Fringe Festival Review 2018

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Contents Executive Director’s Message........................ 3 About the Fringe.............................................. 4 2018 Demographics......................................... 5 Our Program Guide.......................................... 6 Events Opening Night featuring

the Georgia Straight Fringe-For-All.......... 10 Artist’s Cabaret........................................... 11 Awards Night/Raffle................................... 12 Workshops................................................... 13 Partnership Opportunities

For Sponsorship Information And Opportunities, Please Contact Chelsey Stuyt Director of Sponsorship and Development chelsey@vancouverfringe.com

Festival Hub................................................ 14 Phillips Fringe Bar...................................... 15 Volunteer Centre and Volunteer Appreciation Party.................... 16 Why Sponsor?

Photos By Adrian Ruigrok Al Ricard Alvin Roxas Bruce McPherson Cody Leung Jane Levene Julie De Sousa Mona Wu Nakul Gupta Nandia Syabrina Rosemarie Gresham Shawn Major

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Become a Sponsor...................................... 17 Thanks Partners!......................................... 18

Message From The Executive Director I am pleased to report that the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival was a great success! Attendance at shows was up by nearly 1000 over last year and payouts to artists increased by over 18%.

We experienced more rain than usual this year but the amazing entertainment in the Phillips Fringe Bar kept Festival-goers dancing.

I am honoured that Georgia Straight readers have again voted the Vancouver Fringe Festival as the Best Local Performing Arts Festival (for the 15th time). This speaks highly to the loyalty and enthusiasm that Fringe Festival patrons, artists, volunteers, donors, sponsors, and the community collectively share for this annual tradition.

In addition to our regular Fringe fans—those who return and enjoy the Festival year after year—we were inspired to see new audiences discovering all that the Fringe has to offer. As we work to realize our vision of Theatre for Everyone, we will take steps towards making our Festival even more inclusive and diverse, encouraging and welcoming new people into this extraordinary community.

As we move into our 35th year, we will continue to cultivate artists and audiences to create an open and vibrant independent theatre community. Thanks to everyone who supported the 2018 Festival in so many ways. We look forward to seeing you again next year!

Fringefully yours, Laura Efron, Executive Director

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The Vancouver Fringe Festival is a celebration of all kinds of theatre and the community it cultivates.

Produced annually by the Vancouver Fringe Theatre Society (VFTS), the Festival takes place over 11 days in September with nearly 500 volunteers supporting over 100 artists, and 700+ performances. Now in its 34th year, the Fringe Festival is consistently voted Vancouver’s Best Performing Arts Festival by Georgia Straight readers and attracts over 30,000 attendees.

About The Fringe Our Vision Theatre for Everyone!

Our Mission

Cultivating artists and audiences to create an open and vibrant independent theatre community.

The Fringe employs an “everyone is welcome” selection technique—the Mainstage shows are literally drawn out of a hat, giving all artists—from emerging to established—a chance to participate. The Fringe strives to break down traditional barriers and encourage access to theatre and open dialogue between audiences and artists. The Fringe supports artists, ensuring they receive 100% of the base ticket price, as well as access to mentoring, awards, and workshops.

Reveling in its identity as part theatre, part party, every night of the Festival, Fringe artists, audiences, and volunteers are invited to take in live music and performances by some of Vancouver’s coolest indie bands at the Phillips Fringe Bar. Presenting live un-juried, uncensored theatre in an accessible and informal environment, the Vancouver Fringe Festival takes place in some of Vancouver’s best venues including the Red Gate Revue Stage, Performance Works, and Waterfront Theatre, situated on and around Granville Island as well as in East Vancouver.

History The VFTS was formed in 1983 with the mission to produce “Theatre for Everyone,” which led to the first Vancouver Fringe Festival in 1985. Now, more than 30 years later, the VFTS has established itself as BC’s largest performing arts Festival.

We Are A Charity The Vancouver Fringe Theatre Society is a registered not-for-profit charitable society (charitable tax #11891 9547 RR0001). With 100% of regular ticket sales going to the artists, our donors and sponsors are who make the Festival happen. Thank you for your support!

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2018 Demographics Age AGE <19 2%

19–35 31%

36–49 20%

50–65 32%

>65 16%

Household Income Below 13% $30,000 $30,000 16% to $50,000 $50,001 18% to $100,000 $100,001 27% to $250,000

Attendance

32,505 Attendance

14,000+ Unique Visitors

350,000+

Approximate Number of Granville Island Visitors During September (the Festival’s month)

Over 8% $250,000 Rather 19% Not Say

Education High 8% School Trade School 11% Bachelor’s 49% Degree Masters 30% or PhD Rather Not Say

2%

Social Media

4,857+

Newsletter Recipients

8,399

Facebook Fans

10,900+ Twitter Followers

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Our Program Guide Our 68-page Program Guide is an essential means of communication between the Fringe and its patrons!

