After a rocky post-pandemic recovery, Toronto's Fringe Fest finds stable ground
CBC
It's been a roller-coaster five years for the Toronto Fringe Festival.
In 2020, it was cancelled completely thanks to the pandemic. In 2021, it went digital.
The next three years were tough in different ways: the festival returned to in-person shows with disappointing audience numbers, temporarily lost a critical provincial grant, and cut down the number of shows it presented by a fifth.
This year, says Toronto Fringe Festival executive director Rachel Kennedy, "I think we're in a really good spot."
"Fringe has now placed things in a way that feels really good for us," she continued. "We're seeing the numbers corroborate that … it's definitely an upward trajectory."
There are a couple of signs that the Fringe Festival, which began on July 2nd and runs through this weekend, may be getting its groove back.
This year, the festival has expanded back to 100 shows, with steady audience numbers, says Kennedy. And, as of Thursday, it's surpassed $500,000 at the box office, all of which goes back to the artists.
"That's half a million dollars going directly into artist pockets through the Fringe," all of whom are chosen by lottery, she said.
"It's more than last year."
Kennedy spoke to CBC Toronto on the patio next to Soulpepper Theatre, in the Distillery District — a new venue for Fringe, and, says Kennedy, a key part of this year's success.
Late last year, Fringe signed on to a three year agreement with four other theatre companies, including Soulpepper, to "try to share knowledge and resources," said Kennedy.
Called the Creative Collaboration Initiative, the agreement also includes Obsidian Theatre, The Musical Stage Company, and Bad Hats Theatre.
"We actually had someone comment online and say, 'this is the Avengers of Toronto theatre,'" laughed Kennedy.
The festival also expanded its offerings this year when it comes to genre, with a slate of musicals running at Theatre Passe Muraille as a Fringe satellite program.
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