5 things you need to know about the Hamilton Fringe Festival 2022
CBC
Hamilton Fringe Festival is back in action this week, taking place on 14 different stages across the city, featuring more than 350 performances by more than 60 artistic companies.
Starting Wednesday evening until July 31, the festival will feature live theatre, dance and musical performances.
A free kick-off event, starting at 7:30 p.m. at an outdoor stage at Theatre Aquarius, will have audience members watch 60-second previews from festival performers.
Festival director Christopher Stanton told CBC Hamilton the opening night is a great way to help people decide which performances they will decide to go see throughout the rest of the festival. The evening will be opened formally by Mohawk elder and knowledge keeper Allan Loft, will be hosted by Hamilton storyteller Carlyn Rhamey and feature a performance by Toronto-based Oji-Cree singer-songwriter Aysanabee.
As for the rest of the festival, here are some things you need to know:
While each individual performance has an age suitability, there are a multitude of family and child-friendly events during the 12-day long festival, including the Family Fringe Hub and a Family Fringe Carnival Day.
Free family-friendly programming including daily arts-based workshops is available at the family hub at Bridgeworks outdoors starting at 12 p.m. on weekdays and between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on the weekends during the festival.
Kids Club Camp is also offered for the first time in-person this year, where five to 12-year-olds can be registered for a week of drama, dance and music. Kids will have the chance to catch performances, interact with local guest artists daily and participate in a final talent show.
Outside of the Family Fringe Hub, there is festival programming throughout that is available to all ages, Stanton said, however, each show does get its own rating determined by the individual performance groups.
Hamilton Fringe also aims to be accessible so everyone can enjoy, said Stanton. That means some events, such as those at the outdoor stage outside Theatre Aquarius or some at the family hub, are free.
"I have a young family in Hamilton and I know a bunch of us on staff do. So we're always so cognizant of when a festival feels like it's not really for you – and there's nothing worse than that feeling," Stanton said.
"We want to have a place where you can bring your kids out to carnival day, on Saturday in the afternoon, then stay for the evening and get some babysitters and watch some plays that are meant more for more mature audiences, with a little bolder content," he said.
The festival website lists the accessibility of each space that features a performance this year. It also features "relaxed performances," meaning those at reduced audio and stage levels, some with American Sign Language interpretation and some with subtitles or captions.
2022 marks the first year that Hamilton Fringe has been back in full-force for in-person events since 2019 and there is a lot of excitement in the air, Stanton said.
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