Toronto Fringe, Edge of Sky Productions, and the Scadding Court Community Centre Launch TEEN FRINGE

Teen Fringe is a new youth arts initiative for teens aged 13-17. The program is created by the Toronto Fringe in partnership with Scadding Court Community Centre and Edge of the Sky, the creative team from the award-winning Wexford Gleeks and the Fringe hits Summerland, The Fence, and Blood Ties.

Teen Fringe takes place at the Scadding Court Community Centre during the 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival and invites young theatre artists to train with leading professionals in acting, singing and dancing. The program culminates with the young artists taking the stage as a youth ensemble at the closing night performance of Edge of the Sky's 2017 Toronto Fringe production.

At the Toronto Fringe, arts access and supporting a multiplicity of voices are central to our mandate. Teen Fringe provides an affordable opportunity for youth self-expression and artistic growth, and will provide a meaningful arts access for 50 teens. The program also provides unique insights into a prominent Fringe company's artistic process and will give its participants a taste of the conservatory program experience as well as what it takes to build a career as a performer. Teen Fringe is designed to nurture future performers, theatre creators and arts lovers.

Teen Fringe expands the Toronto Fringe's youth outreach offerings beyond its popular Fringe KidsFest, with show programming and activities for children up to 12 years old, and its Theatre Entrepreneurs' Network & Training Program or TENT Program, for emerging theatre producers aged 18 - 29. The program offers a unique opportunity for teens to become immersed in the Toronto Fringe experience, receiving performance training, a free rush pass to access all the 2017 Toronto Fringe has to offer, and an opportunity to showcase their talents in a Toronto Fringe production.

Teens interested in Teen Fringe should sign up for auditions, which take place on Saturday June 10th from 12-4pm at the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts (736 Bathurst St). Audition material can be found on our website www.fringetoronto.com/teen-fringe

Teens must be available for the entirety of the Teen Fringe program, July 12-16, 2017. The program fee for accepted applicants is $150, with full bursaries available for applicants who may not be able to access funds for the program. Spots are limited and applicants are encouraged to apply early. Please visit http://www.fringetoronto.com/teen-fringe to apply now and find out more about Teen Fringe.

The Toronto Fringe provides creative opportunities for artists and audiences by producing two important festivals - the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Next Stage Theatre Festival - and by running outreach activities that benefit youth, artists and the theatre community at large. The Toronto Fringe creates opportunities for artists to make and present art, congregate and innovate. The Toronto Fringe Festivalreturns to Toronto July 5 - 16, 2017 with a new home for its popular Fringe Club and Box Office at the Scadding Court Community Centre.

Edge of The Sky Theatre is a new company founded by the creative team behind Summerland (Best of Fringe 2015), Blood Ties (Next Stage Theatre Festival 2017), The Fence (Best of Fringe 2017) and the nationally acclaimed Wexford Gleeks. With rave reviews from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Toronto arts critics, its founding members include: Ann Merriam, Artistic Director of the auditioned Performing Arts program at Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts; production manager Charlie Agathoclous (Blood Ties, Edinburgh Fringe); and resident writers Anika Johnson and Barbara Johnston (The Fence, 2016), and Suzy Wilde. The company's mandate is to promote, encourage and nurture emerging Canadian artists and their work.