[Applause]
hello everyone I’m so honored to get to
be here tonight to share with you to
share my thoughts with you my ideas with
you but more importantly to share with
you my life’s work my obsession
fringe so I’m from Greenfield Park which
is just off the island of Montreal it’s
sort of known as a low to middle class
kind of community there’s a huge
community there community spirit that
I’m really proud of that I carry with me
every day
I went to you Elementary School there I
went to high school there I even went to
church there I went to a United Church
where my mother single mother I have no
siblings my mother was the custodian my
aunt was the secretary and my uncle was
the treasurer so needless to say I spent
most of my time not at school not at
home but at church and when I wasn’t at
church I was going to dance classes I
went to the Cameron School of Dance
where I studied ballet tap Highlands I
kind of tried everything at a different
point yeah it’s interesting I met a lot
of people when I was studying dance
people who I’ve made connections with I
still have those connections today and
what really draws us together in those
connections when I reflect on it now
were the values that brought us together
we would be there at the studio almost
every day dancing was determination
discipline and sacrifice why who knows
why it was fun we competed it was great
but still today again these are
friendships that means something to me
they started in a place of value yeah so
skipping ahead I’m 17 I’m walking up
staler all Boulevard in the plateau it’s
a beautiful summer night I’m up to no
good
I’m 17 why not I’m I see farther down
the street there’s like a giant
hence and it’s loud and there’s music
and dancing and I think I want to be a
part of that
something’s happening over there let’s
go check it out I say to my friend and
she’s like well let’s do it so we walk
up the street walk into the tent and
sure enough the place is packed
there are so many people and they are
friendly and they’re nice and after a
few minutes I discover I’m at the Fringe
Festival
what is the Fringe Festival well I had
no idea to be honest but it felt like
the kind of place where I was invited to
hang out at I was invited to be a part
of it invited to talk about it and have
a good time before I knew it that night
we were behind the info booth at the
festival telling people about a festival
we knew nothing about
something about the vibe in the air that
night that really reeled me in right
away so I became a Fringe Festival
volunteer I became an artist and years
after that I mean now now we’re 2016 but
ten years ago they finally gave me a job
I begged them every day to hire me
please hire me I have no experience I’ll
do anything well you really do anything
here’s a mop here is a toilet scrubber
have fun see you in a couple hours and
then come back again next week and the
week after that 10 years later luckily
it all worked out
I became executive and artistic director
of mainline theatres the company that
produces the fringe that also runs a
performance venue and a gallery so about
the Fringe what is it about the Fringe
what is the fringe it’s kind of an
interesting story the Fringe started not
in Montreal it started in Edinburgh
Scotland in 1947 two years after the end
of World War two the town of Edinburgh
with partners all across Europe decided
to throw a festival boost morale after
the war they put a festival together
named at the Edinburgh Festival it was
full of dance and music and theatre and
good times the only thing that was
missing were local artists somehow
somewhere along the way the
organizers didn’t think to invite the
local artists to participate so it was a
group of eight theater companies who
weren’t really excited about that
they were decided to do their own thing
to self produce and to show their works
alongside this festival they did it year
after year these eight companies new
ones would join people would leave after
a few years the journalists decided to
call it the fringe of the festival it’s
happening on the fringe of the Edinburgh
Fringe or the Edinburgh Festival rather
it became a name it became a movement
now years later 70 years later in
Montreal we have the Montreal Fringe
Festival it’s over 25 years old we have
two full-time staff members 40 part-time
staff members 500 artists 250 plus
volunteers and those numbers grow every
year it’s become a national movement we
have fringes all over the world all over
Canada the United States Singapore
Europe Auckland you name it there’s a
fringe or it’s coming soon yeah what I
find really interesting is that this
idea this movement this concept started
out of the action of 8 companies 8 small
groups of people maybe a couple dozen
people power
yeah they decided to do their own thing
and it’s seven years later influenced a
whole generation of artists and a whole
generation of people people power people
power is a really important thing but
when I think of people power I feel like
we have to address power first
I feel power is often seen as a negative
word yeah
power is evil powers Authority powers
control power can also be kind of a
neutral word you can go – good or bad
right let’s talk about power in the good
way when I think of the word power power
and what it really means at its base is
the ability to accomplish the ability to
accomplish when you add in people and it
becomes people power it’s the ability to
accomplish absolutely anything
people power can accomplish anything so
how do we do this people power thing
right it’s kind of a weird thing to do
when you look at the fringe example we
had eight theater companies who reacted
to a lack of opportunity to make
something happen well they had a reason
to bond together to do something yeah
