Return of Saskatoon Fringe Festival like 'buds of spring coming back'
Now that the Fringe Festival has kicked off, artists are thrilled to be back on the stage and the streets after more than a year of uncertainty and cancelled shows.
Gerald Williams is no stranger to Fringe Festivals around the country, but this is his first time in Saskatoon.
He said getting the call that the show will go on was exciting after all that went on in 2020.
“I decided not to go to any because there weren’t any. In 2019 I did nine Fringes in one summer,” Williams said.
Williams said he is excited to put on his show “How I Murdered my Mother.”
“According to the Fringe rumour network, this is the best Fringe in western Canada. I’m not saying the others are bad, the others are great, but I’ve heard Saskatoon is the best place to be for a Fringe,” Williams told CTV News.
Williams said the festival falling so close to provincial restrictions being lifted is a sign of good things to come.
“This wakes up society. It’s like the bird in the coal mine, but this is an indicator of a really good thing happening. This is like the buds of spring coming back to join us,” Williams said.
The festival looks a little different this year, but Williams said he still excited to finally get back up on stage and do what he does best.
Yulissa Campos, playwright of “The Newcomer,” said she had a mix of emotions leading up to festival.
“Grateful, happy, excited. As an artists, this was a really hard year,” Campos said.
Campos said there was still uncertainty in the months leading up to the event, but after everything people have been through during the pandemic, she thinks this is just the thing to start getting back to normal.
“I think people are so ready to be out. We have been in lockdown and just hiding at home. People are like ‘you know what? It’s time to get out,’” Campos said.
“I’m sure the people will enjoy this. It’s nice to be outside, it’s beautiful weather. Enjoy live theatre, I think it’s time. People are ready for this.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.