Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.

Toronto Fringe is a grassroots, charitable organization that runs the Toronto Fringe Festival each July, the Next Stage Theatre Festival now in October, and various year-round programs that benefit youth, artists, and the theatre community at large. Embedded in Fringe’s operations are the values of Access, Accountability, Creativity, Exploration, and Support.

Toronto Fringe is a creative match-maker, connecting artists with audiences, and empowering everyone to unleash their artist within. Toronto Fringe creates vital opportunities for both emerging and established artists to produce their work with complete artistic freedom while making productions as affordable and accessible as possible.

What problem does it aim to solve?

The Toronto Fringe is a platform for everyone to access, discover, and experiment with the arts. This is especially important in today’s social and economic climate because we are offering heavily subsidized opportunities for new artistic voices while keeping ticket prices low (all under $20!) for audience members. In addition, we are helping create entrepreneurial training and paid work experience for these artists – and they take home 100% of the box office profits! By valuing creative experiences for artists and audiences alike, we contribute to a healthy arts economy and, ultimately, a thriving society.

In addition to our main festival programming, we also run our KidsFest Club offering free family entertainment daily at St. Volodymyr Institute, teen workshops, a kids day camp, our Theatre Entrepreneurs’ Network & Training (TENT) program, our New Young Reviewers training program, a speakeasy with weekend programming, and the Fringe Patio at the Tranzac with free community arts activations running daily. We strive to welcome as many different community members to experience the benefits of the arts every summer. There’s something for everyone at the Fringe!

When did you start/join it?

I joined as Executive Director and Co-Lead just this past January, so this will be my very first annual cycle of both festivals! I’m looking forward to kicking off our Toronto Fringe Festival this July 3-14th, with our launch party on July 2nd at the Fringe Patio. During these exciting 12 days, we will have 77 shows inhabiting 16 venues across the City of Toronto. To say I am excited is an understatement. I am positively buzzing and deeply humbled to be a part of this team alongside our Co-Lead and Managing Director, Laura Paduch.

What made you want to get involved?

Toronto Fringe has touched the careers of almost every theatre and performing arts professional here in Toronto. Ask any of them! It’s astounding to hear all of the industry stories of folks who #StartedAtTheFringe. I did my very first professional production over a decade ago at the Toronto Fringe Festival, and I have stayed involved as a mentor, community member, producer, and avid audience member ever since. Fringe has an essential and unique place in the career trajectories and hearts of arts professionals in Toronto and beyond. But even those who are not creators have probably been touched by the Fringe – for example, you might have enjoyed smash hit Canadian TV shows like Kim’s Convenience, or ‘da Kink in my Hair… did you know they started as shows at the Fringe? Even the creators of the smash musical Come From Away did their very first musical here on our stages.

The impact of the Toronto Fringe is palpable in every corner of the creative sector and on audiences from near and far. I couldn’t be more proud to be involved with this work, and I invite you to come get involved too!

What was the situation like when you started?

Fringe Festivals exist across North America and the globe because the performing arts have historically been notoriously hard to break into, especially for those of us seeking to build stable careers and create community impact through the arts. Without the Toronto Fringe Festival and the opportunities it offers, artists looking to put on their first show or try out a new idea would carry the burden of paying for a multi-week venue rental, technicians, box office, front-of-house and marketing materials on top of their artist fees for rehearsals and performances. This very quickly runs up thousands of dollars in costs before tickets can even go on sale – which is of course not a stable model for artists to take risks and build their entrepreneurial prowess. This is also why we see the cost of attending live arts increasing in recent years – it is simply too expensive to put on independent theatre shows without burdening the audience with offsetting some of those overhead costs. Unfortunately, this means that many families and individuals have historically been priced out of being able to experience the magic of live performances.

This is where Fringe has come in as a solution. We have the unique ability to create pathways for collaborating and subsidizing these costs for our artists, allowing ticket prices to remain as some of the most affordable audience opportunities in the city!

How has it changed since?

