History

Many thanks to our board member Eric Grace, who compiled the following history of Intrepid Theatre’s first 25 years.

INTREPID THEATRE COMPANY SOCIETY

1986

• Intrepid Theatre Company is registered as a non-profit society in November. Its mandate: to produce new and experimental theatre in non-traditional venues and create employment opportunities in the local theatre community.

 

1987

• Proposal for the Adoption and Instigation of a Commitment and Blueprint Towards Hosting Victoria’s Fringe Festival is published by Randy Smith and Julia Menard.

 

• Intrepid mounts Victoria’s first Fringe Festival in September. Performers include Clayton Jevne, Linda Rogers and Stuart Nemtin (aka Major Conrad Flapps), with street theatre from Raging Grannies.

 

• The Festival lasts three days, sells over 1500 tickets to 45 performances in three venues and makes about $1000 for Intrepid.

 

1988

• Intrepid moves into its new offices in the Central Building at 620 View Street.  Randy Smith is Artistic Director; Laura Evans is PR Supervisor.

 

• The Victoria Fringe is one of four Fringe Festivals in Canada. This year’s Fringe features Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie, David Langlois’ Emotional Baggage, and Ross Desprez in his one-man show The Ballad of Phil Ochs.

 

• Thirty companies perform in five venues from Sept. 21-25 and ticket sales are triple last year’s.

 

1989

• The Fringe extends its run to nine days. Shows this year include English Suitcase Theatre’s The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, and Christie in Love, and Mump and Smoot’s Something.

 

• Intrepid ends the Fringe Festival with a few thousand dollars in the black on an operating budget of about $200,000.

 

1990

• There are now six Fringe Festivals in Canada. The Globe and Mail describes Fringe Festivals as “the most successful development in Canadian Theatre in the last decade.”

 

• Among 40 shows from three countries featured in the Fringe are Bob Bossin’s Stringband; Eufemia Fantetti’s Goodnight, Moon; Mark Leiren-Young’s Jim, Mump and Smoot’s Cage with Wog; Shane McCabe’s No Place Like Home; and Sensible Footwear’s Spit It Out.

 

• Fringe ticket sales top 10,000 and houses average about 52 percent. Two-hour lineups at some shows has Rona Murray writing in Monday Magazine: “There is an audience out there hungry for something it isn’t getting.”

 

1991

• The Fringe goes international with shows from Norway (folk singer Birgitte Grimstad);  Germany (an adaptation of Gertrude Stein’s I am I because my little dog knows me; and the Soviet Union (Igroky Theatre’s version of  Orwell’s Animal Farm).

 

• The Fringe Festival is now the largest arts event in Victoria, relying on about 280 volunteers.

 

• Intrepid introduces FringeKids — a free day of crafts, games and entertainment  for children — the first of its kind among Canadian Fringe Festivals.

 

• After five years as producer of the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival, Randy Smith leaves Intrepid Theatre to work with Pacific Opera Victoria. He is replaced by Tammy Isaacson. Janet Munsil is the new general manager.

 

1992

• The Victoria Fringe is attended by more than 17,000 people, with ticket-buyers waiting up to 90 minutes in some lineups and popular shows being sold out. Despite this, the Fringe ends about $2,000 in the red.

 

1993

• The Victoria Fringe moves a month earlier to take advantage of better weather and a tighter schedule with the timing of the Edmonton and Vancouver Fringe Festivals.

 

• Fringe shows include Michael MacLennan’s Beat The Sunset; UMO Ensemble’s El Dorado; Foursight Theatre’s Bloody Mary and the Virgin Queen; and Suddenly Dance Theatre’s Opium and Other Addictions.

 

• Fringe attendance sets a new record at 22,000. A survey shows that nearly 40 percent of the Victoria Fringe audience is over the age of 40.

 

• Intrepid produces its first show in October: David Drake’s The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, featuring Stephen White, performed at Theatre Inconnu in Market Square.

1994

• The Fringe includes performers from Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Guyana and Ghana — travelling to Victoria as part of the Commonwealth Games celebrations.

 

• Fringe shows include Janet Munsil’s The Ugly Duchess; Foursight Theatre’s  Frankenstein’s Mothers; and Intrepid Theatre’s It’s All the Rage.

