Ottawa Fringe Festival
Encyclopedia
The Ottawa
Fringe Festival, founded in 1997, is a celebration of the non-mainstream ("fringe
") performing arts
. Held indoors and out, it is a ten-day (two-weekend) event, held in June.
Performances all take place in downtown Ottawa. Three of the regular stages are located at the University of Ottawa
, including Alumni Auditorium, Studio Léonard-Beaulne, and Academic Hall. Two others are located at Arts Court: Arts Court Theatre and Arts Court Library. The venues are all within walking distance of one another.
Most Fringe performances are plays
, and most last an hour or less. They can be original works or standard repertoire. Because Ottawa is a bilingual city, both English
and French
productions are presented at the Fringe. Indeed, a small number of productions in past years have been bilingual.
While plays comprise the majority of Fringe acts, they are by no means the only offerings of the festival. Visual arts and busking
take place in nearby locations, sometimes out-of-doors.
Some Fringe performers also lead workshops, for a fee, during their stay in Ottawa.
Most performances are ticketed events, and require the purchase of a ticket on top of the Fringe Pin. Tickets generally cost $10, and each performance's opening show is usually a two-for-one special. For frequent Fringers, discounted admission is available in the form of five- and ten-show passes, for $40 and $70 respectively. One hundred percent of the proceeds from ticket sales go to the performers.
, with a certain percentage put aside for local, Canadian, and international troupes. Each winning troupe will get to perform its show in the same venue at different times, from a little after noon to midnight, over several days. The rotation of time slots helps to even out the audience-dampening effects of performing late at night or when most people are at work.
Since anyone able to meet an application fee can ask to perform at the Fringe, and berths are awarded by lottery, the quality of the shows can vary widely.
The Ottawa Fringe has spawned at least one international success. Ottawa playwright
and actor Pierre Brault's one person show, Blood on the Moon, tells of the trial, (perhaps wrongful) conviction, and execution of Patrick J. Whelan
for D'Arcy McGee
's murder. After its successful Fringe run, Brault performed Blood on the Moon at the National Arts Centre
, toured the show across Canada, and even brought it to Ireland
.
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
Fringe Festival, founded in 1997, is a celebration of the non-mainstream ("fringe
Fringe theatre
Fringe theatre is theatre that is not of the mainstream. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which name comes from Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival as a ‘fringe’, writing: ‘Round the fringe...
") performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
. Held indoors and out, it is a ten-day (two-weekend) event, held in June.
Performance Spaces
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
, including Alumni Auditorium, Studio Léonard-Beaulne, and Academic Hall. Two others are located at Arts Court: Arts Court Theatre and Arts Court Library. The venues are all within walking distance of one another.
Fringe Shows and Attractions
Throughout the festival, a Courtyard is set up just outside of Arts Court to provide refreshment and a location for mingling with the artists.Most Fringe performances are plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, and most last an hour or less. They can be original works or standard repertoire. Because Ottawa is a bilingual city, both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
productions are presented at the Fringe. Indeed, a small number of productions in past years have been bilingual.
While plays comprise the majority of Fringe acts, they are by no means the only offerings of the festival. Visual arts and busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
take place in nearby locations, sometimes out-of-doors.
Some Fringe performers also lead workshops, for a fee, during their stay in Ottawa.
Cost
Each patron must purchase a $2 Fringe Pin, which is valid for the entire festival. No admittance will be granted to a ticketed performance unless the patron is wearing a Fringe Pin. The proceeds from selling the pins help to defray the costs of putting on the festival.Most performances are ticketed events, and require the purchase of a ticket on top of the Fringe Pin. Tickets generally cost $10, and each performance's opening show is usually a two-for-one special. For frequent Fringers, discounted admission is available in the form of five- and ten-show passes, for $40 and $70 respectively. One hundred percent of the proceeds from ticket sales go to the performers.
Performing at the Ottawa Fringe
The Fringe seeks to minimize its impact on the artistic decisions of its performers. Thus the festival allocates its limited stage time by lotteryLottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
, with a certain percentage put aside for local, Canadian, and international troupes. Each winning troupe will get to perform its show in the same venue at different times, from a little after noon to midnight, over several days. The rotation of time slots helps to even out the audience-dampening effects of performing late at night or when most people are at work.
Since anyone able to meet an application fee can ask to perform at the Fringe, and berths are awarded by lottery, the quality of the shows can vary widely.
The Ottawa Fringe has spawned at least one international success. Ottawa playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and actor Pierre Brault's one person show, Blood on the Moon, tells of the trial, (perhaps wrongful) conviction, and execution of Patrick J. Whelan
Patrick J. Whelan
Patrick James Whelan was a tailor and alleged Fenian sympathizer executed following the 1868 assassination of Canadian journalist and politician Thomas D'Arcy McGee....
for D'Arcy McGee
D'Arcy McGee
Thomas D'Arcy Etienne Hughes McGee, PC, was an Irish Nationalist, Catholic spokesman, journalist, and a Father of Canadian confederation. He fought for the development of Irish and Canadian national identities that would transcend their component groups...
's murder. After its successful Fringe run, Brault performed Blood on the Moon at the National Arts Centre
National Arts Centre
The National Arts Centre is a centre for the performing arts located in Ottawa, Ontario, between Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal...
, toured the show across Canada, and even brought it to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.