Latest news with #EdmontonInternationalFringeTheatreFestival
Edmonton Journal
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Fringe Review: Operatic Macbeth not for everyone but vastly rewarding
Macbeth, at the 2025 Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Stage 1, ATB Westbury Theatre Shakespeare has been given so many makeovers that you'd be forgiven for not knowing what you'd get walking into a performance. A version featuring the Simpsons characters? A Japanese adaptation? One set during the Quebec biker wars of the 1990s? They've all been done and they're all quite entertaining, but it's almost a shock to see Macbeth done as opera, with music by acclaimed composer J. Andrew Creaghan. So jolting that at least one couple sheepishly made their way out from the well attended Sunday night performance, likely because it wasn't quite what they were expecting. Fair enough. Creaghan's Macbeth is a muted and severe affair, with all performers dressed in street clothes black. The singers sit at the back of the stage with their binders of ipads full of scores and lyrics, slowly walking forward when their time comes. Afterwards, they return in a similarly staely manner to their chairs. It's almost like they're the ghosts of Macbeth, Banquo, Duncan and Lady Macbeth, forced to reenact their tragedy every day, their voices conveying passion but their bodies locked into dispassion. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again For lack of a better word the music (played by the New Era Group, conducted by Don Ross) swirls around the singers like an endlessly dreich day in Inverness. Let's be clear, this isn't for everyone, but if you have the patience to sit and let it seep in this performance of Macbeth is vastly rewarding.
Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
2025 Edmonton Fringe Festival: Read all our reviews
Article content A Fringe Full of Stars is in full swing, and we want to help you find the best of the fest. Article content The Journal has a team of reviewers on site at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, offering takes on dozens of shows across multiple venues. Article content Article content Article content
Edmonton Journal
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
'A Fringe full of stars': Edmonton Fringe festival 2025 returns with a cosmic celebration
Article content The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival returns, celebrating the performers, attendees, and volunteers who make the festival possible. Article content The 44th edition of the Edmonton Fringe runs Aug. 14-24, featuring 221 indoor shows across more than 40 venues. The festival's opening ceremonies are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday at ATB Park on the ATB stage, near 83 Avenue and 104 Street. The first Fringe performances begin at 8 p.m. the same evening. Article content Article content This year's theme is 'A Fringe full of stars,' a celestial theme that celebrates all the people who make Fringe such an enduring part of Edmonton's arts history. Article content 'When I tell you we got goosebumps when we decided on this theme, I'm not exaggerating,' said Megan Dart, executive director of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival. 'Whether you are on stage, backstage, volunteering in support of the festival, or coming out to support artists, everyone in the fringe constellation is a star.' Article content Dart said the best implementation of the celestial theme can be found at KidsFringe, which offers 'a great amount of creativity that is put into interpreting the theme.' KidsFringe is free to attend at Light Horse Park, and features craft stations, an adventure forest, and daily activities for kids to enjoy. Article content Keeping Fringe Sustainable Article content In 2024, the festival kicked off the 'Sustain Fringe' fundraising campaign, asking Edmontonians to help the festival raise $300,000 to maintain its scope and scale as it recovered from COVID lockdowns. They also sought generous residents willing to pledge a monthly donation of $5. Article content Article content The fundraiser was a huge success, and Dart said in the past year, the festival jumped from 34 monthly donors to more than 500. Article content Article content 'Because of them, we were able to return this year and continue delivering the Fringe experience that everyone knows and loves,' Dart says. Article content Despite the increase in monthly donations, Dart said organizers are still struggling to produce the Fringe at the level that Edmonton has come to expect. This year's event is only moderately larger than 2024, which featured 218 shows across 38 stages. Article content In the past year, the cost of producing the festival has increased by 8.5 per cent, and some amenities had to be cut or reduced. Article content The free Fringe shuttle, which previously transported attendees between the main Fringe area and Edmonton's French Quarter, near 89 Street and Whyte Avenue, is one such service that will no longer be running due to budget cuts.
Global News
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Global News
Edmonton Fringe Fest reveals ‘Fringe Full of Stars' theme for 2025, gives fundraising update
As one of the most well-attended events on Edmonton's festival calendar each year, the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival teased its upcoming incarnation on Friday by revealing its theme for 2025: 'A Fringe Full of Stars.' '(The theme) is a very vast look at our existence,' explained Murray Utas, the artistic director with Edmonton Fringe Theatre. 'It makes sense with the global nature of our festival. 'Everything that you are interested in — and more — you can find here, and I think that is the best thing about the Fringe.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Everything that you are interested in — and more — you can find here, and I think that is the best thing about the Fringe." In a news release, festival organizers said the theme is about conveying the idea that Edmonton's Fringe is more than just a festival. 'This is a galaxy born on the fringes of imagination,' the release said. 'We are 'A Fringe Full of Stars,' and your light belongs here. Shine on with us.' Story continues below advertisement Organizers held an event Friday morning to unveil the festival's 2025 theme, complete with an artistic dance performance. The 44th Edmonton Fringe Festival takes place Aug. 14-24, with plans to present 223 theatre productions in 40 venues. In all 1,600 artists will perform at the festival, which is centred around theatre but also embraces music, dance, comedy and street performances. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Edmonton's Fringe is the longest-running Fringe theatre festival in North America and organizers say it has a reputation as one of the top five Fringe festivals in the world. This year's festival will include a free, nightly music series at McIntyre Park in Old Strathcona, and will see the Indigenous-centred pêhonân performance series make its return, as will KidsFringe, described by organizers as 'a festival within a festival for little Fringers' and their caregivers. Story continues below advertisement 'Sustain Fringe' campaign continues Last year, the festival launched a fundraising campaign dubbed 'Sustain Fringe,' asking the community to donate to the festival, sponsor it, or volunteer time to help it stay afloat amid skyrocketing expenses and dwindling funding. Organizers revealed Friday that the campaign started with 34 monthly donors but now has more than 540 monthly donors. 'The support of our monthly donors is crucial to ensuring we continue to thrive as one of the most influential cultural and tourism drivers in the country,' said Megan Dart, the executive director of Fringe Theatre. 'We are deeply grateful for the generous support of our donors and sponsors. Thanks to you, the Fringe Festival will return to the heart of Old Strathcona again this August. 'While we're celebrating this incredible milestone in support of our Sustain Fringe campaign, we have a long way to go yet.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "While we're celebrating this incredible milestone in support of our Sustain Fringe campaign, we have a long way to go yet." Dart said expenses continue to outpace funding but hopes the community will increasingly continue to show its support for the event. 'We've built this festival on duct tape and dreams since we first exploded onto the scene in 1982, but we need the continued help of our community if we're going to sustain the Edmonton Fringe Festival for generations to come,' she said.
