Frequent Party Unicorns

July 18, 2019

Fringe a Lot With the Frequent Fringer Card

Make Fringing easier with the Frequent Fringer Card! Photo by Nandia Syabrina.

Want to Fringe a lot AND do it at a discounted bulk rate? You can with a Frequent Fringer Card! Select the four, 10, or 30, and see four, 10, or 30 performances on your own, or two, five, or 15 with a friend. Plus, Artists receive 100% of the proceeds from Frequent Fringer Card purchases—and you get to save up to $180!

Frequent Fringer 4: Get 4 performances for $40
Frequent Fringer 10: Get 10 performances for $90
Frequent Fringer 30: Get 30 performances for $270 (which includes one Membership!)

There are a limited number of Frequent Fringer Cards available, so buy yours before they run out! Use your Frequent Fringer Card when you buy your tickets online (starting August 7), at the Fringe Box Office (opens September 3), or even at the door! Frequent Fringer Cards are non-transferable and you and your guest must present their own Membership at the venue. Memberships will be available August 7 online or at the door and must be purchased separately. And when you purchase tickets, make sure to read through our Code of Conduct, which is our pledge to make the Fringe a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for everyone in the community.

You’re Invited to the AGM and Program Guide Launch Party

Get a first glimpse of the 2019 Program Guide at the launch party on July 25! Photo by Bruce McPherson.

Get a taste of what’s coming to the 2019 Festival at our Program Guide Launch Party on Thursday, July 25 at CBC Studio 700! Fringe your heart out as we reveal this year’s theme and cover art starting at 7:30pm (doors at 7:00pm), while you fill up on snacks and refreshments generously provided by Dockside Restaurant and Georgian Bay Spirits Co.!

If you want to plan your Fringe early, then you don’t want to miss out on the Party. We’ll be hosting a mini-Fringe-for-All featuring five shows from the 2019 Festival! Get your pencils ready as these Artists entice you to attend their show in two minutes or less.

If you activated a Membership during the 2018 Festival (which means you dropped it off in a Membership Box or at the Box Office) you can save your seat for the Party later by attending the Vancouver Fringe Theatre Society’s (VFTS) Annual General Meeting, which starts at 6:00pm! You can e-mail our Box Office Manager to verify your Fringe Membership.

No RSVP necessary—just show up, vote (if you’re a VFTS member), and have fun!

Party With Phillips (Again)

Get ready to enjoy some Electric Unicorns and Blue Bucks at the Phillips Fringe Bar again! Photo by Al Ricard.

Do you miss the refreshing drinks, music, and conversations you had at the Phillips Fringe Bar last year? You’re in luck: Phillips Brewing & Malting Co. is back to partner with the Fringe for another year! Throughout the Festival, they help convert Ocean Art Works into the place to be during the Fringe, featuring some of the Vancouver music scene’s best every night.

While we wait for the Fringe to begin in September, you’re invited to Phillips’ Backyard Weekender, July 26-28! Enjoy this weekend festival with a pint of Oro Blanco or Rose Coloured Glasses and watch the Phillips Brewery parking lot transform into Victoria’s hottest homegrown summer party! This year’s lineup includes The Mariachi Ghost, Haviah Mighty, and Art d’Ecco, who graced the Fringe Bar stage in 2017!

Get your tickets here, and don’t miss out on an amazing weekend with Phillips!

Get Your Theatre Fix All Year Long!

Pick Plus shows are part of the Theatre Wire Package! Catch (clockwise from top left) Flute Loops, The Ballad of Frank Allen, and Rocko and Nakota: Tales from the Land right after the 2019 Festival.

Sometimes, 11 days of Fringe theatre in September just isn’t enough. Thanks to Theatre Wire, which brings you the best of Vancouver’s independent theatre year-round, you can extend your Fringe fix until way after the Festival! The 2019/2020 Season’s shows have been announced! And if you buy your tickets now, you can save up to 40% thanks to Early Bird pricing!

With 12 shows to choose from, it’s easy to build your own Theatre Wire Package, save money, AND support independent theatre in your community. To start creating your Package, make sure to choose shows with a pink ticket in their image. Buy your tickets before September 4 and you can get a 30% discount for a 3-5 Show Package, and a 40% discount if you pick six or more shows in the season. After September 5, Package discounts will drop to 20% and 30%, respectively.

