Every year, over half a million people descend on Alberta’s capital city for the world-renowned Edmonton International Fringe Festival, presented by ATB Financial. Spotlighting over 200 theatre productions across 11 days with over 1,600 performances by local and international artists, it’s the largest and longest-running Fringe theatre festival in North America.

One of this year’s festival artists is Christine Lesiak, founder and artistic director of Small Matters Productions, whose interactive comedy show “For Science!” captivated festival audiences this year. Christine has been performing and producing at Fringe since 2008 and has seen it all—from wild and wacky experimental theatre to the pre-show rituals unique to each performer.

“I just love this spirit of experimentation and adventure and risk that happens at Fringe,” Christine says. “I love the energy. I love the artists of all ages getting together, and audiences that are hungry for something new and exciting—and maybe a little risque or adventuresome.”

But as exciting as the theatre world can be, the financial landscape for artists can be a bit daunting. As Canadians across the country struggle to keep up with the rising cost of living, many artists and arts organizations are faced with funding cuts that make their experience even more challenging. 

Although Canada is one of the most financially literate countries in the world, studies have shown that nearly half of Canadians wish they understood more than just the basics. And artists are no different. 

We chatted with Christine about how her financial literacy has evolved over the years and what advice she has for young performers.

Plan ahead and save where you can

Festival season requires a different approach to budgeting, Christine says, because so many expenses are upfront. “All of your fees have to be paid in the fall, and none of that revenue is coming in until the next summer,” she notes. “So managing that cash flow requires a bit of financial planning.”

Christine recommends getting creative with savings opportunities throughout the year, so that the backwards cash flow during festival season doesn’t come as a financial shock. 

“When I travel, I try to stay somewhere with a kitchen so I can cook my own food, because that’s a huge, huge factor in terms of expenses when you’re on the road,” she says. 

Christine also tries to find atypical accommodations when travelling. “We don’t tend to stay in hotels, because they’re a lot pricier,” she says. “As you get a little more financially stable in your career, look at short term rentals. And for some gigs, ideally they put you up somewhere.” 

But for travelling artists, sometimes the best place to stay is in someone’s home. “Fortunately, Fringes like Edmonton offer beautiful billet programs where people welcome artists into their homes,” she says. “Finding those sorts of spaces is really important.”

Capitalize on the financial freedom festivals offer

Festivals like Fringe offer more financial freedom for artists, Christine says, and that allows many to take more artistic risks. 

“The financial barrier for producing a show at Fringe is so much lower,” she says. “Because the Fringe is so accessible to young artists to create innovative, new, wacky things—things that you could never do in a regular season—it becomes a really important creative incubator and affects our entire culture.”

She continues, “Without Fringe as the entry point, I personally would have never been able to create some of the shows that I’ve created, which have gone on to have much more success.”

Stay on top of your taxes

Christine notes that the artistic brains of performers can sometimes make it difficult to think as a business person. “As an independent artist, we’re running small businesses,” she says. “To know as much as you can about those practices of cash flow, accounting and taxes is really, really valuable.”

She advises young artists to learn about their finances and their options for sustainable growth in the community. 

Fewer Canadians are saving for retirement now, according to 2022 tax filings, and the numbers show this is impacting young people the most.

“Deduct everything you can,” Christine advises. “And start an RRSP as soon as you possibly can.”

Build—and support—your community

Fellow performers and even audiences can have a big impact on artists and their financial stability. Christine enjoys building connections wherever she goes, finding joy in every community. 

“Every city is wonderful in its own way,” she says, reflecting back on her time as a travelling artist. “I love Edmonton. It’s my home, and I do love the energy here specifically. I love the audiences here. And I also really love travelling to the smaller communities as well. It’s really fun to meet everybody who’s interested in art wherever you are.”

And for those who are interested in art and want to see unique and wonderful festivals like Fringe continue on, Christine has one piece of advice.

“Support local artists by buying your tickets in advance.”