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Photo by Marc J Chalifoux Photography, Edmonton Fringe
Photo by Marc J Chalifoux Photography, Edmonton Fringe
From theatre to music, Alberta’s got talent
BY JUSTIN BELL
FOR 10 DAYS every summer, Alberta’s capital city, Edmonton, becomes a hub of onstage innovation and interaction, with audiences and performers from around the world coming to see one of the world’s premier theatre festivals.
The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival draws crowds and performers from across the continent. Nathan Fillion, star of
the television hit, The Rookie, got his start
in Edmonton. He made an appearance at the festival; and he is an alumni at Rapid Fire Theatre, a company that often puts on multiple Fringe shows.
Edmonton’s Fringe is one of the many artistic draws across Alberta, a province that’s home to a litany of major festivals and big- name performers. From folk to rock, country to opera, Alberta has the artistic chops to play on the global stage.
Fringe Festival Executive Director Megan Dart states that it’s one of the top five fringe
Photo by Marc J Chalifoux Photography, Edmonton Fringe
theatre festivals in the world, alongside big names such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and Adelaide Fringe in Australia. Edmonton’s festival becomes a mixing ground of local talent and international shows coming together to create something truly special.
“I think Fringe as a movement creates such a unique arts ecology where we have the opportunity to bring local talent together with international talent to share and build skills, to learn from one another,” said Dart.
Arts and culture are big economic drivers for the province, producing more than $5 billion in GDP. The province invests in the cultural industry