Island Fringe Festival pivots to amplify diverse voices with new summer event

While the Island Fringe Festival has been cancelled due to COVID-19, organizers of the event have turned their efforts to a new summer presentation called Pounding the Pavement. 

The idea came about following recent events, including demonstrations after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and calls for justice in the deaths of Rodney Levi of the Metepenagiag Mi'kmaq Nation and Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman. Levi and Moore died within eight days of each other. Both were shot and killed by police in New Brunswick. 

"With everything that's kind of happening in the world, we just felt like it was time to step up and offer a space for folks who can just perform and have their voices be heard," said Grace Kimpinski, director of the festival.

"I was trying to think of how we can work within COVID and what we can do to regulate how people can come and go and I thought about an outdoor venue," she said. 

The event will be held outdoors — possibly in a parking lot — and will be streamed online, Kimpinksi said. While the event won't stray too far from the festival's mandate of unconventional performances in unconventional spaces, it will be made up of 10- to 20-minute vignettes that specifically aim to amplify diverse voices. 

Organizers hope the performances chosen will explore people's journeys into activism and self-discovery through artistic expressions including readings, acted scenes and dance. 

Emphasizing the value in diversity

While the logistics for the event are still in the works, organizers have already put out a call for applications from Island talent. 

"I'd like to get, you know, nice diverse group of folks up on stage," she said. "It's all about this idea that some noise needs to be made.

"If they have a poetry reading that they want to do they certainly can do that, if they have a scene from a play they're welcome to do that." 

Pounding the Pavement, Kimpinski said, will strive to emphasize the value of diversity and work to eliminate barriers to those on the Island who are underrepresented including, Indigenous artists, artists of colour, LGBTQ artists and people with disabilities. 

Amplifying diverse voices is "important for the world," she said.

'It's important for us to make space'

"There are voices that are not [heard], there are faces that are not seen ... on stages, and so I think it's important for us to make space," she said.  

I hope people go away from these performances and think about what they've seen and heard.— Grace Kimpinski, Island Fringe Festival

"I think it's important people who we don't see all the time to actually be able to be seen and I think it's important for them to have a venue." 

Kimpinski said she hopes the event will offer different perspectives and contribute a much needed conversation surrounding diversity on P.E.I. 

"I hope people go away from these performances and think about what they've seen and heard," she said. 

The goal, she said, would be to host the event sometime in August, however a date hasn't been set.

Once organizers gauge how much interest there is from Islanders to take part in the event, Kimpinski said they will assess whether it will be a one-night event or take place over a few nights to ensure physical distancing and other health measures are followed. 

"If we can extend it, we will," she said. 

Kimpinski said organizers have already received some applications. The deadline for applications is June 26. Performers will be paid for their contributions to the event.

More from CBC P.E.I.