Toronto Fringe Announces A Digital Fringe Experience

The Fringe movement has always championed risk and innovation, which is why the Toronto Fringe has announced that the Fringe spirit will live on(line) this summer.

Since the cancellation of the festival for the first time in its 32-year history, the organization has been assessing how it can best serve the community during these unprecedented times. After consulting with its Artist Advisory Committee, Board of Directors, and 2020 Festival artists, the Fringe Collective was born - a profit-share, opt-in, collaborative, DIY platform that keeps the Fringe grounded in its roots.

The Fringe Collective is a digital experience featuring 50+ companies who were slated to present work at the 2020 Toronto Fringe Festival. The collective will include pre-recorded video, audio, written, and interactive content and will be as unique and creative as Fringe artists themselves.

All artist offerings will be grouped into four "Acts." Each Act will include content from a cross-section of the companies and will be available for audiences to enjoy for 3 days.

• Act 1: Available from July 1-3
• Act 2: Available from July 4-6
• Act 3: Available from July 7-9
• Act 4: Available from July 10-12

Acts will be hosted on a private page on fringetoronto.com. Audiences will access content via a Tip-What-You-Can model, with a suggested tip of $13 per Act (the price of a typical Fringe ticket). All listings will be available in a digital Fringe Collective Program Guide PDF, downloadable as of June 17.

The artists and artwork will not be curated, censored, or juried in any way. All profits obtained by the Toronto Fringe will be split as follows: 30% of profits will support the administrative costs of the Fringe, and 70% of profits will be shared equally between the 50+ companies in the Collective.

From Lucy Eveleigh, Executive Director: "We had a moment after cancelling the festival where we were prepared to just do nothing and wait until next year, but then we realized we still had an opportunity to unite our artists and our audiences in a different and exciting way. It won't be the same as sitting together and experiencing live theatre but, given the circumstances, we think this is going to be a really special alternative."

In addition to the content described above, Fringe will present live programming as part of a POSTSCRIPT Live series. Modeled on Fringe's popular patio, POSTSCRIPT, these digital events will be live-streamed and free for all. More details will be released on June 17.

The Toronto Fringe is a registered charitable organization. Please support us in championing the city's independent - and therefore most vulnerable - artists. If you would like to help us make sure that next summer's Fringe is the best ever, please consider donating to the Toronto Fringe with whatever you can offer. Your support will help us bridge the gap in our 32-year history of presenting Ontario's largest live theatre festival, and keep our organization alive in the wake of COVID-19 so we can plan for a brighter future. For more information on how to donate, visit fringetoronto.com/donate.

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