 

• Fringe attendance climbs to 25,000 and uses the help of more than 300 volunteers.

 

• In October, Intrepid produces Charles Tiddler’s Fabulous Yellow Roman Candle — a play about Jack Kerouac starring Eric Breker.

 

1995

• Intrepid opens Planet Theatre, a 120-seat studio theatre located in an empty retail space on the fourth floor of the Victoria Eaton Centre.

 

• Intrepid presents the premiere of Emphysema by Janet Munsil, directed by Tim Crofton.

 

• The Fringe presents 18 shows on opening night, prompting Fringe producer Stephen White to observe: “If you took all the theatre companies in town, took their entire season and put it on stage in one night, it still wouldn’t be as big.”

 

• The Fringe includes 273 performances by 44 companies at seven venues over eleven days. The Victoria Fringe breaks even while other Canadian Fringe Festivals dip into the red.

 

 

1996

• Intrepid has 284 members, making it the second largest theatre company in Victoria.

 

• Fire and building inspectors recommend renovations to the Planet Theatre space — at an estimated cost of $30,000.

 

• Intrepid relocates to a new office space at 510 Fort St.

 

• Intepid presents The Sex Change Artist by Charles Tidler, directed by Stephen White and featuring Ned Lemley, Tim Crofton, and Matthew Payne.

 

 

1997

• The first UNO Festival of Solo Performance presents six shows in two venues with little support from the city or attention from the print media.

 

• After the closing of Planet Theatre last year, the search for another theatre space continues, with a meeting among Intrepid, Theatre Inconnu, Story Theatre, Eclectic Circus, Target Theatre, Rocking Horse, and Puente Theatre to discuss the needs of small alternative companies.

 

• Stephen White resigns as Producer of the Fringe and Chris MacDonald steps in at the last moment as Production Manager.

 

• This year’s Fringe uses 350 volunteers, 8 stages and 48 productions.

 

1998

• Ros Smith begins work as Fringe Festival Co-ordinator.

 

• UNO Festival hosts 14 shows from Canada and the US, gaining an audience three times the size of last year’s.

 

1999

• Uno Fest’s third presentation includes Objects in the Mirror are Stranger Than They Appear by Lyle Victor Albert; The Ugly Duchess by Janet Munsil; and The Hats of Mr. Zenobe by Robert Astle.

 

• There are 52 Fringe productions in six venues. Favourites include Dawson Nichols’ I Might Be Edgar Allan Poe; The Weird Sisters’ Love Play; The Guten Jungs’ Get Outta Here!; Randy Rutherford’s My Brother Sang Like Roy Orbison; and Alex Dallas’ Goddess.

 

2000

• Intrepid has a $35,000 deficit.

 

• Uno Fest is suspended this year to help balance the budget.

 

• Gayle Manktelow is appointed the new general manager of Intrepid.

 

• Only three Victoria companies participate in the Fringe. Overall, there are 44 shows in five venues this year.

 

2001

• Uno Fest is back in black after a one-year absence. It is North America’s only surviving solo theatre festival. The 4th annual festival features 11 solo shows including Coyote Lips, written and performed by Barbara Poggemiller; T. J. Dawe’s Labrador, and San Francisco neo-cabaret singer Jill Tracy.

 

• Intrepid presents the first production of Janet Munsil’s Circus Fire and

brings The Tiger Lillies to the McPherson Playhouse.

 

• The Fringe is cut back in size from previous years, featuring 32 shows in four venues. Ticket sales remain steady, however, at about 11,000.

 

2002

• Intrepid Theatre presents K Brian Neel’s Double Climax and Jason Grossman’s one-man version of It’s a Wonderful (One-Man Show) Life!

 

• Although downsized to seven productions, this year’s Uno Fest has an increased attendance of nearly 50% over the previous year. Uno shows include  Saving the Desert Tortoise by Richard Harrington; Teaching Shakespeare by Keir Cutler; Pierre Brault in Blood on the Moon; and See Me Naked by Maria Glanz. The Festival introduces popular free outdoor performances: ZODIAC: 12 new monologues under the stars.

 

• Fringe shows includes Alex Dallas’ Nymphomania; and Saucy Fops’ Talking Simple Made.

