BLACK LIVES MATTER - WE STAND IN SOLIDARITY

TO OUR CALGARY FRINGE FAMILY,

We want you to know where Calgary Fringe stands in regards to the worldwide movements happening for Black Lives Matters. First and foremost, we stand in solidarity with the Black and POC communities who have been fighting against systemic racism. We know there is more to be done, and we want to make sure that we properly identify what we can do for our corner, and how to ensure it is what is right as opposed to what is easy.

Diversity is something that Fringes have struggled with in our colonialized society, and this is an issue we want to address head on. We have formed an EDI Committee who is charged with the task of examining what barriers are stopping our marginalized communities from participating in Fringe – from artists to volunteers and board members. We are committed to taking this time to listen and learn what the pinch points and oversights are and finding solutions to bridging that divide so that everyone can be welcomed, supported, and feel at home in the Fringe family.

While we value transparency throughout this process and we will be sharing updates along our journey.  

We won’t be perfect at it, and we will likely make mistakes along the way. However, we give our word that we won’t stop trying and putting in the work no matter the discomfort – we will learn and grow and get better along the way. Throughout it all, we remain committed to building a better, more equitable system that actively combats racism. Calgary Fringe is a place for all kinds of expressions through art, and we strive to ensure that everyone feels safe displaying their art through our festival.

35//50 INITIATIVE:

A call to action was put forward to Calgary arts organizations and arts leaders by a coalition of IBPOC artists who are members of the Mohkinstsis (including the City of Calgary) theatre and dance community in response to the Black Lives Matter Movement. In the spirit of ongoing engagement, the Calgary Fringe has been invited to commit to the 35//50 Initiative (the initiative is reflective of the 35% IBPOC and 50% female and non-binary people in our community) - to take steps towards a more equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible future in the performing arts with 2024 / 2025 season set as a target date to work towards.

EDIA PLANS IN ACTION!

The Calgary Fringe is dedicated to breaking down barriers to make sure all its Fringe participants – artists, volunteers, staff, board members, and patrons – feel warmly embraced and welcomed, knowing their voices will be heard and that their stories matter. 

Here’s a list of some of our Plans in Action!

  • Reserving 50% of all available lottery and/or first come, first served performance spots for IBPOC / Equity-Seeking Artists to participate in our annual summer Calgary Fringe Festival.

  • Actively creating partnerships with visible minority groups through organizations such as ActionDignity, Immigrant Council for Arts Initiative (ICAI), Institute for Canadian Citizens, and Kawalease ACT (Arab Canadian Theatre) by providing opportunities for engagement and participation as an artist, arts worker, volunteer, staff, board member, or patron.

  • Providing more accessibility choices for the under-represented and marginalized members of our community through Pay What You Want or free ticketing options.

  • Collaboratively working together with Fringes from all across the globe via the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals and the World Fringe Network to better support the artists and model diversity and inclusivity within our Fringe Festivals and organizations.

  • Increasing accessibility by ensuring all our venue sites are fully accessible by all members in our community, including digital livestream or VOD options, offering Closed Captioning whenever possible.

  • Offering special performance opportunities to diverse artistic groups like UniverseSoul Dance within our annual summer Festival.