We’ve been getting reports of sightings for the past few days, so tune in and keep an eye out.

The commercial will also be playing on the big screens at the corner of Robson and Granville (above the Future Shop) several times per hour starting on August 9 until the end of the festival. As the Red Bastard says in the commercial, don’t miss it!

And look for printed copies when you’re out and about the city! (see the link for a list of locations)

Dear faithful reader,

As you know, I have taken it upon myself to keep you informed about what your government has been doing with your money. Here’s an update. But first, here’s a  recap.

Over the past year the BC Liberals have:

• cut the BC Arts Council budget by 50% (reduction of over $7M)
• pretended that the budget for the BC Arts Council had been restored to its previous funding levels by moving the $12.2 M allocation for the Royal BC Museum into the BC Arts Council budget
• changed the eligibility of activities for  BC Gaming to exclude adult arts
  
• denied funding  to professional arts festivals applicants to  the BC Gaming Fairs and Festivals category, saying that festivals (like the Victoria Fringe Festival) “do not reflect the community, regional or cultural characteristics of a community.” (Click here or here for more info)
  
• And finally, they earmarked $10M in the budget and didn’t say what it will be used for.
  

The Georgia Straight used this image of Kevin Krueger when they reported that he walked out of an interview with them when asked about the massive cuts to the arts in October, 2009.

Kevin Krueger, BC’s Minister of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts, recently announced that this $10M (curiously similar to the amount missing from the BC Arts Council operating budget) will be allocated to 2010 Sports and Arts Legacy Fund and the creation of “Spirit Festivals.” There are still no details regarding these festivals. Minister Krueger says “[The Spirit Festivals] are intended to build on the phenomenal success of the Cultural Olympiad.” (Read the coverage here or here.)

You know what would be a perfect way to build on the success of the Cultural Olympiad? Not cutting core funding to the professional arts organizations that actually made it happen. Call me crazy.

“I don’t know how they can call something new money when they have cut the same amount from existing programs,” Amir Ali Alibhai, executive director of the Alliance for Arts and Culture, recently said.

Maybe you’ve been thinking about writing a letter to your MLA about some of the above items. Now would be a good time to let your MLA and Minister Krueger know how you feel about how they are spending your money.

For more coverage on how the arts community feels about these Spirit Festivals, read this.

Yours in Fringe,
David Jordan

Volunteer Centre Open House!

The 2010 Volunteer Staff and Interns: (l-r) Charlotte Cattier, Leah Harris, Joannie Bouffard, chicken, Shellbie Wilson, Katrina Darychuk.

Join us in warming our new volunteer centre! We’re holding an open house on Sunday, July 25 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.! There’ll be snacks! And it’s great way to meet your Volunteer Coordinators, Shellbie Wilson and Joannie Bouffard, as well as all the other volunteers before the beautiful chaos of the Festival! Be sure to stop in and say hello!

Sunday, July 25
1592 Johnston Street (on Granville Island, kitty-corner from the Public Market’s main entrance)
1-3:00 p.m.

We Need Hosts!

Any old bed will do for a Fringe artist.

The Vancouver Fringe Festival is looking for homes for our touring performers who are visiting Vancouver for this year’s Fringe! If you have a bed, we’d love to hear from you!

The Festival is full to the brim with a fantastic lineup of groups coming in from all over the world. Opening up your home to a real live artist is an amazing way to be involved in the Festival. If you decide to host an artist (or two) you will receive a Superpass, which means unlimited Fringe performances for you!

Download this form and return it to our Artist Services Coordinator, Vanessa Griffiths!

You Too Can Be a Plank Magazine Reviewer

Do you love to write? Do you have strong opinions? Are you ready for a theatre-based challenge you’ll never forget? Then Plank Magazine is looking for you!

For the third year in a row Plank Magazine will be covering the Vancouver International Fringe Festival in all its diverse glory. Our kamikaze team of reviewers will once again swarm the Festival and attempt to review every single show by the end of the first weekend. Each reviewer will take on a commitment to see six shows and write their reviews in “real time” so that they are up on the Plank website within 24 hours. With an even bigger Festival this year, we’re going to need a bigger team! So come and join us. It’s a total blast and a fantastic way to engage with the Festival-and you get a cool badge to hang around your neck.

What are you waiting for? Get in touch with us at info@plankmagazine.com.

Tasty Treats

Continuing with the Fringe’s “All You Can Eat Theatre” theme, Gemma Wilcox of Shadows in Bloom and 52 Pick Up, both of which will be performed at the Waterfront Theatre, shared some food related thoughts with us.

I am a total “foodie.” I love food. My dad’s a chef and I grew up playing in, working in, and socializing in the restaurant where my dad works in London, which is called “Food for Thought.” I can eat more than pretty much anyone I know. My ex-husband used to say I had a “hollow leg” where all the food must go. My world revolves around food–but it must be good food! There is nothing worse than a restaurant meal that is bad. That can ruin my whole day or evening–seriously!