 

 

2003

• Ian Case joins Intrepid as General Manager.

 

• The 6th annual Uno Fest features 11 productions, including Andy Jones’ To The Wall; Nicola Gunn’s The Elephant Club; and An Evening with Big Bill Broonzy, performed by Okon Ubanga Jones.

 

• Intrepid launches the first Intrepid Petri Dish New Play Competition. The winner will receive $300 and a spot in next year’s Fringe Festival.

 

• Intrepid presents three solo shows (Circus Gothic, The Ballad of Phil Ochs, and The Ugly Duchess) at Saltspring Island’s ArtSpring in June.

 

 

2004

• Intrepid presents A Suicide-Site Guide to the City by Mammalian Diving Reflex; The Trials of John Demjanjuk – A Holocaust Cabaret by Jonathan Garfinkel; and

Old Trout’s Puppet Workshop’s The Last Supper of Antonin Careme.

 

• The 7th annual Uno Fest is held in June and produces a 20% increase in revenue over last year. Productions include Man 1, Bank 0; The Piano Tuner; and Girlesque.

 

• Fringe offerings include:  Saucy Fops’ Articulate; Jonno Katz’ Cactus; Jolene Bailie’s Cuppa Jo; and Screwed and Clued’s Pinocchio.

 

• Intrepid’s plans for a new 150-seat theatre in the proposed 8-storey Bambu condo building in Chinatown fall through when the developer abandons the project.

 

• In November, Intrepid presents Charles Ross’ One Man Lord of the Rings.

 

2005

• Intrepid presents The Black Rider by November Theatre; King O Fun by Andy Jones; and The Unlikely Birth of Istvan by Old Trout Puppet Workshop.

 

• Popular Uno Fest performances include Uber Alice: The Elaborate Adventures of a New Zealand Manicurist by Jonno Katz; Lift and Separate by Tara Cheyanne Friedenberg; The Reefer Man by Russell Bennett; Everything is Sick and Wrong by J. McLaughlin; Patti Fedy in… The Hunt by Emelia Symington; and One Man Star wars Trilogy by Charles Ross.

 

• In June, Intrepid opens Metro Studio. The former gymnasium in the Victoria  Conservatory of Music is a 200-seat black box theatre that still needs to be painted black and have improvements in sound, lighting and seating added.

Nathan Medd is Metro’s operations manager and development co-ordinator.

 

• Fringe offerings include T.J. Dawe’s Labrador; Michael McClure’s The Beard; Boygroove; and Dawson Nichols’ Virtual Solitaire.

 

2006

• In January, the Metro Studio is painted black.

 

• In April, Cultural Spaces Canada provides a $99,000 grant to allow further upgrading of the Metro Studio.

 

• The 9th annual Uno Festival has 11 shows and moves from the Belfry to the Metro. Popular performances include Bonhoeffer by Peter Krummeck; The Power of Ignorance by Chris Gibbs; Out of the Bog by Jonathan Harris; Jesus in Montana by Barry Smith; Tiny Ninja Theatre’s Hamlet; and I Will Make You Orphans by Sean Christopher Lewis.

 

• Fringe shows include Rob Gee in The Bold and Spiky Poetry Show; Sebastien Archibald’s Death of a Clown; Legoland; Tippi Seagram’s Happy Hour; and The Pajama Men in Stop Not Going.

 

• Intrepid Theatre’s founder, Randy Smith, dies in Vancouver of complications from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

 

• New, plush wide seats are installed in the Metro in November.

• Intrepid presents the Seinendan Theatre Company of Japan in The Yalta Conference/Ronin Office Ladies; Andrew Dawson’s Absence and Presence;

and Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg’s bANGER: The Power Hour.

 

 

2007

• Intrepid presents Tim Crouch’s An Oak Tree, and My Arm;  Neworld Theatre’s The Adventures of Ali and Ali and the Axis of Evil; and The Old Trout Puppet Workshop’s Famous Puppet Death Scenes.

 

• Intrepid’s budget this year is nearly $900,000 (compared with $250,000 in 2003.)