Theatre Wire’s 2019/2020 shows include Naked Goddess Productions’ Dancing Lessons, Rohit Chokhani’s Bombay Black, Aenigma Theatre’s Turn of the Screw, TJ Dawe’s Roller Coaster, Paul Strickland Presents’ Ain’t True & Uncle False, Cookies ‘n Cream Collective’s Consensual, and finally, the return of Monster Theatre’s Theatre Under the Gun!

But that’s not all: you can also add Pick Plus shows! These are past Fringe hits handpicked for your enjoyment! This year’s Pick Plus shows are Rocko and Nakota: Tales from the Land, Flute Loops, and The Ballad of Frank Allen.

Go to Theatre Wire’s website now to read all the show descriptions, purchase your tickets, and start building your Package today! The discount will automatically come into effect once you add three or more shows to your basket. And make sure to check TheatreWire.com regularly in case more shows are added!

Inside Scoop on Mx

The 2019 winner of the Fringe New Play Prize is Mx, a boundary-pushing and bouffon-inspired show that explores what it means to be mixed-race and Black in today’s world. Awarded in partnership with Playwrights Theatre Centre, the winner is given a guaranteed Fringe Mainstage spot, provided with eight months of dramaturgy, and free creation and rehearsal space. In this video chat between playwright and creator Lili Robinson and producer Shanae Sodhi, they talk about what inspired her to create Mx, the significance of telling this story today, and why it was important to have Donna-Michelle St. Bernard on board as the show’s director.

If Mx inspires you to create your own Fringe show, PTC is currently accepting applications for the 2020 Fringe New Play Prize! This award supports emerging artists by providing a guaranteed spot in the 2020 Fringe, eight months of dramaturgy with PTC Project Dramaturg Joanna Garfinkel, and more. Go to the PTC website for full details on this award and submit your application no later than October 4, 2019. Good luck, and we hope to see you at the 2020 Festival!

Introducing the Fringe’s VTLs and Junior Designer

The Fringe VTLs hard at work! Clockwise, from left: Janice Denovan, Henry Wu, Michelle Li, and John Sullivan.

As Fringe staff shift into high gear in preparation for the Festival, we’d like you to say hi to some amazing volunteers who are helping… a lot: Volunteer Team Leaders John Sullivan, Janice Denovan, Michelle Li, and Henry Wu, and Junior Designer Sarah McNeil! Volunteer Team Leaders help recruit, schedule, train, and supervise over 500 volunteers for the Festival, while the Junior Designer designs and produces marketing collateral and assists with the Fringe’s marketing initiatives.

If you’ve volunteered for the Fringe in the past few years, then you’ve probably met John Sullivan! He first started as a Rescue Ranger (the first year the position was created, no less!), then joined the next year as a Crew Chief, before becoming a Volunteer Team Leader that many volunteers have come to know! He’s excited to see the shows this year, especially Ruby Slippers Theatre’s Advance Theatre. He adds, “Also looking forward to working with the other volunteers, both new and experienced. It’s quite a privilege to work with so many caring people.”

Janice Denovan is another volunteer you may have met at previous Fringes, including back in the Fringe’s Mount Pleasant days! As for her favourite Fringe show, she says, “The best Fringe production I ever saw was an adaptation of Orwell’s Animal Farm by a Russian cast.” We’re excited to have her join us for the first time as a Volunteer Team Leader!

Jimmy’s very excited to meet Sarah McNeil, this year’s Junior Designer!

Another VTL you’ll be getting to know is Henry Wu, who’ll be Fringing with us for the first time! He’s excited to meet all the volunteers and see a lot of shows. Outside of the Fringe office, you can catch him as a producing intern for Chimerik 似不像, a local non-profit multidisciplinary collective that utilizes performance, art, and technology to make the world a better place! Come say hi to him in their next show, Crossing Mountains & Seas (穿越山海经), happening on July 20 at the Vancouver Playhouse!

Also Fringing with us for the first time is Michelle Li! Aside from being an aspiring filmmaker and photographer, did you know that this VTL played tennis throughout high school, competing in national championships and international tournaments? As for what she’s looking forward to at the Festival, Michelle says: “Besides the theatre, which I am always excited about, […] I am looking forward to working closely with my group of volunteers and seeing the staff’s hard pre-Festival work finally pay off!”

Lastly, make sure to give a warm welcome to Junior Designer Sarah McNeil, who is new to Vancouver AND the Fringe! She says, “I’m excited to see all the new and original work put on during the Festival, and to get to know Vancouver’s theatre community. Also, the Fringe Bar and Cabaret!” When she’s not in the Fringe office, she works as a freelance graphic designer and photographer who mainly shoots weddings. If you or someone you know lives in London, Ontario, make sure to check out her show art campaigns for Allswell Productions.