Every year, Fringers wait for the Program Guide release to learn about the Festival shows and check performances schedules.

In 2018, we printed 25,000 copies which were primarily distributed at Blenz Coffee locations in Vancouver at the end of July and remained on stands and in stores through the end of September. The fantastic cover design by former Fringe performer Chris Ross attracted 18,000+ online impressions and 6,000+ reads. Program Guide ads receive a lot of attention from our audience both online and offline.

Vancouver Fringe Program Guide 2018 Sponsors

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25,000 Copies

18,000+

Online Impressions

6,000+ Reads Sept 6-16, 2018

VancouverFringe.com

On and around Granville Island & East Vancouver

Theatre for Everyone!

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Events

Opening Night Was Sponsored By:

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Events

Opening Night featuring The Georgia Straight Fringe-For-All September 6, 2018 at Performance Works Capacity: 300 People The Georgia Straight Fringe-ForAll takes place every year on the first night of the Festival and it is the best way to preview shows.

This year we combined the FringeFor-All with our Opening Night Gala adding a touch of glamour to the rush that is Fringe-ForAll. Featuring food from The Keg, Dockside Restaurant, and Habibiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hummus as well as a free photo booth by MAKE, the festivities kicked off well before our hosts hit the stage!

This year 40 of our 100 shows signed up to perform a two minute preview! The house was packed for this sold out show, with 300 people joining us at Performance Works! We were honoured to open the Festival with an official welcome by Thelma Stogan,

her daughter Nicole, and her granddaughter of the Musqueam First Nations Band who led the crowd in a welcoming prayer for a safe and playful festival. New this year, local Global BC reporter Michael Newman gave a warm and welcoming introduction as he beatboxed our hosts onto the stage. Patrons, volunteers, and artists were then treated to jokes and commentary by our hosts (and 2018 artists!) Sara Vickruck of Poly Queer Love Ballad and Travis Bernhardt of Unscriptured who had the audience in stiches with their comedic flare. A mix of artists, media, donors, and patrons, this fundraiser brings out all the Fringers, and is a fun and Fringey kickoff to the Festival!

The 2018 Fringe-For-All Was Sponsored By:

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Events

Artists’ Cabaret Lotte Lenya’s Cabaret of Bullshit

We can’t tell you everything that goes on at this sort-of-but-notreally-top-secret event—it’s the kind of once in a lifetime event that only the people in the room will truly experience!

The Cabaret of Bullshit first took place in a café on Granville Island, with only about 30 patrons in attendance and a handful of artists taking part. Through the years it has grown to be one of the most anticipated shows of the Festival, selling out Performance Works year after year. In 2018 a packed house of Fringe Fans brought (or bought) flashlights and took their seats in a dark theatre. Then, for the next

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Sept. 15, 2018 at Performance Works Capacity: 300 People two hours were treated to one-off performances by almost 40 Festival artists. Using their flashlights as the only light in the room, patrons lit up wild and crazy acts like local magician and long time Fringe star Travis Bernhardt teaching the crowd how to steal a magician’s powers. Or Charlie Petch’s Ode to Chewbacca. Or the triple threat of Gemma Wilcox, How do Clown’s Have Sex star Fiona Ross, and Ashley Whitehead and Natalie Tin Yin Gan from Lip Service dressing as vulvas for a “yeasty feasty.” This Cabaret is a Fringe fundraiser, a sell out show, a one of a kind theatre event, and a quintessential Fringe experience!

Events

Awards Night/Raffle September 18, Performance Works Capacity: 200 People

Once again, the Festival officially closes with the famous Fringe Awards Night! Access to the event was by donation to Performing Arts Lodges Vancouver, who provide subsidized housing for retired artists. At Fringe Awards Night, we discover the year’s Awards— some of which are sponsored (The Georgia Straight Critics’ Choice Award by the Georgia Straight, BC Touring Council Award by the BC Touring Council, and The 2018 Public Market Pick of the Fringe Awards by the Granville Island Public Market) and we also do the draw for the Festival Raffle. Our Raffle is an important fundraiser for the Festival.

Because 100% of base ticket revenues are paid directly to the Artists, the proceeds generated from the Raffle support Festival operations.

