Theatre fans at the 25th annual Vancouver International Fringe Festival may want to wear runners if they want to catch multiple shows in an evening.
“There is always something on,” said David Jordan, executive director of the Fringe Festival.
“If you are doing it properly, you should be running at some point.”
The festival begins today and runs until Sept. 20. It features 68 productions in 471 performances spread over 11 days. One of the shows will be held in a camper van, another will be held in a room at the Waldorf (seating for 14).
Shows are generally short (75 minutes maximum) and allow spectators to see two to three shows a night.
Part of the joy, said Jordan, is the off-peak slots and the “different energy” of seeing a show at midnight.
Performer Jacques Lalonde, who is appearing for a 23rd consecutive year at Fringe, said the artistic energy is “unmatched.”
“In this city — right now, in apartments, community centres, garages, backyards, parking lots — people are rehearsing plays,” said Lalonde, who is performing a free all-ages show called Return to Dragonland.
“They’re making posters. They’re making flyers. They are begging, borrowing, stealing props … they call it theatre for everyone and it really is.”
