EDMONTON – Just outside the capital in the community of St. Albert, the 35th edition of the International Children’s Festival will get under way this spring.
“We shop a year, two, sometimes three years ahead for some of the artists,” Kelly Jerrott, the director of cultural service for St. Albert, said.
While this year’s schedule is set, the loonie’s dive is presenting some unwelcome drama for future seasons.
“The reality is is that we are looking at the number of shows that we are providing and we’re looking at where we’re bringing artists from,” Jerrott explained.
The dollar is currently in the mid 70-cent range, but earlier this year it was below 70 cents. Go back to the spring of 2011 and the dollar was above parity.
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“We’re looking at our budgets to be as clever and smart and resourceful as possible,” Shelley Switzer with the Street Performers Festival said.
Streetfest pays for a performers’ travel and accommodation, but it’s up to the artists to make their income from patrons. The low loonie could mean, potentially, less take-home pay with the exchange rate.
“Where we might feel it at our festival is in their hat pitch when they’re passing the hat at the end of the performance,” Switzer said.
With the low dollar, it might mean people will be closer to home this festival season, providing a chance for organizers to capitalize on the so-called “staycation.”
“I think those that travel, maybe they’re not going to travel this year and maybe they’re going to come down and maybe we see some new audience and that would be fantastic,” Fringe Theatre Adventures’ artistic director Murray Utas said.
“We always want to bring in the best quality show that we can,” Jerrott said.
Back in St. Albert, future seasons are being mapped out with a promise to keep quality strong wherever the dollar is at.
“We’re very fortunate that we have a city that’s very supportive of arts and culture,” Jerrott said, “and we have a very strong audience base.”
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