The night was hosted by the local comedians and Fringe artists Sara Vickruck and Nathania Bernabe who kept us entertained all night and ended with the Raffle draw and announcing the winners: Grand Prize: A 8-day trip for 2 to Guatemala from Finisterra Travel Simone Avram 2nd Prize: A Romantic Whistler Weekend Getaway from Nita Lake Lodge Stacy Ashton 3rd Prize: A $100 in Foodora Gift Cards and a Vancouver Fringe Festival Kick Ass Pass for the 2019 Festival Adam O’Neill

Cultchivating the Fringe Award Big Sister

Joanna Maratta Award Hysteria

The Georgia Straight Critics’ Choice Award

Poly Queer Love Ballad

The Fringe New Play Award Sara Vickruck and Anais West (Poly Queer Love Ballad)

BC Touring Council Award Awkward Hug

Mollie Bradley Award Hysteria

Volunteer Choice Award Poly Queer Love Ballad

Artistic Risk Award

Tied: Red Bastard: Lie with Me and Hip.Bang! Presents Surveil

The SOFA (Spirit of the Fringe Award)

Charlie Petch from Mel Melarkey Gets the Bum’s Rush

The 2018 Public Market Pick of the Fringe Awards

SELF-ish, 5-Step Guide to Being German 2.0, Poly Queer Love Ballad, Squeeze My Cans, Unscriptured, and the Lady Show.

Fringe Awards Night Was Sponsored By:

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Events

Workshops

Musical Improv Friday, Sept. 14 at Studio 1398

For Artists and Aspiring Artists The Fringe is a place for learning.

Staff, volunteers, and artists are all situated to challenge themselves to learn and to teach others— informally and formally throughout our organization. Among other impacts, the Fringe has long been a cornerstone of development for emerging artists and, more recently, we’ve begun creating similar, supported opportunities for youth.

Inclusive Hiring and Casting Practices in Theatre Wednesday, Sept. 12 at Studio 1398

Do you want to clarify your responsibility to create inclusive and equitable artistic teams on and off stage? Recognize and address the challenges you may experience when creating an inclusive and equitable artistic team? Gain more knowledge on what barriers underrepresented communities experience in the performing arts sector? Learn more about how to move forward with engaging artists of color, artists with disabilities, and artists of various gender identities?

Unleashing Your Inner Storyteller with Josh Languedoc

Tuesday, Sept. 11 at Studio 1398 Dating back to ancient times, oral storytelling is the oldest and longest running art form. A crowd would gather and hold their breath as a skilled and passionate storyteller would weave a majestic story that taught us about our own mortality. In this workshop, playwright/storyteller/improviser Josh Languedoc demonstrated the skills needed to captivate an audience, hold their attention, and weave a story in an interesting and dynamic way. Special attention will be given to the participants— where they come from, their own stories, and their own culture.

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New(to)Town Collective Training Jam: Embodied Awareness

Thursday, Sept. 13 at Studio 1398 It’s all about the process!

Regardless of your experience level, artist or non-artist, there’s always room to hone your craft. Training Jams offer space for exploration, curiosity, and connection to community. This class will focus on “Embodied Awareness” playing with exercises, utilizing one’s awareness in relation to performance and daily life.

What?! Yes! Musical Improv is exactly as it sounds: creating a musical on the spot! This means scenes, songs, dance, and music all created spontaneously in the moment. It requires emotional expression, collaboration, a willingness to go big, and a connection to your inner voice.

Through a series of exercises, musical improv games, and improvised musical scene work, you will get a beautiful introduction to the world of musical improvisation. Veteran musical improvisers Jennifer Pielak and Peter Abando (Inside Voices: A Musical In The Key of P) are known for creating an incredibly safe and playful space to work.

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Partnership Opportunities

Festival Hub It all starts at the Hub!

The Fringe Hub is where the Fringe Box Office, Info Centre, and Raffle Centre are. Located near the main entrance to Granville Island, it’s a very busy spot! Many Fringe patrons frequent the Hub to purchase tickets to shows, raffle tickets, and to learn more about what shows are at the Festival—not to mention all passersby who just happen to be visiting Granville Island.

SPONSORS IN THE FESTIVAL HUB IN 2016:

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The visibility in the Hub is huge! The Festival Hub is an excellent location for sponsor activations, exposing your brand to thousands of Fringe and Granville Island visitors.

Partnership Opportunities

Phillips Fringe Bar 1531 Johnston Street, Ocean Art Works on Granville Island Open from 6:00pm til Late Located at Ocean Art Works, in front of Ocean Concrete and next to the Creekhouse on Granville Island, this is the best place to meet fellow Festivalgoers and artists from across the country and around the world. For the 11 days of the Festival, the Stage at the Bar presented Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hottest local music! No Fringe experience is complete without a trip to the Phillips Fringe Bar! This year, site activations included Phillips Brewing and Malting Co. beer on tap and bottled sodas available behind the bar, beautiful BC craft cider from Wards, award winning wines by Road 13, and cocktail smashes by Georgian Bay spirits. Patrons also enjoyed the safest experience possible thanks to Sober Guys Designated Driver Service Ltd. In addition to food trucks at the Bar Hub, we were serving up tasty snacks from Hardbite Chips while the Raffle tent was bumping all night long thanks to support from Finisterra Travel, Nita Lake Lodge, and Foodora.

