goestoshow

Despite my obvious love of theatre, I don’t really know a lot of people who feel the same way. Given that, I’m often finding myself explaining things about the Fringe and how to make the most of it when you’ve never done it before. With the final weekend of the Fringe coming up, which seems to be favorite time for newbs to go, I felt I should put down some of my thoughts on how to Fringe as a beginner:

1. Buy your tickets online — It used to be the best (and often only) way to get tickets was to show up at the venue an hour before the show and get them there. You can technically still do this, but it’s not a good idea anymore. Even the less popular shows are now often sold out a good 6 hours before doors. When you buy tickets online, you pick them up at the Will Call desk at the Trans-Alta Arts Barn. You also get to laugh at the suckers waiting 20+ minutes in the main lineup to buy their tickets there.
2. Don’t pick your shows from reviews — Though this seems counter-intuitive, if you pick your shows from reviews (especially in the second weekend) you’ll have trouble getting tickets. The truth is, lots of really great shows get upper medium scores, and individual preference and personal boundaries play a huge part in what you’ll enjoy at the Fringe, and reviewers are often bogged down in seeing too many plays too quickly on opening weekend which can wreck their perspective.

   So what should you use instead? Personal recommendations are best. If you don’t have that, you might want to scan the twitter search results for #yegfringe (which you can and should do even if you don’t use twitter) for people saying good things about plays that resonate with you. Be careful of taking opinions of people promoting their own shows at face value, but so far it doesn’t seem like anyone’s trying to be sneaky this way.

   And if you really want to try the real Fringe experience, buy a guide and find ones that just sound interesting. If you’re planning to see more than 2 or 3 plays, I really feel this is the way to go. You want to be seeing more than 2 or 3 because you probably will get a stinker in there. It’s taken me years of practice to get my selections to the point where I don’t see any really bad plays unless I feel like it, but it was entirely worth it.

3. Definitely be at the venue 15-45 minutes in advance, and never arrive late — The range is wide because it depends on how many people you are. Individuals going to a play can snag really good seats being far back in line, but pairs and more will want to get there earlier. But absolutely never, ever get there late. The schedule is strict (it has to be for people like me to actually see all the things we want to see) and you will not ever be let in late. They really do make absolutely no exceptions.
4. Bring a fan (or something that can be used as one) — Many of the venues aren’t air conditioned. Some are air conditioned, but they turn it off during the show because the noise of it would interfere with the performance. Either way, some of these venues in the middle of August are virtually ovens. The Varscona (venue 5 this year) is particularly notorious for this.
5. Expect the unexpected — Go into the fringe with as few expectations as possible and you will have a lot more fun. You’re unlikely to see something they’d charge $50 for at the Citadel, but you’ll get something unique and special.