By offering greatly subsidized theatre rentals, box office, front of house and marketing for all of our shows, we are taking the financial and administrative burden off of artists who are looking to debut new work on stage. We have a mandate to provide accessible theatre experiences, by every definition of the word. This means that on top of making the experience of creating or attending a show financially affordable, we also ensure that all of our shows are happening in physically accessible performance spaces. We want to make sure that we help close the gap on those who are left out of these essential cultural experiences, and open our doors to as many different voices and identities as possible.

Truly so many artists in Canada have been welcomed to the professional performance world by way of Fringe Festivals from coast to coast. Toronto Fringe is proud to be a part of that history and a part of helping to create change by training up-and-coming arts professionals with best practices and healthy processes for creating within the industry. In recent years we have added programs to increase physical access and overall well-being through our partnership with the Disability Collective, we have hired Active Listeners and provided de-escalation training so that we can have our staff and volunteers ready to help with community members who may need assistance or support, and we have created KidsFest and our Kids Day Camp so that families in our artistic community and beyond can access affordable childcare and children’s cultural activities during the Toronto Fringe Festival.

What more needs to be done?

I believe that further collaboration is needed, to ensure that Toronto Fringe can continue to afford to subsidize and create these opportunities within Toronto. As our organizational and operational costs continue to rise, so do the needs of our artists who count on ticket sales in order to earn a fair wage during the run of their shows, and we don’t want to fall into the trap of having to increase our ticket costs beyond an affordable price, in order to help offset these needs. As it stands, less than 10% of our costs are covered by all 3 levels of government funding combined, so we rely heavily on additional grant writing, fundraising, and sponsorships in order to continue offering this vital programming. But with the recent financial challenges facing companies and individuals across the country, we are seeing that relying on individual and corporate support is also not sustainable.

Toronto Fringe is currently looking at different models which we think might benefit our audiences and artists as well as our operational stability, and we look forward to piloting a few of those ideas in the coming years.

How can our readers help?

This year we are highlighting three ways that community members can help us out:

– Support the artists by buying a ticket (this revenue will go directly to the artists in the show!)

– Support the Fringe with a one-time donation (every dollar helps!)

– Support the future with a monthly donation to the Toronto Fringe (reoccurring donations help us plan for the future and will help us plan for our 2025 programming)

Do you have any events coming up?

Toronto Fringe Festival is hosting our Launch Party this July 2nd at the Fringe Patio at the Tranzac (292 Brunswick Ave), and the festival runs from July 3rd to 14th at venues across the city!

Then we will be back in October with our smaller, curated Next Stage Theatre Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre from October 16-27, 2024.

Where can we follow you?

Facebook | TikTok | Instagram

PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?

Toronto Neighbourhood Centres is doing incredible work in supporting communities in Toronto. Rob and Sree are endless wells of knowledge and generosity, and we are lucky to have them here in the City.

The post Charitable Choices: Rachel Kennedy of the Toronto Fringe Festival appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Here’s what has caught our attention…

MS TITAVERSE: by the Tita Collective. Theatre Passe Muraille

The multi-award winning all-Filipina artistic company returns with their new musical comedy, Ms. Titaverse. The storyline was inspired by the pageant culture that is celebrated in the Philippine community. Growing up, most young
Filipinas often have a complicated relationship with it; on the
one hand it was a means to see representation on a global
scale, on the other hand it can be an oppressive standard to be
compared against. Featuring all new songs and stories that draw on their respective experiences as members of the Filipin* diaspora and will feature how each Tita Collective member continues to navigate the world as millennials, also now coming into their own as elders within the community. Ms. Titaverse is a 60-minute musical comedy revue that weaves in aspects all of the cultures and lived experiences represented within the collective. They take the traditional sketch comedy revue and make it Filipina.

WHITE COLLARS: by Arun Kirupananthan, Braeden Banks, and Maya Cieszynska. Factory Theatre Studio.