well what do we have I mean we have TEDx
Mary innopolis which is wonderful but I
think we need a little more than that I
think we need some values here yeah so
when we think of people power what is it
that’s gonna bring us together is it as
simple again as bringing us in a room
I’m not sure I like to go to shows I
love concerts I go to a Beyonce show I’m
with like 50,000 that may be exaggerated
5,000 other behaviors behaviors is what
we call Beyonce fans by the way so we’re
all at the concert
we’re jamming it’s a really good time
it’s huge we’re all there to see the
glory and beauty of Beyonce who we
believe in it’s a common thing that
brings us together but I’m not gonna
meet anyone in exchange a phone number
and go of coffee with them next week
what’s gonna happen what’s gonna happen
in our society that’s gonna bring us
together
you know there’s a superficial reasons
but what’s the real real reasons again
it’s the values its values that bring us
together it’s interesting our society is
really based on values for years for a
very long time our society past
societies have turned to religion and
faith I think that something’s happening
here something’s happening in Montreal
something’s happening in Quebec while
religion and faith seem to be an
important part of what we’re doin life
while they seem to be important
contributors to our thoughts they help
us develop our values there’s something
else going on underneath as we lose
faith in these institutions as many have
turned their backs on these institutions
cultural enterprises festivals and
events are slowly taking on the role
taking on the role of bringing us
together and Montreal alone there’s over
200 festival events
annually Montreal by the way is the
festival capital of the planet as far as
I’m concerned I’m very proud of it but
what is it about it it’s the values we
want to feel like we’re a part of
something we all inherently deep down
want to be a part of something that’s
something that these festivals and
events have brought us are bringing us
it’s happening more and more when we
look at the fringe the fringe is all
about diversity accessibility and
artistic freedom they’re really
important values to us anyone can be in
the fringe they can do whatever they
want and the idea is that it’s
accessible for audiences yeah in
Montreal we have values but we take
steps to show that we believe in our
values yeah so at our Fringe what we do
and it’s the case all across Canada we
have four principles this is how our
values are manifested so the way we do
our programming for the festival it’s a
multidisciplinary festival so anyone can
apply we have a system of quotas we put
names in a hat and we pull them out how
does it sound sounds kind of weird right
on paper it doesn’t sound great hmm
but in reality what it means is an open
access for any artists anyone to strut
their stuff show it they got sure not
all the shows are great but there are
some beautiful gems beautiful jewels the
Bijou that come out annually again
there’s no censorship on any of the work
okay so that’s the artistic freedom part
it’s affordable for artists to be in the
festival they keep a hundred percent of
their box office and for audiences we
make it affordable for them to come so
tickets to our festival are ten dollars
or less that’s a really important part
of what we do it’s reflected it’s a
reflection of our values yeah so I ask
you this summer when you’re walking
around when you’re in the Montreal
landscape think about your values when
you’re at a festival what are your
values look around
are they being reflected what values do
you see around
how can you shape those yeah curating
community is something that we do
together you don’t have to be a festival
head to do it you have to want
you have to want and go it’s an
interesting thing at the friends when
you’re obsessed with the fringe we call
it you’ve got that PQ fringe and we use
like hashtag fringe buzz even you say
I’ve got the fringe bug you know do you
have the fringe but I got the fringe bug
and we meet so many different people
when something is based on values all
the ethno-cultural stuff all the income
class business all that really piddles
away the example I think of I was
grocery shopping recently and I bumped
into someone who’s a fringe volunteer
who I hadn’t seen for a couple years but
I know I know he secretly shows up and
helps out when I’m not around yeah he’s
in the grocery store we have a nice
conversation we catch up it’s polite he
walks away as he’s leaving I see that
he’s wearing a suit it’s got a really
cool tie nice shoes yeah and a briefcase
and I’m like who is this guy I don’t I
don’t think I’ve ever seen him dressed
like this before he’s gone I don’t think
about it too much a couple days later I
turn on the news 6 o’clock news he’s on
TV he’s a lawyer for an important court
case in town and they kind of blew me
away I thought huh we’ve never talked
about this before and I realize house
like I’ve ever really talked about a lot
of stuff with a lot of people I meet
what is it that really brings us
together it’s our love it’s our love for
the diversity accessibility and artistic
freedom
it’s the values that bring us back
together so when we’re brought together
with our core values that are important
to us and you’ll have your own as well
that brings people together to have
people power and then from there we
elevate our society as a whole it can go
quite far you don’t have to make a
community you have to curate a community
you have to design it but I think what’s
more important is that you take some
time to think about what your values are
and that how that’s going to contribute
to meeting other people like you and
then together you can create community
together thank you
[Applause]
hello everyone I’m so honored to get to
