of public and performers alike. These guys and gals are INCREDIBLE!

Then there’s the Administration staff, and Organisers. A whole network of behind-the-scenes people working to make sure the Fringe runs smoothly. Sure, in theory they might have more regulated hours….but I’ll bet most of them end up working way beyond that. I know that Thomas Scott would always…ALWAYS…answer any e-mail questions I sent. When I consider how many e-mails he must be getting each day, it really impressed me that he found the time not only to reply, but to accurately answer the question asked.

And then there are the volunteers. What can I say about the volunteers? Without them, there would very probably be no Fringe! Quite simply, I haven’t got a hat big enough to take off to them!

All these people, working long hours. Hard hours. And not generally well paid…if at all. You’d think the Government would extol such enterprise and hard work? But no. The world over, Governments view the Arts with suspicion, as if we’re all trying to cheat the system. Well….THEIR system. Basically we don’t fit into a stereotype. We don’t tick the right boxes.

But think on this. We don’t remember the Ancient Greeks or Romans for their Accountancy. We remember them for their Art and Culture. That is our legacy to future generations. That is the spirit of mankind.

Damn, 621 words. Overdone it again!

A la prochaine!

FERNANDO