Toronto Fringe Culture Shock

by alanah

Although I am a fiercely loyal Montrealer, I have never gotten into the rivalry with Toronto - except when the Leafs play at the Bell Center. My visits to the Tdot have always been entertaining and slightly surreal, from getting caught in a U of T boys’ residence by a pair of firemen, to receiving VIP invitations to a sketchy after-hours club populated with guys named Matrix and Chainsaw. Maybe all this has more to do with the way I tend to travel than with the typical Toronto experience, but I think it’s safe to say that Toronto’s got something for everyone. And the Toronto Fringe Festival, I learned this weekend, has it’s own particularities.

Sunday Manqué

It came as a bit of shock to Sarah and I when we got turned away from 3 different sold out fringe shows on Sunday afternoon (Expiry Dating, An Inconveniant Musical, and Lord of The Rings: the Musical the Musical). Sold out shows are known to occur at the Montreal Fringe, but not usually until the last weekend of the festival, once the gems have emerged shining with the spit-polish of beer-tent buzz and media reviews.

Could it be that Torontonians, known for their moneyed lifestyle, are that much more willing to risk ten bucks on a Fringe play? Somehow I doubt it. More likely, the Canadian theatre capital features more pros and critically acclaimed productions that are considered solid bets. Of course that still implies that a good number of Torontonians actually pay attention to things like big names in local theatre and awards for emerging artists. Which is pretty cool.

All’s Quiet on the Beer Tent Front

Discouraged by an afternoon of wandering fruitlessly from venue to venue, we decided to spend some quality time chilling in the beer tent. Now, the Beer Tent back home features live music, special events like the Drag Races and an art market featureing local designers. That outdoor site draws in crowds of passersbys, many of whom will learn about the Fringe for the first time and hopefully be lured in to a few shows.

The Toronto Fringe Beer Tent, conversely, features…hot dogs. Then again, their shows are already selling out on day 3 of the festival, so I guess hooking new audiences isn’t a priority.

Volunteer Vow of Silence

With no beer tent entertainment to be found, we drifted over to the info booth to chat up the volunteers. This is when I had my most startling Fringe Fest culture shock to date: the Toronto Fringe staff and volunteers are forbidden to share their opinions on the shows. Nor is there a Buzz Wall where Fringe-goers can post informal reviews (although comments can be posted online at www.eyeweekly.com).

You see, where I come from the Fringe organizers are of the opinion that word of mouth is often what makes or breaks a Fringe show, especially for first-time artists. I kind of understand that the Toronto festival organizers’ desire to remain non-partisan. But on one hand you have audiences overflowing from a bunch of critically acclaimed plays, and on the other, there doesn’t seem to be much of a forum for buzz to boost the little guys into the spotlight. All shows are equal but maybe some shows are more equal than others?

Fringe vs Fringe

Don’t get me wrong – I certainly don’t begrudge Toronto’s Fringe its successful shows. In the end, the two versions of the Fringe aren’t really that comparable. For one thing, Toronto’s Fringe is specifically billed as a theatre festival – and it’s short on the dance and experimental performances (not to mention music and visual arts) that grace Montreal’s festival international d’expression libre. (I have a hunch Montreal’s Fringe-diversity stems from Francophone companies looking for unique ways to appeal to a mostly Anglo audience.)

Toronto is an theatre town (at least in terms of English Canadian theatre), and its Fringe Festival gives artists the chance to perform on some of Canada’s best known stages. But many wise artists try out new shows at Montreal’s anything-goes festival first and then bring the polished version to Toronto the following year with reviews to back it up.