be here tonight to share with you to
share my thoughts with you my ideas with
you but more importantly to share with
you my life’s work my obsession
fringe so I’m from Greenfield Park which
is just off the island of Montreal it’s
sort of known as a low to middle class
kind of community there’s a huge
community there community spirit that
I’m really proud of that I carry with me
every day
I went to you Elementary School there I
went to high school there I even went to
church there I went to a United Church
where my mother single mother I have no
siblings my mother was the custodian my
aunt was the secretary and my uncle was
the treasurer so needless to say I spent
most of my time not at school not at
home but at church and when I wasn’t at
church I was going to dance classes I
went to the Cameron School of Dance
where I studied ballet tap Highlands I
kind of tried everything at a different
point yeah it’s interesting I met a lot
of people when I was studying dance
people who I’ve made connections with I
still have those connections today and
what really draws us together in those
connections when I reflect on it now
were the values that brought us together
we would be there at the studio almost
every day dancing was determination
discipline and sacrifice why who knows
why it was fun we competed it was great
but still today again these are
friendships that means something to me
they started in a place of value yeah so
skipping ahead I’m 17 I’m walking up
staler all Boulevard in the plateau it’s
a beautiful summer night I’m up to no
good
I’m 17 why not I’m I see farther down
the street there’s like a giant
hence and it’s loud and there’s music
and dancing and I think I want to be a
part of that
something’s happening over there let’s
go check it out I say to my friend and
she’s like well let’s do it so we walk
up the street walk into the tent and
sure enough the place is packed
there are so many people and they are
friendly and they’re nice and after a
few minutes I discover I’m at the Fringe
Festival
what is the Fringe Festival well I had
no idea to be honest but it felt like
the kind of place where I was invited to
hang out at I was invited to be a part
of it invited to talk about it and have
a good time before I knew it that night
we were behind the info booth at the
festival telling people about a festival
we knew nothing about
something about the vibe in the air that
night that really reeled me in right
away so I became a Fringe Festival
volunteer I became an artist and years
after that I mean now now we’re 2016 but
ten years ago they finally gave me a job
I begged them every day to hire me
please hire me I have no experience I’ll
do anything well you really do anything
here’s a mop here is a toilet scrubber
have fun see you in a couple hours and
then come back again next week and the
week after that 10 years later luckily
it all worked out
I became executive and artistic director
of mainline theatres the company that
produces the fringe that also runs a
performance venue and a gallery so about
the Fringe what is it about the Fringe
what is the fringe it’s kind of an
interesting story the Fringe started not
in Montreal it started in Edinburgh
Scotland in 1947 two years after the end
of World War two the town of Edinburgh
with partners all across Europe decided
to throw a festival boost morale after
the war they put a festival together
named at the Edinburgh Festival it was
full of dance and music and theatre and
good times the only thing that was
missing were local artists somehow
somewhere along the way the
organizers didn’t think to invite the
local artists to participate so it was a
group of eight theater companies who
weren’t really excited about that
they were decided to do their own thing
to self produce and to show their works
alongside this festival they did it year
after year these eight companies new
ones would join people would leave after
a few years the journalists decided to
call it the fringe of the festival it’s
happening on the fringe of the Edinburgh
Fringe or the Edinburgh Festival rather
it became a name it became a movement
now years later 70 years later in
Montreal we have the Montreal Fringe
Festival it’s over 25 years old we have
two full-time staff members 40 part-time
staff members 500 artists 250 plus
volunteers and those numbers grow every
year it’s become a national movement we
have fringes all over the world all over
Canada the United States Singapore
Europe Auckland you name it there’s a
fringe or it’s coming soon yeah what I
find really interesting is that this
idea this movement this concept started
out of the action of 8 companies 8 small
groups of people maybe a couple dozen
people power
yeah they decided to do their own thing
and it’s seven years later influenced a
whole generation of artists and a whole
generation of people people power people
power is a really important thing but
when I think of people power I feel like
we have to address power first
I feel power is often seen as a negative
word yeah
power is evil powers Authority powers
control power can also be kind of a
neutral word you can go – good or bad
right let’s talk about power in the good
way when I think of the word power power
and what it really means at its base is
the ability to accomplish the ability to
accomplish when you add in people and it
becomes people power it’s the ability to
accomplish absolutely anything
people power can accomplish anything so
how do we do this people power thing
right it’s kind of a weird thing to do
when you look at the fringe example we
had eight theater companies who reacted
to a lack of opportunity to make
something happen well they had a reason
to bond together to do something yeah
well what do we have I mean we have TEDx
