Aug 22, 2013 Fringe
Theatre Festival, Edmonton Alberta
Part Eight – Similarities between
Fringe Theatre and Independent Publishing
Question: So, here we are at
the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival, one of the most successful
Fringe Theatre events in North America, in terms of theatre
attendance and general festival participation. I think one can draw
a lot of parallels between Fringe Theatre events and independent
novel publishing. How about you starting off
.
Answer: Well, the first
comparison that springs to mind is that word independent. As I
understand it, in Fringe Theatre, some theatre people get together,
pick a play (sometimes that means writing one), choose a cast,
directors, technical support, and so forth, then apply for a stage at
the Fringe event. It’s generally not an ongoing theatre company,
but a group of artists collaborating for the length of the run. It’s
small scale, like independent or self-publishing. The artists have a
lot of control in both cases.
Question: It’s a little like
Kati of Terra’s group of performers on Vultaire, in Kati of Terra
Book 2.
Answer: Nice plug. Yeah, and
similar to that situation, the performers take most of the financial
risk and share the financial gains or losses. Which is true of
independent publishing too.
Question: Though the Fringe
Theatre association gets a cut, in a manner similar to how Amazon or
Kobo gets a cut of the independent publisher’s revenue.
Answer: Well, in both cases
those people provide a very useful service, so they deserve a
reasonable cut of the revenue. They are providing the venue, whether
stages or websites. But, the bulk of the revenues flow to the
creative people, as I think they should. That tends not to be the
case in big theatre or big publishing. For better or worse, a lot of
non-creatives get the major cut of the money in those cases.
Question: Another similarity is
the greater variety and volume of works that get produced and
consumed under these models (Fringe theatre and independent
publishing), compared to the more centralized systems (big theatre
and big publishing). I note that the Edmonton Fringe has over 50
venues going, with at least 200 or so separate plays being produced.
That’s a lot of theatre in 10 days. Similarly, independent e-book
publishing has vastly increased the number and variety of books being
published and consumed.
Answer: Yes, both of these
innovations in cultural production and distribution have unleashed a
lot of creativity. Human beings have an amazing level of creativity
and they love to share it with each other.
Question: Not everyone thinks
that’s a great thing.
Answer: Well, I don’t suppose
many people who benefitted from the old system will prefer the new
one. But change happens and I think it is an overall positive.
Question: What about the
quality argument?
Answer: Both Fringe Theatre and
independent publishing probably have a wider range of quality than
the older models. But that also means a wider variety of themes and
stories make it out to the public. In both cases it is the public
who decides on “quality”, not tastemakers or gatekeepers. That
seems more democratic to me.
Question: The four plays that
we have seen seem like a good sample of what independent artists can
do. They have all been good, often very thought provoking, funny and
quite literary as it happens.
Answer: Yes, “Promise and
Promiscuity” was a smart take-off on Jane Austen, “Charles
Presents: Moby Alpha” was very funny satire of Moby Dick and SF,
“Or,” was an amusing take on Restoration drama, and “Freud’s
Last Session” was a thought-provoking intellectual discussion
between Freud and C.S. Lewis. That’s a good couple days work for
the Fringe.
Question: As is Kati 1 and Kati
2 a good couple year’s work for independent publishing.
Answer: Oh, you.
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