The Pulse
March 11, 2026

Fringe Theatre is offering a workshop series to help artists succeed at its own festival.

Launchpad consists of six workshops running from March 23 to 27. The sessions are open to all Fringe artists, from those who have never produced a show to established artists who want to learn a new skill, artistic director Murray Utas told Taproot.

"I think there's value for whether you are walking into your first (production), to whether you're tuning up to hit the road, and even if you're a pro — you might be reinventing yourself," he said.

The workshops will give artists tips on how to write and improve a play, build a production team, design a show that can tour to other festivals, design lights and sound, promote a show, and plan a tour. The Fringe has assembled a group of notable theatre artists to teach the workshops, both from within the organization and from the wider theatre community.

The series formalizes the way the Fringe already helps artists, Utas said, and aims to teach skills that can at times be mysterious to newer artists and producers. "I'm going to help you get out of your own way by giving you some tools for the toolbox," he said, adding that it's a way to equip artists to "close the gap on what (they) think is unattainable, and look at it and go, 'I just built a bridge myself, and now I'm going to walk across it.'"

The workshop series is just one initiative in Edmonton that aims to help newer theatre artists get their work produced:

• Workshop West Playwrights' Theatre offers a playwrights' circle and a play-reading service;
• The Alberta Playwrights' Network runs the annual EdmonTEN competition;
• Common Ground Arts trains producers through the RISER program;
• Walterdale Theatre produces a new play festival;
• Nextfest curates work from emerging artists for its annual festival;
• Fringe Theatre has also started a free playwrights' table to help writers prepare for a Fringe production.

Meanwhile, the organization is preparing for its second annual Fringe Benefit, promising an evening that is "more daring, decadent, and deliciously unpredictable than before" on April 10. The benefit is a way to raise money, but also to demonstrate what the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is about.

"We want people walking in that love us, and we also want people walking in that may not know us," Utas said. "If we want to showcase the fun, weird, amazing place that we are, then we need to make sure that they get that."

The fundraiser party started last year as part of the Sustain Fringe campaign, seeking to help the festival recover from COVID-era losses by building a monthly donor program. By the end of the 2025 Fringe Festival, the donor base stood at 692. This year's Fringe Festival returns from Aug. 13 to 23.

• Edmonton city council has asked administration to review when two-lane arterial roads should be expanded to four lanes after concerns that many roads in newer areas exceed their capacity. Coun. Jo-Anne Wright said some roads carry far more traffic than they were designed for and called for options to adjust the current 18,000-vehicle daily threshold for widening. Mayor Andrew Knack noted provincial rules limit how large roads can be built in new developments before demand increases.
• Edmonton's single-use item reduction bylaw, enacted in July 2023, has significantly reduced the use of plastic bags and straws, according to data presented to city council. Retail bag use plummeted by 79%, while straw and utensil consumption decreased by 26%. However, takeout container usage increased by over 80% and cup use by 5%, attributed to a lack of regulation and a 12% population increase.
• A funding boost last year helped iHuman Youth Society to connect with more vulnerable youth. This one-time increase of $1 million proposed by Mayor Andrew Knack in November 2025 was shared with The Mustard Seed and Boyle Street Community Services. It allowed the organizations to extend their hours from Dec. 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, and iHuman said it was able to open 120 daytime shelter spaces.
• Dianne and Mike Ilesic of Edmonton are pushing for legislative changes to federal parole eligibility laws, named "Brian's Bill," in honour of their son Brian Ilesic. Brian was murdered in June 2012 during an armed robbery in HUB Mall at University of Alberta by Travis Baumgartner. Introduced by Conservative MP Kerry Diotte, Bill C-243 would mandate a five-year waiting period between parole applications for convicted murderers after an initial denial, instead of annually. The bill is scheduled for debate in the House of Commons this week.
• Downtown Dining Week kicks off on March 11, aiming to draw more people to Edmonton's core during the hospitality industry's slow spring season. Michael Paruby, General Manager of Campio Brewing Co., hopes the 12-day event helps businesses, while Quinn Phillips of the Downtown Business Association challenged negative perceptions. "I think the narrative is that downtown is dead, but that is just not the case," Phillips said. This year, 68 restaurants are participating.
• Edmonton's Alphonso Davies left the field with an injury during Bayern Munich's Champions League match against Atalanta in Bergamo, Italy, on March 10. The 25-year-old Canadian star appeared distraught after suffering an apparent non-contact injury, leading to concerns about his availability for the upcoming World Cup. Bayern manager Vincent Kompany indicated that Davies was being checked for a muscular injury. This injury follows Davies's recent return from an injury suffered in February and a serious knee injury from March 2025.
• First Nations chiefs and Indigenous leaders gathered at the Alberta legislature in Edmonton to urge the province to end the separation debate. Confederacy of Treaty 8 First Nations Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi said that their rights are being minimized, and chiefs unanimously called for a non-confidence vote against the government. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi tabled a motion, but the United Conservative Party, which holds a majority, shut it down.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Meet and Greet with Mayor and Council starting at 7:30am at Edmonton Unlimited
• Community Coffee Takeover: Levven Electronics starting at 9am at Edmonton Unlimited
• Pride Week * Queer Research Connections starting at 10am at Allard Hall
• Wenatchee Wild vs. Edmonton Oil Kings starting at 11am at Rogers Place
• Capital Access & Women Founders: Progress, Gaps, and What's Next starting at 12pm online
• How to Choose the Right CRM for Your Business (Even If You've Tried Before) starting at 1pm online
• Open Data Day starting at 2:30pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Chrysalis Connects starting at 5pm at Vi's for Pies
• Bioeconomy Guild Night - March starting at 5pm at MKT Fresh Food | Beer Market
• 2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts: Documentary starting at 6pm at Garneau Theatre
• Leading With Purpose: Stronger Leaders, Businesses & Careers starting at 6:30pm at Aura Cocktail Bar
• Off the Page starting at 7:30pm at La Cité Francophone

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 15: The Upcycled Market at Earth's Refillery Coop
• March 18: Climate x Health Exchange at Campio Ritchie
• March 21: Transit Accessibility Town Hall at Edmonton Association of the Deaf

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

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