Fellow Fringe performer, Jimmy Hogg, calls me “Burger Wilcox” because he has seen me wolf down huge burgers within seconds after performing at numerous different Fringe Festivals around the U.S.A. and Canada. I cannot deny it. I am always on the hunt for a really good burger. So if you are reading this and think you know where the best burger in Vancouver is served, let me know. You’ll either see me wandering around the Fringe site like a starving artist or stuffing my face in the restaurant next to the box office.

P.S ironically, I also love raw food yumminess, and love going to Gorilla Food downtown when I’m in Vancouver!

Of Theatre and Brews…and Apricot Chicken

The Fringe Festival offers a wide range of theatre flavours, from family friendly comedies to deep, dark dramas. And just like the Fringe, St. Ambroise McAuslan brewery also offers a wide range of beers, from its seasonal selection of fruit brews, to its award-winning Griffon brand beers.

In this, the second year that St. Ambroise is sponsoring the Vancouver Fringe, theatregoers can enjoy a selection of their beers from Quebec, such as their flagship St. Ambroise Pale Ale and their Apricot Wheat Ale at select venues and the St. Ambroise Fringe Bar at the Agro Café!

And for more deliciousness, check out the recipes on their website using their beers!

Here’s a nice summer entree using their Apricot Wheat Ale:

Apricot Chicken Pilaf With Almonds

1 pound (500 g) skinless, boneless chicken breast, cubed
1 teaspoon (5 mL) paprika
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cardamom
2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 package (6.25 oz./185 mL) chicken-flavoured rice pilaf mix
2 cups (500 mL) McAuslan’s Apricot Wheat ale
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped dried apricots
Zest of one orange
2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh coriander, chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) slivered almonds, toasted

1. Mix the chicken with the spices. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Cook the chicken until no longer pink, about seven minutes. Remove from heat. With a slotted spoon set chicken aside.
2. In the remaining liquid, cook the onion until the liquid has evaporated and onion is translucent. Add pilaf mix with seasoning, beer, apricots, and orange zest. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 12 minutes.
3. Add the coriander, almonds, and chicken, cover and simmer for another 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

(We’re just trying to turn it into a statement.)

Just some of the volunteer interviewers: (l to r) Lianna, Pam, David, Beverly, Robyn, Debby, and Regina.

This past April, the Fringe began a process of reviewing our Mission Statement, which will lead to a three-year strategic plan. The current mission is “Theatre for Everyone,” but this statement works better as a Vision Statement. A Mission needs to encompass a means to achieve the vision, hence the need for the review.

The process began by bringing a team of dedicated volunteers together to conduct “Appreciation Interviews” with various stakeholders that are part of the organization. They interviewed artists, volunteers, former and current staff, patrons, government, and people in the theatre community, asking what they consider the Fringe’s values and what they personally value about the Fringe, what the Fringe’s core factors are, what their best experiences have been, and what their dream Fringe would be like.

The interviewers then met to compare notes and find the common themes and experiences. What turned up wasn’t surprising, although seeing that the different stakeholders valued similar things was rewarding.

So what were these commonalities you ask? Some core factors included inclusivity, supportive environment, our CAFF mandate, and community involvement. Values included openness, risk, acceptance, fun, and opportunity. Best experiences encompassed chaos, willingness, and peer support.

The stakeholders’ dreams were fantastic. It’s clear that they desire the Fringe to take over the city in every way you can imagine. They’re imagining more outdoor events, increased artist development, and stable funding.

The results were passed along the Fringe’s board, whose job it is now to develop a revised mission statement and apply that to a three year plan. Stay posted for updates!

Seasonal Staff!

Every year the Fringe is graced with a team of seasonal staff that brings the Festival together. This year we asked them to write two sentence bios of each other during staff orientation. Here are the results! Welcome to the Fringe team guys!

Christina Price at our Fringe Iron Chef Cookoff

Christina Price
Christina Price Interim Festival Manager
Christina is an Olympic Games “refugee” who used her creative talents in the ceremonies department. She has travelled and worked in countries such as Japan, where she was famous for being the only blonde haired, blue eyed person in a 100-mile radius of the village she lived and worked in. A veteran Fringe volunteer, Christina is thrilled to put her event and not-for-profit experience to work for the Festival while Isabella is on maternity leave.

Vanessa Griffiths
Artist & Audience Services Coordinator
Vanessa is a former pilot, indie record label manager, and big time traveler. Her parents are planning to move to France and, as a result, Vanessa is planning future trips to France and Spain.

Shellbie Wilson
Volunteer Coordinator
Shellbie was lured from Ontario to the West Coast with an Olympic job at Whistler. After being overwhelmed by Vancouver’s beauty she decided to stay and now brings over eight years of experience working in non-profits to help produce the Fringe Festival.

Joannie Bouffard
Volunteer Coordination Assistant
Joannie came to us a year and a half ago from rural parts of la belle province where, despite claiming to be Québécois, her picky tastes mean that she won’t consume cheese, beer, or wine!  A very enthusiastic person whose past jobs have always Involved volunteers, her one main concern in life these days is placating the victims of her expressive, spontaneous arm swings.

Tanja Reinkens
Events Coordinator
Tanja has been working with non-profit organizations for as long as she’s been working. She is known for being slightly obsessed withdogs, babies, and candy!

