Thoughts on the Vancouver Fringe

Today’s email brought a self-congratulatory message from the Vancouver Fringe.  Its core theme was this:

    “What an amazing 30th anniversary Festival—and calling it our best yet is no exaggeration!”

Given the yardstick by which the Fringe measures its success that assessment may be justified.  But it strikes me that the yardstick is based on a backward look at the past performance of the Fringe.  To label something as “best yet” can embrace a variety of evolutions – ranging from “atrocious to merely bad” to “merely good to excellent.”

I think a better yardstick is to compare the Fringe as it now it to what it might be.  To make this comparison I must draw on the only other fringe festival with which I am familiar – the Edmonton Fringe.  The difference between the two is like night and day.  The Edmonton Fringe is a community event that draws large numbers of people who are there not only for the theatre (and many aren’t) but for the carnival ambiance that permeates the fringe area.  Numbers of buskers and street artists entertain the crowds.  Dismal and depressing is the only way to describe the ambiance of the Vancouver Fringe.

What can be done to improve the Vancouver Fringe experience?  First and foremost is to move it to an earlier date – sometime in the summer months.  September is just too late.  People are in a more serious “summer is over and it is time to return to work or school” mood – not a “let’s have some fun” mood.  This would have the added advantage of longer hours of daylight for evening activities and a diminished likelihood of rain to spoil the enjoyment.

Second, while Granville Island is probably as good a location as the Fringe can find, more should be done to make it more inviting.  It needs a heart.  The Railspur area was a good start.  And it needs more temporary performance venues.  Here the Fringe seems to have gone backwards.  I remember fondly a large tent over a barbecue area that was reserved for very short performances – now, alas, gone.  On the other hand using the SS Master as a venue was a good idea of the kind that the Fringe could use more of.

Dare one also suggest that the product might be improved.  Much is made of the lottery selection system.  As the Fringe website says:

    "The Fringe employs an “everyone is welcome” selection technique—the Mainstage shows are    literally drawn out of a hat, giving all artists, from novice to veteran, a chance to participate.  The Fringe strives to break down traditional boundaries and encourage open dialogue between audiences and artists by presenting live un-juried, uncensored theatre in an accessible and informal environment."

While perhaps admirable in principle, in practice this policy results in large numbers of one-person shows which, more often than not, consist of self-indulgent monologues/rants that neither enlighten nor entertain.  Arguably, some form of jurying would not be a bad thing.

No doubt those who manage the fringe can come up with a dozen excuses why this-that-or-the-other-thing cannot be done.   Whatever the validity of these excuses may be, it is still sad to see the Vancouver Fringe no living up to its full potential.

I took in six shows at the 2014 Fringe.  For what they are worth here are my rankings and comments.

Little One – Excellent show, best of the lot.
Dirty Old Woman – A close second

Lord of the Files – Fun and well worth seeing
Mary and Alia do Pirates – Fun but more G&S and less M&A would have been even better

The Dark Fantastic – Engaging in places but over all a bore
Apophis – So bad that words fail me