Brownstein: Neither rain nor blackouts nor transit strikes shall stop the Montreal Fringe Festival

Montreal Gazette

11-06-2025

Power blacked out sporadically last weekend at the Montreal Fringe Festival's outdoor base, the Fringe Tent — better known to many as the Beer Tent — on the corner of Rachel St. and St-Laurent Blvd. The shortages often arrived in the midst of a music set, when electricity was as paramount for the entertainment as it was for keeping the brews cold.
Then Monday brought the start of a nine-day transit strike, and let's just say the limited schedule provided to the public is playing havoc with the fest, whose shows tend not to start and end at the times when people mostly require bus and métro services.
Then on Tuesday, torrential rains came with a vengeance, and Fringe executive and artistic director Amy Blackmore found herself and volunteers trying to keep the Fringe Tent from collapsing by propping it up with long sticks.
And Blackmore suddenly had terrifying visions of another watery disaster, when the rains came down so heavily last summer that the roof of the MainLine Theatre, the Fringe's indoor home base on St-Laurent Blvd., caved in. The resulting deluge flooded the space.
Damages were so extensive that the theatre had to close down for a lengthy period, and it has remained in a wounded state ever since.
As a result, the decision was made that the MainLine — which was set to mark its 20th anniversary — will cease operations at the St-Laurent site after the Fringe wraps its 35th edition on Sunday with its annual Frankie Awards ceremony and closing party at Café Campus.
Blackmore, sporting the same Billy boots she wore when mopping up the MainLine last July, is hopeful a new home in the same area can soon be found because, beyond the Fringe, the space fills a vital, year-round need for the city's indie theatre scene.
'After the last performances on Sunday, we're going to tear it all down and store everything until we find our new home. It's so sad. We've had so many great memories here,' says Blackmore, formerly a dancer who started work as a volunteer at the Fringe 20 years ago. She has been the festival's director for the last 15 years and has been running the whole shebang the last 12 years.
Another day, another obstacle, but the ever-buoyant Blackmore, truly a warrior, soldiers on — as does the Fringe, which is having another solid season.
At last count mid-week, Blackmore reports that 10,000 indoor show tickets had already been sold, bringing in revenues of about $100,000. She is confident the Fringe can match last year's record $160,000 in sales.
This year's Fringe features 105 plays and 800 indoor performances — from poetry to puppetry, magic to music, dance to drama and then some — in 25 venues. Plus, there are 40 acts at the Fringe Park. Shows run about an hour.
Blackmore estimates that the programming consists of 40 per cent local French, 40 per cent local English, 10 per cent national and 10 per cent international.
Tickets cost $19 or less, and performers get 100 per cent of the box-office sales. All of which means the Fringe relies on government grants and sponsors — and can't forget beer-tent sales — to cover its $600,000 yearly tab for rent, salaries and assorted other costs.
'We always say that we are a festival of discovery and that there's something for everyone, but it's really true this year,' Blackmore notes. 'We have everything from a magic show called 0z from Las Vegas for the whole family to a poetry slam to a beautiful dance show called Auf Wiedersehen, which is the first show I got to see at the fest and which transported me far away for a spell.'
But no sooner does she use the word 'transported' than she is reminded of the strike.
'The strike has really affected us, not just with our local audiences, but also with our artists, volunteers and tourists. We're working on trying to make alternative arrangements. It's been tough, but folks are really putting in the effort to come out. Fringers have always been a special breed. But I really hope this strike ends soon, because our performers really deserve packed houses.
'All these challenges that keep coming up for the Fringe … sometimes they do feel like never-ending, but at the same time, it's part of the beauty of what we do — people coming together to make this incredible event happen. It's a real community drive.
'And look: The sun is just coming out now.'
The glass is always on the full side for Blackmore.
'And look at that: We have a Hydro-Québec visitor here and he says that our power problems have been corrected, and that the music will go on this weekend. And there will also be full transit available Friday to Sunday, because the F1 is in town, conveniently so for us. That's why we like to schedule our event at the same time, because we attract similar crowds,' she quips.
Certainly calls for some chilled suds now.
'Troubleshooting is part of what we do at festivals — it comes with the turf. But as executive and artistic director, my job entails perhaps a little more: I apply for the grants, look for other funding, write the cheques and search for volunteers, but I also clean the toilets — and, of course, hold up the tent when needed,' she says with a wide smile.
'Our vision for the future is that we have a new space that is rooted in English theatre but that is designed for all indie artists. A space that is professional, safe and accessible. And above all, a community centre for performers and audiences.'