Wade Kinley
Hospitality Manager
Wade is a burgeoning playwright and will begin work on his MFA this September at UBC. If that doesn’t work out, he’ll be a helicopter pilot with the LAPD and chase criminals with a giant flashlight in the sky. That or a dancer. Playwriting better work out.

From l to r: Shirley, Wade, Emily, Shellbie, Vanessa, Earl, and Joannie

Shirley Hsu
Design and Marketing Assistant
Shirley is currently studying Communications and Business Marketing at SFU. She splits her time between Vancouver and Taiwan, where last year she was the junior editor of Choc Magazine, a fashion magazine for girls.

Earl Von Tapia
Marketing and Communications Intern
Earl is a self-professed geek who is thrilled to be the Fringe’s “Social Media Guru” this year. An SFU grad that is infamous for his work at its student paper The Peak, he also enjoys gaming and the occasional Timmy’s coffee.

Emily Atkinson
Festival Intern
Emily is an honours poli-sci student at UBC. She loves living in Vancouver, but misses the snow she grew up with in Ottawa. She likes Mexican food, oatmeal, vacuuming, reading, and chocolate. She has excellent vision.

Time to Volunteer!

Every year the Fringe relies on over 400 volunteers to ensure that we actually have a Festival! And it’s time to start recruiting! We need you. We love you. Join us. It’s not a cult . . . although many volunteer do become addicted and end up wanting to help out long after the Festival is over.

But back to the Festival. We need people to do all sorts of jobs. Everything from hosting an artist in your spare room (billeting), to distributing our program guide, to driving to and from Granville Island and the BYOVs, to decorating our Opening Night, to helping build venues, to selling tickets, to bartending, to accounting assistance, to . . .  well you get the point. The list goes on and on.

Sign up to be a volunteer today using our online registration form. Not only will you help make the Festival run smoothly, but it’ll look great on your resume, and you’ll also get special Fringe benefits (like getting to see shows for free!

Auction Items

It’s almost time for the Fringe! And our premier fundraising event, our Opening Night, starts the Festival off with a bang on September 7! We’re currently in the planning phase and are searching for donations to our Live and Silent Auctions. Here’s an example of just some of the things we’re hoping to include:

Electronics: smart phones, iPhones, computers, TVs (new items only)
Destinations: trips and transportation
Tickets and Passes to: sporting events, theatre
Health and Wellness: spa packages and gift certificates, gym memberships
Fine Wine, Beer, and Spirits: from your personal collection

As a thank you for donating you’ll receive a tax receipt as well as recognition in the 2011 Festival Program Guide, your businesses name and logo on our website, a complimentary t-shirt, and if you donation’s value is $50 or more, two complimentary tickets to a 2010 Fringe show. But most importantly, your in-kind donation will help ensure the continued success of the Fringe!

For more information, contact our Events Coordinator, Tanja Reinkens, or download this form.

Wild Horse Canyon sponsors our Live Music

We often drink Wild Horse Canyon wine when we clean our office on Fridays. Hey, we love our sponsors, and when they’ve produced wines that have won 38 awards worldwide (including a Double Gold Medal at the International Eastern Wine Competition in 2007 for their 2005 Merlot), it’s an easy decision to make.

dbl dragon

But what we really love about Wild Horse Canyon is that they’re sponsoring the stage at the St. Ambroise Fringe Bar at Agro Café this year! Our Hospitality Manager, Wade Kinley, has been hard at work booking musical talent to entertain us on the Wild Horse Stage. “The music styles range from blues rock to synth pop to bluegrass to indie folk to cabaret to pirate rock. Everybody’s really different,” Wade says.

So far, the Wild Horse Stage lineup includes the Greff Band, the Reckoners, Fine Mist, Wintermitts, Jasper Sloan Yip, Maria in the Shower, Creaking Planks, Viper Central, and Dbl Dragon (w/ DJ Tristan Orchard).

In addition to sponsoring the new Wild Horse Stage, Wild Horse Canyon is holding a contest to win a Vancouver International Fringe Festival Experience Package for Two! The contest closes July 31, so be sure to enter online here.

Tasty Treats

The Fringe’s theme this year is “All You Can Eat Theatre” and our artists are keeping it up with their food related stories! Valerie Mason-John, who’s producing and starring in Brown Girl in the Ring, which will be staged at Havana, sent us this poem.

The Vinda-Loo

Hypnotized by the buffet table
Eyes bulging at the sockets
Dislocated at the jaw
As she salivates
Over a curried heaven.

Strobe lights waltz before her glazed eyes
As she munches her way through paradise.

Cream cakes smudged all over her face.
Italian spaghetti whipping her chest.
Rice hail stoning onto her lap.
Chicken bones pegged to her toes.

The graphic is in this photo.
The graphic is in this photo.
The graphic is in this photo

A recycled tip spilling around her feet.
Her binge far from being complete.
She continues to compulsively eat.

Ice cream friezes her in slow motion
As frozen foods slalom down her throat
Thawed by skidding litres of diet coke.
She belches on its giddy gas
Purging head first
Into yesterday’s Vinda-Loo.

Dear Minister Coleman,

I am responding to the comments you made about arts festivals in the Vancouver Sun while speaking in support of the B.C. government’s decision to exclude festivals from gaming funds.

