We are so excited to unveil the theme for the 42nd annual Vancouver Fringe Festival. This year, we are embracing our Fringness and everything that Fringe represents. Drumroll…
The theme is Every Kind of Every Thing.
This season will have over 80 shows, Kids Fringe, and our returning all-ages Fringe Patio with free music programming beginning Labour Day weekend from September 5-7. There is so much fun in store this year!
The Vancouver Fringe team is all hands-on deck working hard preparing for the Festival, including finishing our festival guide, which you will get your hands on really soon, we promise!
In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at our key art to tide you over. I sat down with our very own amazing and talented graphic designer Nolan Boyd to learn more about his design process for this year.
Simarleen: Could you explain how you developed the idea for this year’s theme?
Nolan: In crafting this year’s theme, Duncan (Watts-Grant, our Executive Director) wanted to create something with longevity, an idea that could be built on year after year, rather than starting from scratch each season. I developed about six or seven concepts with world-building potential that captured the energy of the Fringe.
One of my early ideas was Fringeville, a whimsical world where audiences would enter and meet all kinds of fun, wacky Fringe characters. Instead, I took the similar sense of playfulness into the final concept, creating a whimsical, chaotic blob that featured all the Fringe characters.
S: Could you tell us more about the blob and what it represents?
N: I created the Fringe blob as this anthropomorphic amalgamation of all these different characters are puzzled together, which was the hardest part. I wanted to create this beautiful silhouette, but at the same time each character could jump out and be their own thing.
Through the craziness of the blob, I wanted to represent what Fringe is, the community and everyone who takes part, volunteers, performs, and watches.
For example, one of my favourite characters is the character on top of the blob who is wobbling off the ladder. They’re portraying the community and creative chaos of Fringe. It’s the playful act, as the Fringers are balancing on top of the chaos with a smile and excitement. This is what Fringe is!
S: Could you elaborate on the design of the blob as there is so much detail within each image?
N: The base of the blob is a small suitcase and all these characters coming out of it, highlighting the creativity all the artists carry and bring to the Fringe. It may look small when its zipped up, but when they open it up all this beautiful creative chaos comes spilling out.
In that creative chaos, there are many fun fringe Easter eggs and references, almost all the characters and tropes are pulling from past Fringe years. There’s a Fringe pass, a rat in homage to Rat Academy (if you know, you know), and a little map of Granville Island on the boat representing the False Creek Ferries.
Tickets for this year’s Festival go on sale on Tuesday, August 4. While you wait, scroll through the schedule and plan out your MultiBuy tickets, or dig into the creative and see what other easter eggs you can find!
Let the countdown to September begin!
