1. The EIFTF is an indoor theatre Festival. How it works is… 1. Pick your show – Either from the Festival guide (available at The Wee Book Inn, Greenwoods and Safeway), online or onsite at the info booths. 2. Buy your ticket – Online, the Fringe Box office (10330-84 Ave), or the kiosks throughout the site.
2. It IS the oldest Fringe Theatre Festival in North America. Originating in Scotland, the Festival was started here in Edmonton in 1981 and at the time boasted that it ‘all money went back to the artist. No one can officially tell you what good but look in appears, online and talk to people on the street for what you should see.
3. For family oriented entertainment check out the KidsFringe (located in Adventure Park on 85 Ave) or Stage 11 (PCL Studio Theatre, 10330-84Ave).
4. The EIFTF Volunteers are some of the best in the city and it’s not too late to sign up. Even after the Festival starts eager beavers can join up by calling 780-409-1923.
5. Free stuff – During this Festival there are a few things which are free. These include The Performer’s Parade and Free For All (Aug 11, 7:30pm @ McIntyre Park), Fringe Forums (Aug 14 to 17, 7:30pm to 9pm @ PCL Studio Theatre, inside the TransAlta Arts Barns). There are also a number of buskers and two programmed outdoor stages.
6. Parking seems scarce in the area but there is lots of you know where to find it. There is street parking at meters, impark lots and other lots. Alternatively Edmonton Transit will run busses from 5:30am to after 3am and will take you to Southgate Transit Terminal.
7. Washrooms are another thing which becomes hard to find at Festival time but there are portable washrooms through the site. It is best to leave the washrooms in businesses to their customers.
8. Being late is a major no-no. Once the doors have closed no one is admitted. They could be the Fringe Festival Director, The Prime Minister or the Queen, NO ONE gets in. That also applies to re-admittance. If you leave to go to the washroom or desperately need a cigarette you will be locked out.
9. Come prepared. Be a good Girl Guide or Boy Scout by dressing for the weather, the bugs and the sun. While this is an indoor Festival you will need to get to your destination in the elements outside.
10. And finally, if you have gone missing, or you have misplaced one of your children please go to the info booth in the lobby of the TransAlta Arts Barns.

HOW TO FRINGE

by Mark Kozub

Are you new in town?  Never been to the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival before?  Or maybe you’re one of those people who have come to Old Strathcona to enjoy the Fringe’s outdoor stage performances, the elephant ears and mini-donuts without ever actually seeing a play?

If you’ve answered “yes” to any of the questions above, there’s a workshop made precisely for you: the First Time Fringer Workshop. “It gives you an entry point into the Fringe,” says Shirley Lowe, executive director of the Old Strathcona Business Association.  “It helps you find your way down the rabbit hole.”

The First Time Fringer Workshop teaches you how to you pick your shows, how to know what hot national and international shows are coming in from the Fringe circuit, and what local artists are the ones to watch for.

Lowe, one of the instructors of the workshop, has some great tips.  “Once the local reviews come out, the shows get sold out very quickly, so you want to be ahead of the game,” she says.  That means doing your research beforehand.  “The internet gives fabulous information,” she continues.  “The Fringe is a worldwide circuit, so there are several other cities that have the Fringe before we do.  Go to their sites and see the reviews.  If there’s a four-or-five-star rating on those shows, you’ll want to make a point of seeing that play.”

The workshop is being presented by Fringe Theatre Adventures and the Old Strathcona Business Association.  Lowe teaches it two other volunteers, retired CBC producer Douglas Oakley and Ross Bradley, who works for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.  She says the three of them are teaching it because they have a mutual love of the Edmonton theatre scene and the Fringe in particular.

“It’s my favourite festival,” says Lowe.  “Whatever you do during the Fringe, whatever you see, you always, always, always get that feeling.  You realize that you’ve just watched something incredibly creative.  People have created this, written it, staged it, performed it and it kept you interested for the entire performance.  There’s nothing like live theatre to engage you.”

The First Time Fringer Workshop takes place Monday and Tuesday, August 8 and 9 from 5 to 6:30 pm, in the TransAlta Arts Barns.  It will also be held Friday August 12 from 5 to 6 pm and Saturday morning at 10 on August 13 at the Internet Café on 103 Street and 83 Avenue across from the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market.

The workshop is free.  Each workshop participant gets: an Old Strathcona tote bag; a Fringe program; and one Fringe show of your choice absolutely FREE.  Oh, and you also get a free pen (to circle your choices of Fringe plays).

To get details on how to register, go to the Fringe website, http://fringetheatre.ca/festival.php