A Message from the Ottawa Fringe Board

Over the Summer, the Ottawa Fringe conducted a successful reorganization of the management team to create a new position, Executive Director. Within this structure, the other new role of General Manager and existing roles of Technical Director and Marketing and Communications Officer will report to the Executive Director.

The Board is pleased to announce Alain Richer will be joining the Ottawa Fringe as the Executive Director. Alain joins the Ottawa Fringe from Mainstage Theatre Company, a youth musical theatre organization. He has spent 7 seasons as the Artistic Director for Mainstage, developing the organization over the last decade into an impressive frontrunner for arts training and enthusiastically engaging the local community. He is well known for creating high-quality productions, dedicated community and relationship building, as well as artistic development of new works and emerging artists.

In addition to Mainstage, Alain is a multifaceted stage and screen artist whose professional work ranges from producing to directing to designing. He worked in production design for Groupe Média (TFO), pioneering the development of cutting-edge, real-time virtual design and technology in its productions. Understanding the range of challenges theatre productions and communities face, Alain’s background in both live and virtual storytelling is an excellent asset as the Ottawa Fringe continues to navigate performance and artistic creation in a pandemic world.

As an experienced arts leader, Alain is committed to engaging underrepresented groups and future generations of artists by facilitating accessible opportunities that offer practical experience in theatre and fostering a safe space to develop their craft. These priorities reflect the values of the Ottawa Fringe and undercurrents festivals, and the Board looks forward to working with Alain to continue supporting our theatre and arts communities.

He studied theatre theory and production at Queen’s University. After exploring theatre works from various cities across Canada, Alain is looking forward to returning to his roots, close to his childhood home just outside of Ottawa, and the Board is thrilled to welcome his tenure with the Ottawa Fringe

The Board would like to thank the outgoing Marketing and Communications Officer, Amanda Logan, for her contributions. The staffing changes present an opportunity for new team members, particularly for those interested in marketing and communications, so don’t hesitate to get in touch!

We would like to thank Kevin Waghorn and Patrick Gauthier for their dedication to the organization over the last several years.

Any inquiries can be made to the Board of Directors at board@ottawafringe.com.