Blog Tuesday July 25 - Strong Start
Blog Tuesday July 25 — Strong Start
Thanks to good weather and a surprisingly strong lineup of shows, the Fringe reached an attendance of 41,301 on the indoor stages by the end of Sunday, which is slightly below 2015’s record pace.
Amazingly, Saturday was the biggest day ever in the history of the Winnipeg Fringe, with 10,840 tickets.
Considering the afternoon started with a storm and there was on and off rain for a few hours, this is quite the achievement. Usually attendance records are broken on the second weekend, not the opening weekend.
Helping Hand
Volunteers are the lifeline of the Fringe. Most visibly, they sell tickets and usher shows. But on Monday,
I saw them doing all sorts of odd jobs including picking up garbage in Old Market Square and resetting sandwich boards knocked over by the strong wind. I thank all Fringe volunteers, whose hard work makes the festival a success every year.
Strange Curtain Call
After a show, curtain calls are important for audiences to acknowledge the hard work of cast and crew. But, I’ve never seen a stranger curtain call than the one after Monday’s performance of The Places We Go. The actors did not physically appear in front of the audience, they only projected their shadows to the audience. This was a shame — I think the audience wanted to see them and thank them for their creative work.
Controversy
Every year at the Fringe, there seems to be one or two controversial shows. This year, Student Body (Venue 13) has drawn criticism on Facebook from audience member Shayna Chaya Greenfield
who writes
THIS IS NOT A NICE GUY WHO MADE A MISTAKE
THIS IS A RAPIST WHO IS MOSTLY NICE TO PEOPLE
I have not yet seen this show, but I have talked to other people who have seen this show and
felt that it does not glorifies rape. Anyway, there is a discussion happening and that is a good thing.
Quote of the Day
“Keep your knees together. That’s what I should have done nine months ago.”