You are quoted as saying that: “Many of those festivals are commercial enterprises that charge admission and should be able to operate without government subsidies.”

Let me remind you that our Festival and all festivals that apply for gaming funding are registered charities, not commercial enterprises. Charitable status is what makes us eligible to apply for grants in the first place. The reason gaming funds exist as a legal and legitimate stream of government revenue is because government chose to use the non-profit, charity sector as a benefactor of gaming funds. With the aforementioned statement, it seems that you are redefining the word “charity,” which is entirely inappropriate.

It shows ignorance and disrespect in saying that: “There were some festivals that had been running for 25 years and they were saying if they couldn’t get a $10,000 grant they wouldn’t be able to survive for a year. I’m thinking, you’ve got to wonder, what have you been doing as far as planning for your organization … the past 25 years.”

You’re not naming names here, but I am going to take that as a shot at our 25-year-old organization.

Our gaming grant is $70,000, which is 16 per cent of our cash budget, a significant portion. We will struggle to adapt to this change but we will outlast the philistinism of this funding change. We will do so because people care about our organization and its vision of “Theatre for Everyone.”

Furthermore, other sectors in the province receive numerous and massive subsidies in the form of tax incentives, tax breaks, and kick backs. Forestry, fisheries, and mining all receive government subsidies, including major bail outs when things get difficult.

I am concerned that you are making massive changes to an ecosystem you do not understand and I urge you to reconsider these changes.

The arts sector has been a thriving and healthy contributor to the cultural and economic health of the province.

Rather than being valued for what we provide, we’re faced with a wholesale clear cut of provincial arts funding and a Minister that changed the eligibility requirements for gaming funds after the applications have been submitted. This is neither sporting, nor fair. As Ian Case, of Intrepid Theatre said, “Rich Coleman has turned into Lucy, yanking the football out from us just as we come in to kick it. Good Grief!”

David Jordan,
Executive Director
Vancouver International Fringe Festival

David will be speaking at the Make Art History symposium, “Now What?” on June 25. For details on attending, please visit their Facebook event page.

Just Desserts

Here's just one of the cards you'll see on the tables at Havana.

This phrase, properly spelled “just deserts,” means the deserved outcome someone receives—often a punishment for something bad they’ve done. We’ve twisted this meaning up a bit and, along with our pals at Havana, are bringing you the “Just Desserts” campaign. For every dessert purchased at Havana between June 1 and September 30, $1 will be donated to the Vancouver Fringe! This includes mainstays like Crème Brûlée and Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding, as well as their daily creations!

We figure that everyone gets their just deserts with this little deal. Due to the cuts to the B.C. Arts Council and the loss of eligibility for gaming grants, the Fringe is looking at a loss of $70,000 for future festivals. To prepare for these cuts, the Fringe is raising awareness of our charitable status with fundraising events such as “Just Desserts.” So we get our just deserts with a little funding help from you and Havana, the B.C. government gets theirs with regular scrutiny from art lovers, and you get a lovely dessert!

Visit Havana before September 30 and get yourself a treat!

Tasty Treats

Notice a food theme? Our artists are keeping it up. This tale using chicken balls as a demonstrative tool comes with a warning to our male readers. You may want to cross your legs now. Thanks to Sara Vickruck of Happily Ever After?, which will be staged at the Playwrights Theatre Centre during this year’s Fringe, for sharing!

Sarah Vickruck is a loud lady!

The first thing you should know about me is that I am loud. My voice just carries and whispering is impossible for me. While eating at a buffet with two friends, I began to discuss the fact that I have never intentionally hit a man in the balls before. I just can’t seem to follow through. You see all those kick-ass female action movie stars who walk up to egotistical, chauvinistic pigs, grab them by the balls and twist. I would love to have the fortitude to grab a guy that way someday. In order to demonstrate the tactics, I grabbed two chicken balls on my plate, squeezed, and twisted. While violently smushing the balls in my hand, I look across the way to see a man’s face go stark white, and immediately after, start choking, coughing up pieces of his now ruined meal. I probably should have listened to my mother when I was little: “Food is for eating, not playing.”

Ticketpalooza!

It looks like a scratch and win, and in a way, it is!

This mystery package purchase is one hell of a way to raise money!

When you visit the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA) website you can purchase a mystery package for $50 or $200. The packages include tickets to select shows from the GVPTA’s 45-plus member theatre companies (and maybe even an exclusive Superpass from the Fringe!), as well as gift certificates to restaurants, hotel stays, and more!

You won’t know what’s in your package until Ticketpalooza ends on June 30, but you’ll know that the contents of your mystery package are valued at least as much as you paid (and often higher than you paid). Plus your purchase goes towards the GVPTA’s work of promoting theatre in Vancouver. There’s some amazing deals so don’t miss out!

Get Involved with the Fringe

Hey Fringe fans! Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to work with us? Well here’s your chance! We’re searching for a couple more seasonal staff members as well as some quality interns to help in our volunteer department. Check out the job descriptions here.

