Fast Fringe presents 15 ways to take a chance at the Edmonton Fringe Festival
Rick Bremness, Adrienne Lamb | CBC News | Posted: August 18, 2018 2:00 PM | Last Updated: August 18, 2018
'That’s what I love about the Fringe. ... Anything can actually happen. Anything!'
Image | Fringe
Caption: Edmonton fringe performers hope to juggle their creative cutting edge art and draw crowds doing it. (Marc J Chalifoux Photography)
Fringe 'O' Saurus Rex roars into Old Strathcona from Aug. 16 to 26.
The 37th instalment of Edmonton's Fringe Theatre Festival is the largest in North America and features a record number of shows — 226 — showcasing more than 1,600 performances.
Image | Fringe
Caption: Edmonton Fringe Festival performers hope to once again connect with local audiences. (Marc J Chalifoux)
Although the festival is the biggest and one of the oldest, the artistic director still believes the festival is about taking chances.
"Anything can actually happen. Anything!" exclaims Murray Utas.
Thousands of people will hit the Fringe site, at 10330 84th Ave., to wander around, take in an outdoor busking performance, pop into the beer tent and enjoy a food truck snack.
But Utas believes you need to step inside one of the 38 venues to soak in the full experience.
"You will open up another half of the festival that you didn't even know existed."
Image | Murray Utas
Caption: Fringe artistic director Murray Utas oversees the Fringe 'O' Saurus Rex edition of the festival. (Adrienne Lamb/CBC)
Utas admits choosing a play is like rolling the dice but the investment is an average of 13 bucks.
"You can see the most incredible thing you've ever seen or you can see something and be like … OK … that was something!"
"That's what I love about the Fringe, it's taking a chance."
When it comes to wading through the sea of offerings, here are Our Edmonton's Fast Fringe preview snippets to help you.
You can see more from the fringe on Our Edmonton with Adrienne Lamb Saturday at 10 a.m., Sunday at noon and Monday at 11 a.m on CBC TV.
Balls of Yarns Venue 2: Backstage Theatre, 10330 84th Ave.
Media Video | (not specified) : Balls of Yarns
Caption: CBC TV's Our Edmonton Fast Fringe preview of the performance by Paul Strickland