Ladies and Gentlemen Start Your Fringing!
Yesterday we previewed some of the 68 acts from this year’s lineup and today they’ve been unleashed! Our 25th year promises to be a great one. Fringe Festivals across the country have all had record breaking years. Looks like when times are tough, people go Fringing! Don’t forget to check out our many BYOVs (Bring Your Own Venues) including shows in a room at the Waldorf Hotel (Tape) and a van on Granville Island (Wagabondi Ho!)! There are still a few Frequent Fringer Passes left, if you’re quick on the draw!
The Fringe Buzz Board is located at 1398 Cartwright Street.
We’ve got lots of great surprises for you like our Buzz Board on the windows of our office (1398 Cartwright St. on Granville Island). Sponsored by Speedpro Imaging, this vinyl covering allows you to write your comments about the shows you’ve seen–for all to see! Step up and have your say in indelible ink!
2010 Fringe at Risk
On Friday, August 28 we received notice that BC Gaming would deny significant core funding to the 2010 Fringe Festival despite the promise of this funding for 2010 and 2011. This withdrawal of support is part of widespread cuts that the BC Government proposes to the Direct Access program. Although this cutback will not affect our 2009 Festival, we now face a $70,000 shortfall for 2010. This shortfall is roughly the amount it costs for us to rent and staff all our venues.
The new provincial government’s budget will cut arts and culture funding from approximately 47.8 million in 2008/2009 down to 3.7 million in 2010/2011. Combined with cuts to the BC Arts Council in 2011, this will translate as a shortfall of $83,000 for the Fringe.
We need your help to make sure these drastic cuts do not stop the Fringe after 25 years of making theatre history in Vancouver. During the Festival, you will have several options to make a donation to support our coming year. You can top up your ticket purchase in our online system, you can make a donation at select shows where we will be collecting, or you can make an online donation through Canada Helps. We know money is tight for everyone, so we also provide a monthly direct debit option. For $9 per month you can help make Fringe 2010 happen!
Yours in Fringe,
David Jordan
Executive Director
For more information on the cuts to the BC Gaming Grants, read this article in the Georgia Straight and this update from the Alliance for Arts and Culture.
Agro Café: Crop2Cup and a Whole Lot More
In addition to being a great little café that offers tasty beverages and nibbles, a place to meet up with friends for your pre-theatre adventures, and the home of this year’s St. Ambroise Fringe Bar, Agro Café is giving back to the community through their Crop2Cup program.
Blake Hanacek with AGRODEV Farmers
Crop2Cup started with AGRODEV, an NGO founded by Lawrence Njeru, Richard Damianopoulos, and Blake Hanacek (who also owns Agro Café). AGRODEV works with small scale farmers in Kenya to create employment opportunities through sustainable and organic agricultural practices. Agro Café purchases their coffee beans from the farmers working with AGRODEV and the beans are roasted on site at the Granville Island location!
So when you have time before, after, and in between Fringe shows, you can head over to the Agro Café and grab some very, very freshly roasted, fair trade, organic coffee in addition to beverages from St. Ambroise or Wild Horse Canyon. Plus the chefs will be on hand to create delicious snacks and sandwiches for you too! To top it all off, Agro Café is also offering a 10% discount on all food items when you show your 2009 Membership Card!
Agro Café is located at 1363 Railspur Alley and is open Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 6:00pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00am to 6:00pm. The St. Ambroise Fringe Bar at Agro Café will run from 7:00pm till late every night of the Festival! See you there!
Fringe Flashbacks
The Biz
The Biz
Author: Michael St. John Smith
Company: Spegway Theatreworks
This 1995 Fringe show was about how people use work as an excuse to avoid their personal problems. Ah the heady early days of Photoshop eh?
Do Jump
Do Jump was a part of the Vancouver Fringe in 1993, but Do Jump had been around for more than 10 years before that! They’re still going strong with their the Do Jump Movement Theater School and their upcoming show Tiger Lily and Sunny Lu, which opens November 28 in Portland Oregon.
Are you on Flickr?
Flickr is a photo sharing website where you can upload, organize, and share your photos, and the Fringe wants you to share your Festival photos with our Flickr group! If you’re already a member of Flickr and you’re taking photos round the Festival, we’d love to see them! There are no membership rules and you can upload as many or as few photos as you like. And we won’t use your photos without your permission.
Joanna Maratta telling her story at the 25th Anniversary Party. Photo by Dan Fairchild.
So far you can view many photos of the Fringe staff gearing up for the Opening Night Gala and from our 25th Anniversary party–like this one of our founder, Joanna Maratta, telling a story about narrowing averting the Fire Marshall shut down a venue over some very recently (read: still wet) fire proofed curtains at the first year of the Fringe in 1985. (Photo by Dan Fairchild)
Join the Vancouver Fringe Festival Fotos group on Flickr and start uploading your Fringe photos today!