Speaking of the volunteer department, we’re also looking for a handful of pre-festival volunteers to distribute our program guide and do other pre-festival tasks. Get your volunteer hours in early and enjoy the Festival without interruption! For details, email our Volunteer Coordinator, Shellbie Wilson.

We’re getting geared up for our Opening Night and are looking for silent and live auction items too! In previous years auction items included artwork, weekend get-aways, spa nights, and more! If you or your company would like to donate an item, contact Tanja Reinkens, our Events Coordinator, for more information.

Q: When is a festival not a festival?

A: When they apply for funding from BC Gaming.

It’s come to this. There’s nothing left to do but joke, because the government’s Gaming Policy & Enforcement Branch continues a relentless assault on arts and culture. According to a conversation MLA Spencer Herbert recently had with Gaming, professional arts festivals will not be eligible for the new sub category of Fairs, Festivals, and Museums.

As you know, if you have been following our discussion about these changes taking place in our society, we had expected as much. Nevertheless, it is shocking to have the worst case scenario confirmed.

For the Fringe, we will see this massive loss of $70,000 after next year’s Festival because we have a current agreement with Gaming. But for others, this change will have immediate impact.

We’re not sure what Gaming and the government think a festival might be… Ideas?

The Newest Fringer

Hello Baby!

Yep, we’ve got a new little Fringer among us! Some of you may have noticed that our Festival Manager, Isabella Kessel, has been on maternity leave since March. He must have been rearing to go, because little Yannick was born on April 24. With a full head of hair and some downy fuzz on his back no less!

The Fringe staff went on a little excursion to meet the baby last week, where he was passed around like a hot potato. He seems like a quiet little guy but we can’t wait to hear him speak. Having a mom with a German accent and a dad with an Australian accent, we can only imagine what tongue twisting he’ll have to learn!

Welcome to the world Yannick!

Performance, Awards, and Finances, Oh My!

Thanks to all of you who made it out to our Annual General Meeting last month. We had a great turn out and we discussed memberships, our finances, and we handed out our Volunteer Appreciation Awards. Plus we had a preview of TJ Dawe’s new show, Lucky 9.

First off, we started with our Treasurer, Glenn Mori’s review. In 2009, the Fringe continued to pay down its deficit due in part of savings by the production department and human resource management; however, with the government’s cuts to the BC Arts Council and impending cuts from the Gaming Commission, our primary funding sources, we will have to prepare for the worst. The HST is also a concern as we continue to wait for a ruling on if and how we will have to add it to ticket prices.

David Jordan, our Executive Director, reported that the 2009 Festival’s commitment to artist development through the recently developed Awards was noteworthy and appreciated by the Festival’s artists. He was also happy to report the successful efforts of our newly developed fundraising program, which will help to offset the government’s arts cuts, and that our Director of Development, Gareth Duncan, will continue to champion our fundraising efforts.

An amendment to the way memberships work was implemented. Now volunteers, qualifying donors, and participating artists will be exempt from paying membership dues. Also, the dates of a membership’s validity will now be set by the Fringe when issuing memberships.

Robyn Dann (left) accepting her "Lifer" Award from Interim Festival Manager, Christina Price (right).

The Fringe also handed out Volunteer Appreciation Awards as part of our AGM. This year we honoured Jullian Kolstee and Sara Tuppen as outstanding rookies. Both Jullian and Sara volunteered during the Festival in various capacities as well as helping out post Festival. Robyn Dann was given the Volunteer “Lifer” Award for her longstanding commitment to the Festival, while Art Perret and Sheila Butt were awarded the Dynamic Duo Award. Robyn, Art, and Sheila have volunteered for more years than any staff member can claim and their continued return exemplifies the love they have for theatre. Congratulations to our Award winners and thanks to all of volunteers for making the Fringe a success.

The AGM closed with a performance by Fringe favourite TJ Dawe. We don’t want to give too much of TJ’s new show away, but let’s just say that this is one of TJ’s most personal pieces. Using enneagrams, the Wire, and personal stories, TJ exposes himself in a remarkable way. TJ will be touring Lucky 9 to the Orlando, Toronto, Edmonton, and Victoria Fringe Festivals this year.

Thanks again to those of you who came out. We’re excited about the 2010 Festival and hope you are too!

Creative Appetizer

We’re proud to welcome Jimmy, our cartoon mascot, back to the Fringe for the third year in a row! This year, Zuzia Juskiewicz, Jimmy’s creator, has created an assortment of foodie characters that Jimmy just can’t get enough of at a theatre buffet. And you guessed it, it’s “All You Can Eat Theatre” at the Fringe Festival this year! Some of us in the office keep waiting for Jimmy to find a lady friend, but clearly, he doesn’t need her with this sort of selection at hand.

Here’s a little appetizer from our buffet. You’ll see these foodie actors on posters and in our program guide starting at the end of July!

Don’t forget to get all the theatre you can eat at the Fringe September 8 to 19!

Tasty Treats

Notice a food theme? Our artists are keeping it up. This tale of not-really-overeating comes from Colin Godbout, whose show, Unplugged Cop, songs by Sting and the Police, will be staged at the Vancouver Police Museum:

Colin Godbout during his 2009 Fringe show, TransCanada '69.