Directed by Ken Hall of Netflix’s Umbrella Academy, White Collars is a satirical take on the day-to-day experiences of working in a corporate 9-to-5 job complete with a mock tech conference setup. White Collars is a satirical take on their own day-to-day experiences of working in the real world of the 9-to-5 tech marketing industry. The show is set in a fictional tech conference with a mix of sketch comedy, improv and audience participation. White Collars will tackle typical themes such as executive decisionmaking, role redundancy, job vs. identity, layoffs and corporate mission statements.

INSERT CLOWN HERE: by Jacob Willis & Kendelle Parks, Parlour Theatre. Tank House Theatre

Part Chekovian masterpiece, part oblivious clown-turn, INSERT CLOWN HERE is a new comedy about a fully-rehearsed, 19th-century melodrama that is upended when the lead actor
goes missing and is replaced by a random, completely unrehearsed, Clown. While the Clown attempts to improvise lines and blocking from a script they haven’t read, the remaining cast will try to keep the story on track, resulting in a comedy-of-errors newly created every performance. What could go wrong? Only everything. By the way, a new local Clown performer will be added in every show, INSERT CLOWN HERE will never be the
same show twice!

ALL OF OUR PARENTS ARE ASIAN: by Shawn Hunter and Alfred Chow. Native Earth’s AKI Studio

Part improvised comedy and part life stories collected anonymously from the audience this night is fueled with the stories and all about the secrets we keep hidden away from our Asian parents. Yes, they will spill the green tea.

EMO MAJOK: AFRICAN AUSSIE: by Emo Majok. Tarragon Theatre, Solo Room.

Award-winning Sudanese comedian, Emo Majok, who debuted at Edinburgh Fringe and earned the coveted golden buzzer on Australia’s Got Talent 2022 (going all the way to the finals), is set to bring his razor-sharp wit to Toronto Fringe. In his show, African Aussie, Emo delves into the humour and heartache of culture clashes, weaving hilarious tales of his journey, from a refugee camp in East Africa to stages around the world.

A LITTLE BIT PREGNANT: by Kate Lavut and Rana Liu. Tarragon Theatre, PaperDog Press

Sex, drugs, rock’n’roll… and a baby? A slice-of-life dramedy written by Kate Lavut and directed by Rana Liu gives you an all-access pass to the emotional rollercoaster of getting pregnant.

Where it moves from a traditional artistic practice, is not in its delivery, but within its subject matter. In a climate where reproductive rights are in question and people’s bodies are policed, A Little Bit Pregnant gives space for these conversations. At the center of it all is an unplanned pregnancy in an unhealthy relationship. Tasha and Shane have been together for 3 years and fight all the time. They still have a lot of love for each other, but do they still like each other?

SADEC 1965: A LOVE STORY: by Flora Lee. Tarragon Theatre, Main Stage

In 2013, Flora rode a motorcycle across Vietnam for six weeks, solo, in an attempt to make sense of her difficult relationship with her estranged Vietnamese father. Flora was on a quest to understand why her father, who left Vietnam with a scholarship to study in Canada in the mid-1960s, never spoke about Vietnam. Since the answers she was looking for would never come from him, Flora decided to go on a road trip across the country, riding a total of 3500 km in six weeks, from the Chinese border in the North to the village of Sadec, her father’s hometown in the Mekong Delta, to reclaim the story of her origins and make sense of the difficult man that her father was.

Flora has been wanting to tell this story on a stage ever since she completed her motorcycle journey in 2014. But one piece was missing: her father’s old love letters. After her father passed away, Flora found the love correspondence he exchanged with his high school sweetheart, a woman named Hien, whom he left behind in Vietnam during the war. This woman turned out to be an important piece of the mystery her father was, and reading their correspondence promised to provide many answers.