 

• UnoFest performances includes Julia Mackey’s Jake’s Gift; Christen Clifford’s Baby Love; Pauline Liengme’s Her Father’s Barn; Andrew Bailey’s Putz; and J. McLaughlin’s Now More Than Ever.

 

• 21st Annual Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival includes BLiNK (SNAFU Dance Theatre); The Cody Rivers Show: Flammable People; Die Roten Punkte; Jayson McDonald’s Giant Invisible Robot; Mark Scott’s Kiwi Joker; Laura Harris’ Pitch Blond; Andrew Bailey’s Putz; Rainer Hersch’s Victor Borge; Jonno Katz’ Uber Alice: The Elaborate Adventures of a New Zealand Manicurist; and Randy Rutherford’s Singing at the Edge of the World.

 

• This year’s Fringe breaks the previous indoor attendance record and the final day sees the highest number of tickets sold in one day (over 2500).

 

 

2008

• Intrepid presents Boca Del Lupo’s My Dad, My Dog and Theatre SKAM’s My Three Sisters.

 

• Uno Fest almost doubles its attendance, following an expanded variety of programming and decreased ticket prices. Uno shows include Pitch Blonde; Antoine Feval; Diary of a Madman and Dream of a Ridiculous Man; blood.claat: one womban story; and An Evening with Uncle Val.

 

• UnoDanz, a presentation of dance performances produced by Suddenly Dance, appears in this year’s Uno Fest for the first time.

 

• Popular Fringe shows include Julia Mackey’s Jake’s Gift; Jayson McDonald’s Boat Load; London Theatre Productions’ The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes; and Nile Seguin’s Fear of a Brown Planet.

 

• A one-night fundraiser performance of Charles Ross’ One Man Star Wars Trilogy is held at the McPherson Playhouse, together with a silent auction in the theatre lobby. It is the most successful fundraising event to date and a portion of the proceeds is donated to the new Randy Smith Scholarship Fund to support a Vic High student entering post-secondary studies in theatre.

 

2009

• Intrepid presents Bruce Horak’s This Is Cancer at the Intrepid Club and Atomic Vaudeville’s Ride the Cyclone at the Metro Studio.

 

• Uno Festival of Solo Performance is officially re-named this year to the shorter and snappier Uno Fest. Tickets for Cute With Chris Live sell out quickly in advance of the show. Other Uno Fest performances include the puppet show Cam and Legs, My Name is Rachel Corrie,  Every Time I see Your Picture I Cry, Pyaasa, and Who The Hell is Todd Allen?

 

• The first annual showcase of local dance talent — Light On Our Feet — is held at Metro Studio, with proceeds going towards upgrading the theatre’s equipment.

 

• The BC government freezes $36 million in grants from gambling profits to community groups, and Intrepid’s share of funding is cut by $35,000 just as the Fringe Festival opens.

 

• Fringe sets a record, with an attendance of close to 16,000 (compared with the last record of 11,000 in 1999).  Over 12,200 tickets are sold and another 3,750 attend free events such as the day-long Fringe Kids. This year sees the highest rate of sold-out shows in Victoria Fringe history and Visa buttons were sold out for the first time ever.

 

• Intrepid uses Facebook, Twitter, iPhone and iPod apps to connect with Fringe audiences.

 

• Fringe favourites this year include Die Roten Punkte; Jayson McDonald’s Fall Fair; Gemma Wilcox’ The Honeymoon Period is Officially Over; Jonno Katz’ The Accident; Jem Rolls Latest Flops; Ryuzanji Company’s High Life; Ausable Theatre’s archy and mehitabel; A Random Selection of Chairs’ War of 1812; Cherry Cherry Lemon; and SNAFU Dance Theatre’s Pretty Little Instincts.

 

• The Fringe that Stole Christmas is a successful fundraiser auction, named in honour of the large cuts in government arts budget made in the fall.

 

 

2010

• Now in its 13th season, Uno Fest is North America’s longest running festival of solo performance. Highlights include Eric Davis’ Red Bastard; Bob Wiseman’s Actionable; Andrew Bailey’s Limbo; Chris Gibbs’ Like Father, Like Son; Jayson McDonald’s Gunpowder; Yumi Ogawa’s Japanglish; and Johnnie Walker’s Redheaded Stepchild.