I grew up hearing rumors about my cousin routinely getting kicked out of buffets for overeating. That wasn’t on my mind when I walked down Ottawa’s Bank Street one sunny afternoon. I wanted to replenish my fading appetite, so when I passed a restaurant advertising “All You Can Eat Salad Bar” it seemed just the thing to stave my starvation. I approached the salad bar, noticing that the plates were very small (not much larger than a coffee cup saucer). I was about to serve myself a fourth plate when the waitress glared at me. Pointing to the sign, I told her, ‘It says all you can eat.” She muttered something to the effect that I had eaten enough. As I was leaving she covered the phrase “All You Can Eat” on the sign with a hastily prepared note saying “3 Plates Maximum.” Imagine if they’d served my overeating cousin!

Aquabus Likes It

You can take your bike on the Aquabus' Cyquabus!

Jody Collins from Aquabus Ferries dropped into the Fringe office recently to review their sponsorship contract with us. While he was here, we got him to randomly draw three shows from the 83 you can see at the 2010 Fringe. Then we asked his opinion based on their show descriptions.

The first show he picked was Teaching Shakespeare, a show about an actor teaching a Shakespeare class and not being very good at it. Jody’s reaction: “I like it!”

The next show was One Man Show, which isn’t actually a one man show, but instead, it’s about what happens when there’s more than one man in a one man show. Jody’s reaction: “I like it!” He laughed lots too though.

The third show he drew was Shadows in Bloom, Gemma Wilcox’s show with 20 characters (including a plant!). Jody’s reaction: “I think I’ve seen that one.” (We think he saw Gemma’s The Honeymoon Period Is Officially Over last year.)

Jody admits he “could reach in there and like them all.” We know he likes the Fringe, and so does everyone at Aquabus Ferries. That’s why they’re offering our patrons free rides during the Festival! Just be sure to show your tickets or receipt and you’ll get same day ferry service free! Now that’s love.

Optimism and the Arts Cuts

Many of you read my recent newsletter piece, Changes taking place in your society, which detailed some of the impacts of the restructuring of arts funding in BC. There was tremendous response to this newsletter from individuals and the media alike. People told me I gave a situation that is being obscured by the government some clarity and context. I was thanked for speaking honestly about what I think the impact of these changes will be, and for being vocal rather than waiting patiently for the government to repair the wrong they’ve done.

People also wanted to know what the future of the Fringe and the cultural life of BC will look like. I have no answer. The Fringe will be developing a three-year plan this summer to address this. For the province, I don’t know. I can say that we used to have two major funding bodies that fund arts and culture for adults and now we only have one (and it has a lot less money). That will have an impact.

The Louvre is just one example of why Paris is a granddaddy of arts and culture communities.

People asked me: Is this a “sky is falling” scenario? Are we all overreacting? Not at all. While the impact of the funding cuts will not come down like a bomb, it will do its damage like acid rain—it will be slow and drawn out. With less funding, some arts groups will fold over time. Individual artists and arts organizers will burn out from the stress and leave the sector or the province.

Nevertheless, I’m an optimist, and I believe that plenty of artists and the people who support them are too. That will continue with less funding. Many organizations affected by the cuts will keep soldiering on. Optimistic souls will step up to make sure the work continues and our arts and culture organizations live on through hard times—after all, the definition of optimism is the ability to see things positively in the face of adversity.

So will there suddenly be no arts and culture in our province? No. But it means that our cultural and artistic growth will be stunted. I am often reminded of how young the arts are in BC. When my grandparents moved to Vancouver in 1957, the arts and culture sector was miniscule (the Arts Club wasn’t even formed until 1958). So, as a province, and as a city, our arts community is kind of like a teenager when compared to more established cultural meccas.

The changes taking place to BC’s arts funding structure will affect our maturation. As we know, adolescence is a formative time. What will this trauma do to our development? If we don’t take care of ourselves in this developmental stage, how will we recoup those lost years?

Yours in Fringe,

David Jordan

Executive Director

Michaëlle Jean Hearts Fringe

In 1982, Brian Paisely got a cheque for $50,000, rented five theatres, and told all his theatre buddies about his new project: the Edmonton Fringe Festival. The Edmonton Fringe was the first Fringe Festival in Canada and since then, the idea has spread like wildfire. There is now a Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals with 21 member festivals across the country (and a few in the States too). It’s pretty obvious that Brian Paisely has made an impression on Canada’s theatre community—and Michaëlle Jean, Canada’s Governor General agrees.

Photo of Michaëlle Jean welcoming Order of Canada recipients to Rideau Hall April 7, 2010 by Sgt. Serge Gouin.

On April 7, 2010, Brain Paisely was awarded the Order of Canada for his lifelong commitment to the performing arts. The Order of Canada is an honour established by Queen Elizabeth in 1967 that “recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community, and service to the nation.”

In addition to starting the Edmonton Fringe, Brain co-founded the Chinook Touring Theatre, produced the Victoria Arts Symposium, and won the 2003 CHUM TV Reel Edge competition for his feature-length screenplay, Lies Like Truth.

Congratulations Brian! And thanks Michaëlle for recognizing the importance of the Fringe!

The Bastard Returns!

