Fringe North announces its return

After hosting its inaugural festival in August 2017, the Fringe North Theatre Festival is pleased to announce that plans are underway for the second annual event, happening Aug. 9 through 19, 2018. To celebrate, Fringe North and the Arts Council of Algoma will present two pre-festival events on Saturday, Jan. 20.

Debwewin (Truth), an original work by Fringe ‘17 alumnus Sarah Gartshore, will be performed at the Black Box Studio in the Sault Community Theatre Centre. Doors open at 6 p.m. The performance will begin at 7 p.m. and admission is free.

In conjunction with this performance, an art exhibition will be mounted in the foyer of White Pines to celebrate the success of the Arts Council of Algoma’s Miinikaan Project. A visual art exhibit of Indigenous, youth-driven art, this represents the cumulative collaborate effort of Miinikaan Project participants. The exhibit will be available for public viewing from 2 to 8 p.m.

A statement from Russell Raven, interim executive director of the Arts Council of Algoma and District, said, “The Art Council of Algoma would like to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support of the Miinikaan Project which successfully engaged Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in the efforts to provide a place for artists to participate and exhibit their artwork… The Arts Council of Algoma is proud to collaborate with Fringe North to promote and produce extraordinary opportunities for local and world class performers and artists.”

“This is a really exciting time for us,” said Tova Arbus, Fringe North artistic director, in a recent news release. “We already have the beginnings of a fantastic line-up for the 2018 festival, with new and returning artists ready to engage with Sault audiences. We continue to work with many amazing community partners to ensure we are meeting our goals of keeping Fringe accessible to all.”

For more information about these and all other Fringe North initiatives, or to participate as a volunteer, performer or sponsor, please visit the Fringe North Theatre Festival website.