Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON –The Toronto Fringe Festival has once again reached a new bench mark at the box office, beating our highest selling year in 2014 by over $30,000! 64,000 theatre tickets were purchased and over $467,000 was returned to Fringe artists. In the Fringe Club, the Arts Market partnership for Visual Fringe was a great success with totals reaching a record breaking $17,000. Even Tip the Fringe donations were high: the plastic watering cans at venues were filled to the tune of $40,000.
“This is certainly a Fringe to remember” says Executive Director Kelly Straughan. “The weather was beautiful; people were happy and enjoying the Fringe vibe. There were a number of hit shows that had audiences flocking to venues to try and get a ticket!”
Choose your own adventure: Patrons from all across the city were able to take in a show in a shed, in a boxing gym, or in a more traditional theatre. Shows were quick to gain momentum and played to record audiences. Line-ups were a common occurrence at each Fringe venue, where audiences frequently hedged their bets at the hope of getting tickets at the door. Tickets sold for $12 in advance and $10 at the door, making theatre accessible to the masses and allowing Fringers to choose multiple shows to compare and contrast. To travel from one venue to the next, audiences lapped up the complimentary Fringe rickshaws which carried them in style.
The FringeKids! Festival was a hit with families at its new home at The George Ignatieff Theatre (15 Devonshire Place). Parents and kids alike enjoyed shows together, bounced in the bouncy castle, and participated in workshops all day long.
Here are a few standout shows that garnered tons of audience buzz and sold out numerous performances:
By Rachel Blair, presented by Circle Circle
Adventures of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl
By Rebecca Perry, presented by Rebecca Perry Productions
By Rafe Malach, presented by Malach Productions
Gavin Crawford: "Friend" "Like" #Me
By Gavin Crawford and Kyle Tingley, presented by IdleMind Productions
By Tom McGee, presented by Shakey-Shake and Friends
By James & Jamesy with David McMurray Smith, presented by James & Jamesy
By Heather Marie Annis, Byron Laviolette and Amy Lee, presented by U.N.I.T. Productions
By Megan Phillips and Peter Cavell, presented by Nutmeg Creations
By Graham Isador, presented by Pressgang Theatre
By Anika Johnson, Barbara Johnston and Suzy Wilde, presented by Wexford Performing Arts
By Ali Richardson and Ben Hayward, presented by Fail Better Theatre
By Sophia Fabiilli, presented by Truth ‘n’ Lies Theatre
Theatre Entrepreneurs’ Network & Training (T.E.N.T.) Program
This year's T.E.N.T. Program, supported by RBC Emerging Artist Program, gave 18 emerging artists the opportunity to learn the skills to kick start their careers. Specializing in everything from dance to make-up design, these young artists participated in workshops from self-producing to branding, from starting a theatre company to stress management, and even how to do your taxes.
This intimate environment enabled one-on-one interactions with some of the city’s top theatre artists, including their mentors Amy Keating and Michelle Tracey, as well as workshop leaders Julie Tepperman and Aaron Willis, Sue Edworthy, Lucy Eveleigh and Matthew Thomas Walker. Maybe we'll see the 2015 T.E.N.T artists in Fringe 2016!
“A great experience to create networks and gain valuable knowledge towards a career in theatre.”
-Jenn Boulay (2015 T.E.N.T. Participant)
Up next for Toronto Fringe: In September, lottery applications will open for the 2016 Fringe Festival and in January the 2016 Next Stage Theatre Festival will kick-off at Factory Theatre!
2015-07-13
Toronto: Toronto Fringe Festival has another record-breaking year