Red Bastard enters the Waterfront Theatre during the 2009 Fringe. Photo by Brice Ferre.

“Red Bastard is pure id, slapped with a coat of red and pumped full of hot air! This half man/half demon from the subconscious comes to take the piss out of the audience by disguising himself as an elitist movement teacher instructing us in the ‘theater of life’” (from Red Bastard’s website).

The Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance, the Vancouver Theatre Sports League, and the Vancouver Fringe present Red Bastard on stage at the brand new Improv Centre on Granville Island, May 17 at 8:00pm. Tickets are $15 (plus $2 surcharge for advance tickets) and are available online now. (Proceeds from this benefit performance go towards the supporting the activities of the GVPTA.)

Or you can get in to the show for free if you sign up for the GVPTA’s Bouffoon Workshop!

Have you always wanted to parody your audience while wearing a fantastically ugly or absurd costume? If so, this is the workshop for you. Eric Davis, a.k.a. Red Bastard, is the founder and co-director of the New York Clown Theatre Festival, he’s performed in Cirque du Soleil, and has been teaching mask, improvisation, and movement for more than a decade.

During this workshop, you’ll create characters, parody society, and learn techniques for interacting with your audience. The workshop will be held May 15 and 16. For more details, and to register, click here.

Fringe Flashback: Eat Me

Eat Me
Shameless Hussy Productions
Photographer: Pink Monkey Studios

To this day, every time Deb Pickman cleans out her fridge, she thinks of her show Eat Me. The politics of food–genetically modified foods, obsessions with expiration dates, and using Ginsu knives—was the focus of the 2000 Fringe show.

Food has been a bit of a theme with Deb Pickman’s former work. Not only did she wear the candy get up in this photo, she also had a vest made out of candy and another made out of french fries. And a friend of Deb’s always thinks of her when steaming carrots because a costume for a show called the Happy Cunt had Deb wearing a bra made out of steaming baskets.

But the pinnacle of her food theme came during Eat Me. The cast cooked a cat in a microwave—and yes, the audience got to have a taste of that nuked kitty . . . or at least some beef stew representing the cat.

“[The show] was a bit of a flame-out,” Deb told us over the phone. But she and the audiences had fun.

All this talk of food and fun has got me thinking about the 2010 Fringe and what Jimmy, our cartoon mascot, will be up to. You’ll find out all about it in our next newsletter

Reminder: Fringe AGM on April 26

Just a reminder that our Annual General Meeting is on Monday, April 26 at 7:30pm. We’ll be meeting at the Carousel Theatre on Granville Island. You must be a member of the First Vancouver Theatrespace Society to attend. For details check out our Facebook event.

TJ Dawe will be reading from his new play, Lucky 9s, at the AGM, so be sure to come on out!

It’s that time of year again! All members of the First Vancouver Theatrespace Society (producer of the Vancouver International Fringe Festival) are invited to our upcoming Annual General Meeting:

Monday, April 26, 7:30-9:30pm
at the Carousel Theatre (1411 Cartwright Street on Granville Island)

You are a member if:

• You came to a show at the 2009 Fringe and filled out a membership card
• You volunteered last year
• You bring five bucks along with you to buy a membership at the door

Come and celebrate the success of last year’s 25th Fringe Anniversary and get a sneak peek at the Fringe to come. The evening will feature a guest performance by TJ Dawe reading from his new play, Lucky 9s Below is a clip from one of TJ’s previous shows.

You can also join us in honouring some of our superstar volunteers, vote on an amendment to our by-laws, then chat up our board members over refreshments.

If you can make it, please RSVP to administration@vancouverfringe.com.

See you at the AGM!

Yours in Fringe,

David Jordan
Executive Director

At least we'll have the northern lights.

I have two kids, a two year old and a five year old and every day at dinner we talk about the best and the hardest parts of our days. I’ll tell them about falling off my bike or that I felt very tired, but I won’t let their tender ears hear the real hard parts of my day, like how, instead of receiving a cheque for $32,500 (our usual amount) from the BC Arts Council, I opened up their envelope to find a cheque for $12,700. My kids may not know what that means, but it indicates the dismantling of the culture of the province of British Columbia.

Earlier this month the provincial budget was handed down and it contains a lot of other content that I would classify as “not for young ears.”

Firstly, the government is taking core funding (that is the type of funding you need to keep the lights on) and replacing it with “new funds.” For example there is a $10M mystery fund in the BC Arts Council budget. It’s not clear what it’s for, except perhaps for winning brownie points for creating a new fund. It is not a restoration of funding or an increase in funding. It will likely be short term.

The second problem with this budget is the change to Gaming funding. This money, derived from the government’s legalization of gambling, has been the largest source of provincial arts funding. It has reprioritized and the only arts it will fund is for youth. I’m all for funding youth initiatives. I want my children to appreciate art so much that they will consider it an essential part of society—even for adults. However, if their dad is soon out of a job, they’re not going to receive any benefits of youth culture in BC, because we’ll have to move to the Yukon so I can find work in the arts.

