Winnipeg Fringe Festival - 20 Years to Life

Paid attendance cracks 70,000 mark for first time ever

From July 18 to 29, Executive Producer Nick ‘Slick Nick’ Kowalchuk and his accomplices settled into life without parole at Winnipeg Fringe: 20 Years to Life. The verdict? Doing time isn’t too tough when you have visitors – as in 70,000 of them. Paid attendance at the 20^th Winnipeg Fringe Festival totalled 71,921, surpassing last year’s mark by 2,601. A total of $470,030 in box office revenue was returned to the performers.

“We love to see people soaking in the atmosphere at the Outdoor Stage, but we’re even happier when they move indoors to see plays. Once they experience what the performers have to offer, we know they’ll be hooked. I think our indoor attendance shows that this is happening,” said Executive Producer Nick Kowalchuk.

The heat seemed to play a role in outdoor attendance, with a final tally of 30,311 (including 19,620 at Kids Fringe). “Although the Outdoor Stage experienced a drop in attendance this year, Old Market Square continues to be the official gathering place of performers, volunteers and audiences. The Outdoor Stage is also the home of the lively Kids Fringe, which plays host to new generations of festival-goers,” added Kowalchuk.

On behalf of the festival, Kowalchuk thanked the 687 volunteers for their time served at Winnipeg Fringe: 20 Years to Life. “Our volunteers were certainly put to the test this year in the face of extreme temperatures and record crowds. As always, they met the challenge with strength, grace and plenty of good humour. We thank them for their tireless efforts. We also acknowledge our other accomplices – sponsors, funders and the media for their contributions to a great festival.”

On the final evening of the festival, Rory Runnells of the Manitoba Association of Playwrights (MAP) presented the Harry S. Rintoul Memorial Award for Best New Manitoban Play at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival to Ross McMillan for his play The Ingrates. Ross received $500 from MAP and a Superpass for the 2008 Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival.

Dear Parole Board:

Fine, I confess. I love the Fringe. I really do. But a life sentence? That's a bit much. I don't know if this helps my case but I didn't act alone. I couldn't, this festival is just too big. I don't want to be the bad guy here, but I'd take a hard look at the performers. They make a living by deceiving others. That doesn't sound legal to me. And the volunteers? If they're up to something, we're in deep trouble. Now that I think about it, it's not really fair that audiences get off scot-free. Without them, there wouldn't even be a festival. You know what? I may be the only innocent one in this whole thing. I'm sure you'll agree.

Sincerely,

Nick Kowalchuk, Prisoner #18-29-07

Avid Fringer Rob Schuppel attended his 1,000th
show on Thursday, July 26. After attending Beowulf,
Rob planned to see several more shows before the
end of this year's festival.

Presenting live theatre in an informal, accessible and inexpensive environment, the Fringe strives to break down traditional boundaries between audience and artist, encouraging open dialogue between theatre-goers and theatre-creators.

Audiences are invited to experience the work of seasoned veterans alongside that of emerging artists. Local, national and international performing companies benefit from working together and learning from each other in a vibrant and exciting festival atmosphere. In order to stimulate artistic innovation, spots in the Fringe Festival are awarded through a non-juried lottery.