We were very excited to partner with Good Night Out, a safe spaces training initiative, to ensure our bar was a safe and inclusive space for all.

BeatRoute Magazine provided online music support for the live music and DJs along with Soft Cedar and Cubeit Portable Storage helped us manage operations smoothly by providing safe storage space.

The Fringe Bar wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be possible without the support of CMHC Granville Island.

The Vancouver Fringe Bar 2016 Was Sponsored By

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Partnership Opportunities

Volunteer Centre and Volunteer Appreciation Party Since performers collect 100% of the base ticket price, volunteers are the lifeblood of the Vancouver Fringe Festival. Each year, nearly 500 people from all walks of life take on volunteer roles. Volunteers do everything from helping set up venues, to answering artists’ and audience members’ questions, to serving drinks at the Phillips Fringe Bar, to selling tickets and ushering. We have a very small staff team, so the Fringe simply could not function without volunteers.

The Volunteer Centre is an excellent opportunity for product sampling! Plus, volunteers roam around Granville Island during the Festival—their t-shirts are ideal for logo placements and brand awareness.

We reward our volunteers with an amazing party right after the Festival. This year the party was held at the Phillips Fringe Bar. There were special performances, delicious pizza’s from Boston Pizza, and volunteer awards and prizes!

It is surely another great spot for activations and product sampling.

Fringe Volunteer Centre 2016 Was Sponsored By

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Why Sponsor?

Become A Sponsor Businesses like yours form a key part of the success and growth of the Festival, enabling the Fringe to take the Festival to the next level. As the Fringe adds to its audience base and enhances their experiences, new and renewed strategic partnerships with sponsors play an indispensable role.

In turn, when you sponsor the Fringe, you reap the benefits of associating your company with the Best Performing Arts Festival as voted by Georgia Straight readers over 15 times while developing a meaningful relationship with our large, diverse audience. With extensive social and print media exposure, an attendance of nearly 33,000, unique attendance of approximately 14,000 and an additional 350,000+ Granville Island visitors during the Fringe month of September, the extent of your reach can be huge!

We invite you to become a Fringe sponsor. We pride ourselves on tailoring sponsor relationships to embrace each Partner’s unique vision and goals. To give you a sense of what is possible, below are some highlights of what you, your company, and its VIPs can enjoy.

Tailor-made Sponsorships may include: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Exclusive venue or event co-branding with the Fringe and associated marketing Category exclusivity Site activations (e.g., the Fringe Bar; Box Office Hub; within events) Sampling or branded product/merchandise distribution (in addition to or as part of site activations) Venue and event titling and curtain speech recognition Festival-wide and/or Pick of the Fringe/Pick Plus curtain speech recognition Profile at our Opening Night and other special events, with podium recognition and other associated marketing E-newsletter feature article (4,800+ recipients) and/or advertising Contest opportunities Structured social media co-promotion (8,399+ Facebook Fans and 10,900+ Twitter followers) Micro-activations with related advertising Product/Services endorsements Tickets to Opening Night, Pick of the Fringe, and special events

All Sponsors enjoy: • • • • •

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Logo placement in Festival Program Guide, on Partner Recognition Boards, website, and in select print ads and posters Social media interaction Advertising in Festival Program Guide (25,000 printed; over 71,000 online visits) Tickets to Mainstage performances Invites to VIP and Sponsor meet and greet events

Why Sponsor?

Thanks Partners!

Our sponsors help make the Festival one of Vancouver’s most anticipated events of the year!

Strategic cash and in-kind support from returning and new Partners take us from being a great Festival to an especially memorable one.

Whether it was at the Phillips Fringe Bar, the Opening Night and Fringe-For-All, special VIP events, in the Volunteer Centre, or Festival-wide through a number of initiatives, you make the difference!

We extend a huge welcome back to our returning sponsors: our hosts, CMHC Granville Island, the Georgia Straight, Blenz Coffee, Shear Comfort,

Dockside Restaurant, PrintPrint. ca, BeatRoute Magazine, The Keg, and CubeIt With so many combined years backing the Festival, you form a key pillar of our success and we thank you for joining us once again!

Our new Partners made important impacts too, by supplying volunteers and artists with tasty treats, helping place the Festival and Fringe artists firmly on Vancouver’s TV and radio radar and helping the Fringe community know exactly what’s happening!

To all our partners: Thanks! We simply couldn’t do it without you!

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Government and Foundations

Presenting Partners

Signature Partners

Supporting Partners

Sustaining Partners

Boosting Partners

Festival Hubs Partner

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Leading Partner