The Toronto Fringe is back and it’s extending an even wider welcome to artists and theatregoers alike

The Toronto Fringe is back in person.

After two years online, Toronto’s largest theatre festival has returned to 11 venues across the city, with 88 productions ranging from comedy to drama, musical theatre, storytelling, dance and children’s programming.

In many ways this will be a Fringe full of reassuringly familiar elements: productions by seasoned artists and first-timers alike; audience members passionately debating shows in queues and lobbies; between-show and late-night fun at two outdoor patios.

But behind the scenes, the festival is evolving.

As with many arts organizations around the world, the combination of the pandemic and the global racial reckoning prompted reflection and a commitment to change amongst Fringe management, staff and board members. A three-year review and action plan around accessibility was already underway when the pandemic hit and the Fringe launched an equity, diversity and inclusion audit in the summer of 2020.

The result is a commitment to “building in accessibility from the ground up, not having access as an afterthought,” said Andi Canales, the Fringe’s outreach co-ordinator. “Every time there are major decisions, we look at ‘OK. Are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) being included? Is this inaccessible? Where is the ASL (American Sign Language)?’”

“There are so many individual barriers that each different participant and each different patron of the festival may face,” said Fringe emerging producer Kevin Yue. The goal is to be proactive, so that participants and patrons “know that they’re coming to a place where we’re thinking about their needs before they set foot in the door,” said Yue.

Fringe shows are chosen by lottery rather than a jury system, something intended to create an even playing field but which led to relatively few shows by BIPOC artists. “Fringe has always been a place where you’re like, ‘Anyone can come,’” said executive director Lucy Eveleigh. “But if they’re not coming, then you need to do something about it.”

This year, the Fringe established a two-step lottery process: the first half of the shows were chosen out of a BIPOC pool and all remaining applicants were pooled together for a second draw.

This is the first step in a longer process of addressing barriers that have kept BIPOC and other minority artists from participating in the Fringe.

“There are folks who are more willing to sink a thousand dollars into a show that’s not going to make any revenue or at least just break even, whereas a lot of disproportionately BIPOC folks are not able to make those same commitments due to systemic issues,” said Isabela Solis-Lozano, executive management intern at the Fringe and the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts.

A further piece of the access puzzle is getting the word out about opportunities to engage with the Fringe. This involves “reaching out to community groups and showing them that we want their applicants and we want them to spread the word … it’s about building relationships with Indigenous communities, Black communities and arts organizations,” said Canales.

Also new this year is a subsidized community ticket program that offers free tickets to audiences otherwise unable to attend while still returning the full proceeds from tickets to the producing companies (those wishing to use the program can email lucy@fringetoronto.com). The Fringe is also partnering with Canoo, an app that gives newcomers to Canada free access to arts and culture events.

Once a show is accepted into the Fringe, artists are offered the services of the disability collective, a three-person team that consults on providing measures such as ASL translation, audio-described and relaxed performances, pre-show audio notes and assistive listening devices.

Fringe companies also agree to provide a script or detailed description of the performance to audience members who want to know if there are loud noises, flashing lights or challenging subject matter. Knowing in advance what to expect “gives patrons agency to feel good about the shows that they’re choosing to attend,” said Yue.

And for those who enjoy not knowing what they’re going to see, there’s a “surprise me” option on the Fringe website that chooses the show for them.

All of the 2022 Fringe venues are physically accessible.

These and other features are outlined in an accessibility supplement to the Fringe program guide, and patrons are asked to identify their needs at the checkout point on the website or when phoning the box office.

The core values of access, inclusivity and accountability are built from the ground up in Fringe and that starts with its working culture. “There’s so much care and empathy in the space,” said Solis-Lozano.

Eveleigh gave birth to her son Lennox nine months ago and frequently brings him to the office, and sometimes her seven-year-old daughter, Sloane, too. This helps her manage her commitments and sends a message “to young folks who might want families themselves one day to say, ‘You can. It’s possible,’” said Eveleigh.

Yue worried that the Fringe would be cliquey when he started working there in April, but he’s now part of the inclusion of everyone who works for the festival, from front of house and patron services staff to production crews.

“Everyone gets a T-shirt and a lanyard with their pronouns, the languages they speak, if they are first aid trained, if they’re fluent in ASL,” he said. “Every step is to make sure each individual person has everything they need to succeed at the festival.”

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