Dear Chuck McEwen and Jill Roszell,
Let me begin by thanking you once again for your work running the Winnipeg and Edmonton Fringe Festivals. These festivals each represent an amazing feat of organization, passion for the arts, and opportunities for artists. I’m writing you this letter, and posting it publically, in a spirit of great appreciation for the work you do and love for both festivals. I don’t know of any artist who doesn’t feel this way.
But I have deep reservations about decisions that both festivals made this year, and I feel the need to share these concerns, with hope that future festivals will be stronger because of this.
In short, I and many others believe both the Winnipeg and Edmonton Fringe Festivals are growing unsustainably, and it seems as if the people running those festivals are unaware of the problem – indeed, press releases from both organizations are full of boasting new statistics (which I demonstrate below are meaningless) showing that the festivals were ‘the biggest yet!’
