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This year is also the first time the Rounds have hosted international artists — and the first time the Gumbo Theatre troupe members have been to Canada. The language barrier hasn’t proven too difficult, and the couple have marked their foreign visitors’ first trip, giving them a memorable experience by showing them around Edmonton.

But even if the visitors aren’t from out of town, the couple likes to make their guests feel at home. They always sit down together for at least one home-cooked meal, and they like to keep in touch with some visitors after their stay.

“I’ve always been interested in getting to know new people and about their adventures,” Jim said.

Billeting doesn’t always make for the most comfortable night’s sleep. One Gumbo member is sleeping on the couch, while another is using a mattress on the floor. But for artists fighting to turn a profit on the punishing Fringe cycle, not having to worry about paying for the roof above your head makes a huge difference.

The Gumbo troupe has toured at fringe festivals around the globe. At North America festivals, billeting arrangements are commonplace, but in Australia and across Asia, artists pay to stay in hotels. In addition to the financial challenges of those arrangements, the lack of access to a kitchen makes it tough for performers to eat well after long days of work.

Aside from the accommodations, Gumbo members say the biggest difference between audiences in Canada and elsewhere in the world is that Canadian audiences are “more gentle and warm.” Their play pokes fun at those south of the border, at one point exclaiming that they’re “fat and stupid Americans.” Couple that with Gumbo performer Ryo Nishihara’s sacrilegious portrayal of Jesus Christ and audiences don’t always take in the show with good humour, but crowds in Edmonton have been gracious, the troupe says.

Another thing that sets Edmonton Fringe apart is that any artist or crew member can apply for billet housing.

“Most fringes only billet artists that have timed shows in venues. We also billet the buskers and the street performers,” said Barb, who has also taken on the role of co-ordinating 30 of the festival’s billet hosts this year. “We do their technical people as well — the stage managers and the crews that are within the company.”

jherring@postmedia.com

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