Mary innopolis which is wonderful but I
think we need a little more than that I
think we need some values here yeah so
when we think of people power what is it
that’s gonna bring us together is it as
simple again as bringing us in a room
I’m not sure I like to go to shows I
love concerts I go to a Beyonce show I’m
with like 50,000 that may be exaggerated
5,000 other behaviors behaviors is what
we call Beyonce fans by the way so we’re
all at the concert
we’re jamming it’s a really good time
it’s huge we’re all there to see the
glory and beauty of Beyonce who we
believe in it’s a common thing that
brings us together but I’m not gonna
meet anyone in exchange a phone number
and go of coffee with them next week
what’s gonna happen what’s gonna happen
in our society that’s gonna bring us
together
you know there’s a superficial reasons
but what’s the real real reasons again
it’s the values its values that bring us
together it’s interesting our society is
really based on values for years for a
very long time our society past
societies have turned to religion and
faith I think that something’s happening
here something’s happening in Montreal
something’s happening in Quebec while
religion and faith seem to be an
important part of what we’re doin life
while they seem to be important
contributors to our thoughts they help
us develop our values there’s something
else going on underneath as we lose
faith in these institutions as many have
turned their backs on these institutions
cultural enterprises festivals and
events are slowly taking on the role
taking on the role of bringing us
together and Montreal alone there’s over
200 festival events
annually Montreal by the way is the
festival capital of the planet as far as
I’m concerned I’m very proud of it but
what is it about it it’s the values we
want to feel like we’re a part of
something we all inherently deep down
want to be a part of something that’s
something that these festivals and
events have brought us are bringing us
it’s happening more and more when we
look at the fringe the fringe is all
about diversity accessibility and
artistic freedom they’re really
important values to us anyone can be in
the fringe they can do whatever they
want and the idea is that it’s
accessible for audiences yeah in
Montreal we have values but we take
steps to show that we believe in our
values yeah so at our Fringe what we do
and it’s the case all across Canada we
have four principles this is how our
values are manifested so the way we do
our programming for the festival it’s a
multidisciplinary festival so anyone can
apply we have a system of quotas we put
names in a hat and we pull them out how
does it sound sounds kind of weird right
on paper it doesn’t sound great hmm
but in reality what it means is an open
access for any artists anyone to strut
their stuff show it they got sure not
all the shows are great but there are
some beautiful gems beautiful jewels the
Bijou that come out annually again
there’s no censorship on any of the work
okay so that’s the artistic freedom part
it’s affordable for artists to be in the
festival they keep a hundred percent of
their box office and for audiences we
make it affordable for them to come so
tickets to our festival are ten dollars
or less that’s a really important part
of what we do it’s reflected it’s a
reflection of our values yeah so I ask
you this summer when you’re walking
around when you’re in the Montreal
landscape think about your values when
you’re at a festival what are your
values look around
are they being reflected what values do
you see around
how can you shape those yeah curating
community is something that we do
together you don’t have to be a festival
head to do it you have to want
you have to want and go it’s an
interesting thing at the friends when
you’re obsessed with the fringe we call
it you’ve got that PQ fringe and we use
like hashtag fringe buzz even you say
I’ve got the fringe bug you know do you
have the fringe but I got the fringe bug
and we meet so many different people
when something is based on values all
the ethno-cultural stuff all the income
class business all that really piddles
away the example I think of I was
grocery shopping recently and I bumped
into someone who’s a fringe volunteer
who I hadn’t seen for a couple years but
I know I know he secretly shows up and
helps out when I’m not around yeah he’s
in the grocery store we have a nice
conversation we catch up it’s polite he
walks away as he’s leaving I see that
he’s wearing a suit it’s got a really
cool tie nice shoes yeah and a briefcase
and I’m like who is this guy I don’t I
don’t think I’ve ever seen him dressed
like this before he’s gone I don’t think
about it too much a couple days later I
turn on the news 6 o’clock news he’s on
TV he’s a lawyer for an important court
case in town and they kind of blew me
away I thought huh we’ve never talked
about this before and I realize house
like I’ve ever really talked about a lot
of stuff with a lot of people I meet
what is it that really brings us
together it’s our love it’s our love for
the diversity accessibility and artistic
freedom
it’s the values that bring us back
together so when we’re brought together
with our core values that are important
to us and you’ll have your own as well
that brings people together to have
people power and then from there we
elevate our society as a whole it can go
quite far you don’t have to make a
community you have to curate a community
you have to design it but I think what’s
more important is that you take some
time to think about what your values are
and that how that’s going to contribute
to meeting other people like you and
then together you can create community
together thank you
[Applause]
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