[wingmaker]

Originally Posted by Locke

Hardly seems like the 'Fringe' to me, when are they re-branding it the 'Edmonton Mainstream' Festival?

Or maybe thats why Edmonton so weird, too many people from the 'Fringes' of society hang out there...

The concept of the Fringe festival in general started in Edinburgh as a response to the Edinburgh Festival, which was a mainstream festival to which you had to be invited to perform. Amateur theatre groups and professional theatre groups presenting work that was not liked by the curators of the Edinburgh Festival used the Fringe as a way of competing. The Edinburgh Fringe remains the largest and the only Fringe Festival as far as I know that is an open festival, meaning literally anyone can perform in it as long as they pay the registration fee and find themselves a venue.

The Edmonton Fringe Festival modelled itself after the Edinburgh fringe. It operates as a lottery system, meaning anyone can apply but only the people who win the lottery can perform.

The reason the Fringe label still has meaning and still is important is because you do not have to be invited. This means that anyone has the chance to present their work. Fringe festivals the world over have been launching grounds for theatre companies, actors, directors, etc that otherwise would have a difficult time presenting their work to the number of audience members that the Fringe Festivals enjoy. The Fringe name has a meaning, even though their popularity has made them more prominent than even many curated and professional theatre festivals.

The Edmonton Fringe started the use of the Fringe festival in North America. It is historically an important cultural institution in Canada.