Sign up to join the volunteer team today! You’ll be guaranteed an amazing experience at the Fringe with the help of our incredible Volunteer Team Leaders and Junior Designer!

Fluffing the Fringe

June 26, 2019

Volunteer for the Fringe

Volunteers help the Fringe run smoothly by helping with tasks such as ticket selling! Photo by Nandia Syabrina.

Curious about what goes on behind the curtain at the Fringe? Find out by volunteering! With 101 shows and 700+ performances in 11 days, the Phillips Fringe Bar, and special events like the Georgia Straight Fringe-for-All and Awards Night, volunteers play an essential role in the Festival’s success.

Volunteering is a great way to support amazing work by local and touring Fringe artists, get work experience, improve your communication skills, and meet new people! And if that’s not enough, volunteers get their very own Fringe t-shirt, snacks and refreshments from the Volunteer Centre, an invitation to the Volunteer Appreciation Party, discounts on year-round Fringe shows, and of course, a Rush Pass to see any Fringe show that’s not sold out!

Check out all the volunteer positions, ranging from selling tickets and driving to BYOV venues, to counting cash and surveying audiences. If you’re spontaneous and up for something different every day, there’s a Fringe volunteer job for you!

Ready to join the Fringe team? Sign up now, or if you’re a returning volunteer, update your profile. And once you’ve done that, keep your eyes open for the volunteer shifts, which will be available mid-July!

Get Intimate with a Fringe Artist

Did you know that touring Fringe Artists like Carlyn Rhamey (who’s coming back in September) need sleep too? Photo by Al Ricard.

By the time many Artists arrive in Vancouver in September, they will have weeks—or even months—of touring under their belt. So, we’re looking for fabulous volunteers to become billet hosts and offer accommodation to Fringe Artists from out-of-town!

Hosting an Artist at your home is a unique way to support the Festival and to connect with the Fringe community. Billet hosts enjoy fun perks including a Volunteer Rush Pass, which gives you free admission into any show that isn’t sold out, or 10 Exchange Vouchers, which are good for any regular Fringe performance at the 2019 Festival.

When you sign up to be a billet host, we’ll match you with an Artist who would suit your living space. Billet hosts are responsible for providing artists with semi-private/private spaces to sleep, access to a shower and kitchen, and the freedom to come and go as they need. Some billet hosts like to socialize with their Artists by hanging out with them at the Phillips Fringe Bar or helping them flyer line-ups, but this is up to you. So whether you’re a night owl who likes to hang out with the Artists late into the evening or a morning person who prefers to chat over morning coffee, we’ll find your perfect match!

Interested? You can e-mail Artist Services Coordinator Megan Lai, and she will send out the form once it’s ready! In the meantime, get ready to fluff your spare pillows for these touring Artists!

Start Your Fringe Right with the AGM and Program Guide Launch Party!

Fringers played bingo for some prizes at the Program Guide launch party in 2018! Photo by Bruce McPherson.

Get your Fringe fill before September with the Vancouver Fringe Theatre Society’s Annual General Meeting and the 2019 Program Guide Launch Party at CBC Studio 700!

On Thursday, July 25 at 6:00pm, the producers of the Vancouver Fringe Festival will be discussing and voting on issues that are important to the Fringe. If you purchased and activated a Membership during the 2018 Fringe Festival, then you are a Member and are eligible to attend and vote during the AGM!

Afterwards, get ready to dig in with the launch of the 2019 Vancouver Fringe Festival Program Guide Launch Party! Keep your eyes open for our next newsletter, which will include more details about the AGM and Launch Party. For now, mark your calendars!

Do-Or-Donate

There’s only a few days left to support the Fringe during the 2019 Great Canadian Giving Challenge! Photo by Nandia Syabrina.

Make your donations go the extra mile by helping the Fringe in this year’s Great Canadian Giving Challenge! Up until 11:59:59pm Pacific Daylight Time on June 30, every dollar you donate automatically enters the Fringe into a draw to win $10,000 courtesy of the GIV3 Foundation. For a minimum of $3, you can donate through our CanadaHelps or GivingChallenge page now—but there’s only a few days left!

We’d like to thank everyone who has donated to the Fringe in the Giving Challenge so far. Your donations help a long way in bolstering our Volunteer Program, supporting our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives, and making space for the Artists who participate in the Fringe every year. Donate now and you can help us get closer to the vision of “Theatre for Everyone!”