CP90166.G28 Chenise SASKATOONEXPRESS - July 28-August 3, 2014 - Page 1
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Volume 11, Issue 29, Week of July 28, 2014
Saskatoonʼs REAL Community Newspaper
Fringe festival celebrates 25 years A performer entertains crowds at the corner of Broadway Avenue and 11th Street during a recent Fringe Festival (Photo supplied) Shannon Boklaschuk Saskatoon Express
street festival looks like it’s going to be 20, 30 per cent larger than what we had last year,” he added. ob Wyma believes the upcoming The Fringe is one of the summer’s PotashCorp Fringe Theatre Festival most popular annual events, attracting will be the best one in the event’s about 40,000 people to the Broadway history. Avenue area during a 10-day period. Excitement is surrounding the 2014 This year, from July 31 to Aug. 9, version, and for good reason – the Fringe theatre fans will be able to take in more is celebrating its 25th birthday this year. than 200 shows in six venues. As in past “Based on what we’ve got for a theatre years, part of Broadway Avenue will be lineup this year, and really what we’ve closed to traffic so pedestrians can also launched as a street festival, I think our watch the street performances. As well, 25th will be our best in our history – if the there will be an international market weatherman supports that,” said Wyma, behind Victoria School and a variety of the Fringe’s executive director. food vendors located along 11th Street. “(There’s) just an unbelievable cast While the Fringe officially starts on of independent theatre coming to SasJuly 31, people are invited to kick off katoon from all over the world, and the the festivities a little earlier. On July 30,
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a preview night and birthday bash will be held at the Broadway Theatre. The theatre companies involved with this year’s Fringe will provide short previews of their full-length shows. “People can come down that night and see the whole festival in short format, and pick the favourites that they would want to buy tickets for and go see in festival,” said Wyma. “Added into that program is really a short program, but a short way for us to celebrate 25 years. We’ve got the Fringe founder, Tom Bentley, coming to town. He’s the guy – the artistic director of 25th Street Theatre – that took a chance in 1990 and opened the first Fringe Festival in Saskatoon on Broadway. “So we’re going to have a little bit of
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a reflective journey with Tom, and then we’ll have some guest speakers – artists from the past that have participated in the Fringe and gone on to theatre careers outside of the Fringe – and just have them reflect on the importance of what independent theatre festivals are to artists that are really starting their journey.” Tickets to the preview night and birthday bash are $10, with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and the show at 7 p.m. During the past 25 years, the Fringe Theatre Festival has grown and evolved. Last year, more than 13,000 patrons attended the live ticketed theatre performances. This year, organizers are expecting 14,000 to attend. (Continued on page 6)
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