Fringe runners, get set.
Those runners include not only the 155 theatre companies presenting shows and the thousands of audience members who, over the next 12 days, will be watching them.
It’s the first day of the 24th annual Toronto Fringe Festival, the busiest time of the year for anyone who has an interest in theatre.
But there will be some literal runners, too.
At 4:30 today (Wednesday, July 4), the companies have a chance to poster the area around the Fringe Club, the popular watering hole and Fringe social hub in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s. There’s only so much space available, so look for lots of (friendly) jostling as companies try to get the best location to advertise their shows.
David Mirvish, David Miller and Mike Layton will be on hand to kick off the Fringe festivities.
Shows begin tonight at dozens of venues around town, and if you haven’t yet taken part in a Fringe, this is a great time to start. The lotteried festival offers an opportunity to all sorts of artists – newcomers and established people – to present their shows in a big party of an event. True, not every show is a masterpiece, but one of the joys of the Fringe is discovering a little gem that kicks off the reputation of the theatre and dance stars of tomorrow.
How to learn about the good shows? Check out our website for reviews and up-to-the-minute reporting from the festival.
It’s also useful to get tips from fellow Fringers while you’re standing online or at the Fringe Club, popularly known as the beer tent.
Some things to remember about Fringing, whether you’re a first-timer or an old hand at it.
All shows start on time, so don’t show up even a minute late you won’t get in, even if you argue that you’re related to the playwright and have just driven down from Owen Sound to catch her show.
Tickets to much-discussed and well-reviewed shows are quickly at a premium, so think about buying advance tickets for them at fringetoronto.com or by calling 416-966-1062. Advance tickets – up to 50% of the house – are available up to three hours before the start of a performance the rest can be bought at the door an hour before the start, but for really popular shows you’ll want to line up earlier than that.
If you’re planning a day of Fringing, try to organize it so you don’t have to go back and forth from the venues around Queen, let’s say, to the three Tarragon venues on Bridgman. Plan a meal break in there, too, so you don’t just run from show to show. (In the early years of the festival, I wondered why I was getting tired in the evening I finally realized that I’d seen five shows and hadn’t had a meal since breakfast. Duh.)
And for sure on these days when the temps are hitting the low 30s, keep hydrated. Some venues have water to sell, but it’s a safer idea to carry water (or whatever you’re drinking) with you.
If you don’t feel like seeing a show tonight, how about a free event that’ll give you an inside track on one way to start the writing process?
The 24 Hour Playwriting Competition kicks off at 6 pm at the Fringe Club. That’s when the 60 contestants – who signed up previously – are given four objects, locations or situations that they have to incorporate into an original play. They have to turn that play in within – what else? – 24 hours. The winner, chosen by a jury, gets a staged reading at the Tarragon’s Solo Room on the festival’s closing night, July 15.
She or he also gets a $500 prize the second-place winner gets $250 and the third-place winner gets $100.
If you attend tonight, you’ll be part of the birthing of a new piece of art and also have the chance to get to meet some of the fellow Fringers you’ll see around town during the festival.
