The Fringe is on a Mission!

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

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
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.

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.

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.

An open letter to Rich Coleman, the Minister of Housing and Social Development:

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

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!

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!

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.

We Are Not A Festival

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

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.

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:

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

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.