JUNE: Passion, friendship, love and betrayal: written and directed by Gillian R. Edwards, presented by Uriah’s Granddaughter. Theatre Passe Muraille

June, is a multi-layered drama that revolves around the tragic consequences of domestic violence, exploring how class and sexual inequality contribute to a vibrant young woman’s fate. It’s 1958, June is a prisoner in Danfield Women’s Prison in the Midwest United States. Her small cell is the locus for an evolving friendship with a prison guard and revealing disclosures about their lives. The women develop a deep bond in a hard, brutal environment, while June remembers the two key men in her life and the traumatic circumstances that led to her incarceration.
Punctuated with hits of well-placed humour, June deftly explores gender inequality, the complexities of domestic violence and the search for justice.

THE WILL OF A WOMAN: written by Steven Scott Jackson, Spadina Museum

This immersive theatre experience with very limited tickets is a thought-provoking play written by award winning playwright Steven Elliott Jackson (“The Seat Next To The King”, “The Garden Of Alla”, “Three Ordinary Men”) and directed by Shan Fernando (“Flowers For Alex”), tells the true story of Elizabeth Bethune Campbell who in the 1920s discovered that her mother’s trust had fallen victim to money fraud. Elizabeth must face the challenge of standing up for her rights, becoming the first woman to defend herself before the Privy Council in England.

ANCIENT DYING CHINESE DIALECT: by Chantal Lim directed by Ken Hall. Factory Theatre Studio Space

With honesty and a healthy dose of comedy, Chantal Lim performs true personal stories about growing up Filipina-Chinese in Toronto, and how a lifelong fascination with languages led her back to her ancestral roots. Accompanying the stories are live music performances by Vonne Aguda and Kavya Rajith, featuring classic OPM (Original Pinoy Music) ballads with lyrics thoughtfully translated from Tagalog into English. Join Chantal and her friends on this uplifting journey of language & love in the name of celebrating where we come from and embracing who we are.  Ancient Dying Chinese Dialect was featured as an Official Selection in the 2023 Toronto International Storytelling Festival. It marks the solo show debut of Toronto storyteller & improviser Chantal Lim and is directed by Canadian Comedy Award Winner Ken Hall (Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, Canadian Stage’s adaptation of As You Like It, 2-MAN NO-SHOW).

RETROGRADE: THE CONCERT EXPERIENCE: written by Jackson Doner. Supermarket (Kensington Market)

A run down concert venue in Toronto becomes a sanctuary for four of Kensington Market’s weirdest young musicians. Starved for community, they gather for a weekly jam session that transcends into an exercise on how a generation with access to all information ever chooses a belief system by which to live. A hilarious story filled with quirky and iconic Kensington-esque characters.

OUR LITTLE SECRET:  The 23&Me Musical: by Nam Tomaschoff. Alumnae Theatre Mainspace

What does an only child do when a DNA test reveals that his biological parents aren’t quite who he thought they were? Write a musical, of course! In this hilarious, moving, and true story, acclaimed performer Noam Tomaschoff grapples with questions of family, identity, and just how many brothers and sisters he really has.

THE WOMAN WHO ATE FALAFEL: by Fatma Naguib. Theatre Passe Muraille, Main Stage.

She’s fierce, she’s bold, and since coming to Canada, she is very cold. Writer and performer Fatma Naguib explores themes of identity, belonging, and social justice in her debut one-woman show. This comedic affair is an uplifting look at a Middle Eastern woman’s journey towards self-discovery and empowerment, including a literal journey from Egypt to Canada. Combining real-life experience and comedy, Fatma tells her own story about pursuing her passion and overcoming obstacles.

MAGGIE CHUN’S FIRST LOVE AND LAST WEDDING: by Helen Ho. Factory Theatre Mainspace

After committing to spending the rest of her life in the small town of Windser, Ontario (yes, with an E), the sudden arrival of Maggie’s middle school crush on her wedding day forces her into an abrupt awakening. Maggie Chun’s First Love and Last Wedding by Helen Ho was the 2023 New Play Contest Winner, sponsored by The Aubrey and Marla Dan Foundation.

The Toronto Fringe Festival runs July 5 to 16, 2023. Complete show listing can be found here.

The post What’s on our radar at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival? appeared first on Toronto Guardian.