Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival

July 17 to 28

Fringe includes free entertainment at Old Market Square.

Photo by Leif Norman

The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is in its 32nd year, and Chuck McEwen, the festival producer, says they try to make the festival accessible and affordable to everyone in the community and visitors.

“For the indoor shows, the maximum ticket price is only $12. Many of our shows have a discount price of $10, and this year, there will be about 70 to 80 plays that have a special: two tickets for $12 a performance,” McEwen says.

“But we understand that some people just want to hang out and watch a juggler or an acrobat or some great local music. And so at Old Market Square Park … we have the outdoor stage going every day from noon until midnight,” he adds.

This year, there will be 180 different plays from artists from Manitoba, Canada and around the world.

“So there’s going to be something for everybody to enjoy, whether it’s comedies or dance. Whether it’s puppetry or cabaret, or whether it’s drama or the indescribable,” he says.

McEwen also says people coming to the shows should arrive earlier rather than later, because once a show starts, people will not be allowed into the venue.

He says one reason for this is public safety.

“There are 32 different indoor venues. Some of them … are not traditional theatres, so they’re not used year-round as theatre spaces,”  he says. “So a door will open up and let light into the venue, while the performers (are) on stage and can distract them or distract the audience, which is also a safety issue and a respect issue.”

Published in Volume 73, Number 25 of The Uniter (May 30, 2019)

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