After 25 years of building a cultural legacy that lives in the hearts and minds of British Columbians, the provincial government has cut Fringe Festival BC Arts Council core funding by 60%. Also, it is now abundantly clear that, effectively, the arts have been all but eradicated from the Gaming program. The Fringe stands to lose $70,000 in Gaming funding after our current agreement with the provincial government expires at the end of next year’s season.

Good thing that our youth are being instilled with a value for arts and culture. They’re going to need it to work hard to rebuild what their parents and grandparents built and the provincial government destroyed.

Many of you have found you are able to give as little as $5 or $10 per month to help us overcome this substantial loss in core funding. Thank you a million times! If you have thought about donating, but have yet to do so, please help us make up the enormous $90,000 funding gap we are facing.

We’ll also be coming up with some amazing fundraisers in the spring and summer that will help you forget all about budgets! Stay tuned and stay positive!

Yours in Fringe,

David Jordan
Executive Director

Opportunities for Actors, Performers, Playwrights and Circus Freaks!

So many freaks come from the Fringe...

You can tell the summer theatre season is getting ready to gear up. If you’re a performer or a writer, it’s time to start looking for work! Check out some of the opportunities that have been shared with the Fringe recently:

Tremors Showcase: Rumble Productions produces the Tremors Showcase Festival for emerging writers and artists April 6-17, 2010. If you are an artist with less than five years experience, you can apply to participate. Email producer Heather Lindsay at hlindsay@rumble.org for more info and an application form.

There’s also a free workshop for high school students who want to work in theatre as part of the Tremors Showcase on April 10, 2010. Sign up by emailing Heather Lindsay at hlindsay@rumble.org.

The Massey Helps Program

The Massey Theatre offers free theatre space four times a year for artistic and community groups to better their artistic initiatives. The next deadline for applications is March 31 for events between July and December.

Cirque du Soleil

The famous Circus is holding auditions for actors and clowns in Vancouver in April, 2010. Apply online now. They’re also looking to fill other positions, so be sure to check out their website

Act Now!

Act Now! Playwriting Competition: For writers aged 14 to 26, this competition is for a short play about sustainability. The deadline is March 31, so get writing! Click here for more info.

Walking Fish Festival

You may be familiar with the producers of this great little festival from their work in the Fringe. In 2009, Daniel and Dave could be found in their camper van performing their site specific work Wagabondi Ho!  Up In The Air Theatre’s theatre festival for emerging artists is putting a call out for actors to participate in the Festival this July! Email your headshot, resume and contact info to walkingfish@upintheairtheatre.com or check out their website for more details. Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2010.

Time for Everyone’s Favourite Holiday:
World Theatre Day!

This is actully Judi's wax figurine. Doesn't she look good?

Ok, it’s not really a day but a month’s worth of free and discounted performances, open rehearsals, and opportunities to discuss shows with the performers! The most fun though will come from trying to spot the flash mob events happening on the streets of Vancouver from March 21 to 27!

So just what is World Theatre Day all about you ask? The International Theatre Institute (ITI), whose purpose is to help bring about peace between people by sharing the knowledge and practice of the theatre arts organizes World Theatre Day, which began in 1961. One of the ways the day is commemorated is by circulating the World Theatre Day International Message, which is written by a world renowned theatre figure. This year’s message was written by Dame Judi Dench, well known for her role as James Bond’s boss M, and for numerous theatre roles that have garnered her six Laurence Oliver Awards. You can read Judi’s message here.

For a full listing of World Theatre Day events, click here.

Can we say that we expected more?

What a party! Granville Island hasn’t seen this much action since WWII!

Perhaps you remember our little V-Day rendez-vous with our hot visitor, Torchy? We surely do.. AND we remember a certain whispered promise that it was no one night stand. The fire would return! The Fringe wouldn’t be just another port of call!

Well, sadly Torchy didn’t return, not even to say goodbye (snif!).

Were we foolish to hope? Maybe. Maybe, rather than the light of our life, Torchy is now just another old flame. Gone but not forgotten… yet. The Fringe remains, though, a little stronger perhaps.

And speaking of forgetting, a more important focus of concern is whether Mr. Campbell and Mr. Krueger will have forgotten the pride, connection, and purpose we all felt recently. Whether at Opening, Closing and Medal Ceremonies or all the other official and unofficial artistic expressions of Canadian and B.C. culture and sports, artists showed us who we are.

Can we forget the music, theatre, art installations, poetry and spontaneous “flash mobs” and shows of heart that framed, coloured, gave dimension to, and actually defined the sports and corporate events that were embedded in them? Can our government forget or deny the crucial role of the arts when, for weeks now, they have shone from every nook and cranny, revealing spirit and character, stimulating investment and spending, and defying the grey of Recession?

Today is provincial Budget Day. Today is the day we find out just what our provincial government thinks of the arts and their role in our society. Only two days after the official end of the biggest exposition of arts and culture B.C. has ever hosted (all respect to the Paralympians who are still to come and the art that continues!!), today we find out if our government has forgotten.

This afternoon, we find out if the fire has truly left B.C. This afternoon will we wonder if we should have followed our government’s snide suggestion and used that flame on our hair. Instead, we chose to do what we do best and express our culture, enhancing the world around us and our experience of it.

Did they notice? Do they listen? Have they forgotten?

Today we find out if it was all just a one night stand.