Stage Door News

Toronto: Toronto Fringe reveals listings of digital festival running July 1-12

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

More details about the Fringe Collective are available hereFringe lovers, in Toronto and around the world, can now browse listings from the 50+ companies in The Fringe Collective. Today, all listings and details about The Fringe Collective’s video, audio, and written content are being made available for the first time.

Browse all listings in the digital Fringe Collective Program Guide here.

Each company that joined The Collective was slated to present work at the 2020 Toronto Fringe Festival. After the cancellation of the event due to COVID-19, Toronto Fringe staff and artists came together to create The Fringe Collective: a profit-share, opt-in platform that strives to achieve what Fringe’s all over the world do: bring artists and audiences together.

From Executive Director Lucy Eveleigh: “When I saw the program of what The Collective has put together I was amazed. It was almost like looking at a regular Fringe Program Guide. The amount of work that has gone into this, both behind the scenes with the Fringe team and the artists themselves is astounding. It really amplifies how resilient Fringe is and how despite everything there is hope to be found over these 12 days.”

Audiences will be asked to “Tip-What-They-Can” before accessing The Collective’s content online, with 70% of the proceeds being split evenly between all members of The Collective, and 30% reserved by Fringe to cover the administrative costs. All content is divided into 4 Acts, with each Act lasting for 72 hours. More information on Acts and Act Passes here.

On Sale Now: Fringe Collective Memberships

Those feeling comfortable financially are encouraged to support Fringe artists and the festival by purchasing a Fringe Collective Membership for $100. Members will have access to all 4 Acts of The Collective as they become live every 72 hours with one pass purchase, plus member benefits and give-aways from Fringe partner Steam Whistle Brewing. 

POSTSCRIPT Live(stream)

Once July rolls around, Fringers will also be feeling nostalgic for the popular Fringe patio, POSTSCRIPT. This pop-up patio is typically packed shoulder-to-shoulder with artists and art-lovers enjoying a cold beverage, snacks, and conversation. The typical dance parties, live stage events, and community happenings will move online this year as part of POSTSCRIPT Live(stream). Audiences can expect a fun, laid-back, Fringey party with many special guests. POSTSCIPT Live(stream) occurs at 8:30pm on the following evenings: June 30, July 4, July 7, July 10, and 3:00pm on July 12. All will be livestreamed on Fringe’s Facebook page (facebook.com), and recorded to view on fringetoronto.com for the duration of the festival.

KidsFest 

Fringe families will be happy to know that KidsFest is going digital as well! Multiple shows in The Fringe Collective are for children aged 0-12. In addition to these kid-friendly offerings, Fringe staff are also planning a special digital storytelling event for kids on Saturday, July 11 at 3:00pm. This event will be livestreamed on Fringe’s Facebook page (facebook.com), and recorded to view on fringetoronto.com for the duration of the festival.

Access During The Fringe Collective 

The Toronto Fringe is committed to creating an inclusive experience for all patrons, staff, artists, and volunteers, including those with disabilities. We work with our community to identify, prevent, and remove barriers so that a fulfilling experience can be enjoyed by all.

In that spirit, the following access measures are included in the Fringe Collective experience:

  • All livestreamed POSTSCRIPT presentations will feature ASL interpretation and captioning.
  • All pre-recorded Fringe Collective digital content is required to meet the following basic accessibility standards:
  • Videos are captioned.
  • Transcripts, scripts, or detailed synopsis are available for all audio content.
  • Documents are screen reader friendly.
  • All digital images are provided with alternative text descriptions.

A note on anti-Black racism and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

In the past few weeks, vital and urgent conversations have been taking place in the theatre community about anti-Black racism and discrimination against BIPOC artists. We know there is much to be done, and you may read more about our plans in this statement from Executive Director Lucy Eveleigh. As always, if members of the community have feedback for the Toronto Fringe, we are happy to listen at any point.