But politics has a way of sucking the fun out of things, so organizer Tobin Dalrymple chose to leave it out for Ottawa's inFringement - for the most part.

"We've taken the ideas from Montreal organizers but not the politics," says Dalrymple. "It's how you sell it. I'm not negative towards Fringe, but with the ads and registration fees - some of which the artists never recouped in ticket sales - I think Fringe has lost some of the original idea."

InFringement involves unconventional theatre happening in the streets, in basements, homes, bars etc. It also includes music, film and all other mediums. The fest runs from June 29 to July 9, visit www.infringementfestival.com/ottawa for details.

UM, MY SOUP IS COLD? What? It's supposed to be cold?! My coffee too? What the &$@*? Raw vegan food - the idea that heating food above a certain temperature alters and destroys essential enzymes. Great idea, since low enzyme activity has been linked to everything including cancer, but making this a lifestyle requires education and that's where the Glebe's monthly Raw Vegan Potluck comes in. The next one is on Friday, June 30, at St. Giles Church (174 First Avenue) at 6:30 p.m. Visit www.simplyraw.ca for details on what to bring etc.

YOUR HUMMER VS. MY BMX? A Critical Mass demonstration is planned for Friday, June 30, at Confederation Park at 5:45 p.m. Bring your bike and help jam the streets in protest against car culture.

 
 

		Write your comment on this article!

Let's clear things up     I just want to clear a few things up about the Infringement Festival. It is not "anti-fringe" in fact, it is more fringe then the "Fringe TM". It started after the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF) trademarked the word fringe. After the Montreal fest which is now called "The St-Ambroise Fringe Festival" kicked out an artist because of a conflict of interest with their sponsor at the time. When we came to Ottawa in 2004 to start "spreading the seeds" when learned that the Ottawa fringe was pretty cool. They let us have the stage for a few minutes to speak about an anti-Bush campaign happening in New York and we realized that they weren't anything like some of the other Fringe TMs. For the person who said that we are "anti-money" that is absurd. We simply have an ethical sponsorship criteria whereas we only allow ethical companies sponsor us. We also don't believe that artists should be paying 400-600 dollars when they have a budget of over 300 000$ (that is how much the Montreal Fringe TM has). So we're not only trying to bring the Fringe back to what is was (it actually started as a protest against the commercialization of the mainstream theatre scene in Edinburgh Scotland) but we're also trying to create a political movement to help fight the corporatization of our arts and culture. Something our society drastically needs with all the alternative advertising such as product placement and stealth marketing. Tobin was absolutely right by not "jamming" the Ottawa Fringe. As a Montreal organizer/artist I am actually quite fond of the Ottawa Fringe TM and wish it much success in the future. I hope I cleared a few things up.Chaos Organizer Montreal Infringement Festival
Jay Lemieux	{1 vote}	July 11th, 2006
Great job     I'm one of the organizers of the infringement Festival in Montreal. First off, I'd like to congratulate Toby, Cheryl and company for running a wonderful infringement Festival in Ottawa. There were some great shows and the fest felt like a real community. I'd also like to clear up some of the misconceptions that have appeared in the responses to this article. The infringement isn't against beer sponsors, or any sponsor, for that matter, as long as it's ethical and doesn't pose a conflict of interest. The infringement's criteria for ethical sponsorship can be found here: http://infringementfestival.com/sponsorshipcriteria.html Our "raison d'etre" isn't one of spite. The infringement was created as an alternative to give new artists a chance to perform without having to pay a few hundred dollars in registration fees. I feel that this fest is needed, and with over 200 artists and five cities already infringing in what is only our third year, it's apparent that others agree.
Jason C. McLean	{4 votes}	July 11th, 2006
Raw Foods     I myself like to eat raw lettuce, cabbage, carrots and kohlrabi whenever I get the chance. Cooking turns these vegetables to mush. Crunching on these veggies exercises the jaw muscles and promotes good dental hygiene. The problem is that picking vegetables too early or freezing them causes a serious loss of nutrients. You need to shop daily at the farmers' market to get foods at the peak of freshness and nutrition. You have no choice but to grow your own crops to get maximal health benefits. It is too bad we have long winters in Canada requiring the transportation of food over long distances. Right now I have to go out into our back garden and eat the sour cherries right off the tree. See you later.
Stephen Talko	{10 votes}	July 3rd, 2006
Hummer vs BMX     What a great idea is that critical mass demonstration. What better time to do it then now when so many tourists are in town, this way many people will be able to realize how much harm is done to the environment by all cars but mostly by the big SUV's that some people affectionnate so much, don't we need a car just to get from point A to point B, why travel in a car that pollutes so much when we can do it either in a smaller car or by bus, and especially now in the summer why not use our bikes, it will get us in shape and protect the environment at the same time. Let's be conscious of our environment before it's too late.
Roxane Gibault	{5 votes}	July 2nd, 2006
What does it take to be considered a real artist?     I thought the Fringe was the marginal festival when it comes to the arts. A festival where shows are produced, shows that no other venue would accept. I understand the concept of staying away from all corporate money but do you have to be that resistant to money to qualify as an underground artist. Can't you make smart choice even if some beer company is sponsoring the event? Do artists really need to suffer all the time, must they only eat Kraft Diner in order to be considered real artists?
Marc Charette	{8 votes}	June 30th, 2006
A bit harsh...but true     I always considered THE FRINGE FESTIVAL to be a theatrical alternative to al the mainstream big wig drama houses that get a lot of funding; thus making them a bit snooty sometimes. The FRINGE has been giving young 'up and coming' theatrical prospects a platform upon which to deliver their passion. I am stunned to hear that there is another even more underground alternative to an already grassroots type of organization. I've never heard of the infringement festival but am coming to question its' 'raison d'etre'. Was the infringement festival created out of spite of the FRINGE's growth in numbers, popularity and essentially, success. Has the FRINGE really stepped so far away from their mandate? I don't think so...any ideas? How does a few beer ads and advertisements, a source of income that is helping support a growingly expensive festival to put on, make the FRINGE a sell-out. I'm so tired of these tree hugging, hemp wearing vegans who think they're above everyone because they've never worn a NIKE piece of clothing or have ever enjoyed a BIG MAC. Sure, I just made a generalisation...but in my opinion that's all they're doing anyways.
Ryan Hodgins	{13 votes}	June 30th, 2006
News flash!     Baby steps people, baby steps... ~ You can't even get people to eat veggies now in this supersized nation of ours that eats fat like there's no tomorrow. Does it really matter that the veggies are warmed-up, heated or even steamed? Sure, maybe cold vegan food is best but let's try to get the fat folks to make that shift to healthy one step at a time, ok?
Pedro Eggers	{9 votes}	June 29th, 2006

Write your comment! please follow these guidelines

Information requested in blue will remain confidential   [privacy policy] Please indicate your real first and last names.

First name :

Last name :

Your email :

Confirm your email :

Title of your comment (max. 150 characters)   Your comment (max. 2000 characters)  characters remaining       LIMIT PER PERSON : one comment per article per member. Thank you. Your comment will be read by our approval team and, if it is approved, will be posted on the website within 24 hours. It could also be published, along with your name, in the printed version of Xpress magazine and on any of our partner websites. In order to present the highest quality of comments, Xpress reserves the right to refuse certain submissions. Any plagiarism will entail the entire removal of the member’s profile. Xpress is not responsible for the opinions expressed by the members.