In a past life — high school actually — Amy Blackmore was a trained contemporary dancer. That experience was to come in very handy over the ensuing years.

Blackmore has been the executive and artistic director of the Montreal Fringe Festival the last 16 years, and her hoofing past has certainly sensitized her understanding of the cultural needs of the community she serves. On the other hand, for almost all of her time on the Fringe front, Blackmore has been doing plenty of dancing in dealing with the incessant challenges that come with the turf.

It has been no different with this year’s 36th edition, which runs until Sunday.

For starters, the Fringe has no permanent home. Blackmore is still looking for an affordable one. So she is renting its old home, the Mainline Theatre on the Main, for just a month. The same theatre, the Fringe’s former indoor home base, that had been deluged by a flood and a caved-in roof two years ago.

At present, Blackmore and some volunteers are taking down the fest’s outdoor base, the Fringe Tent — located in the Parc des Amériques on the corner of Rachel St. and St-Laurent Blvd. — a week before the fest ends. In addition to being the libation centre, the tent has also been the nerve centre of the Fringe, where artists and patrons congregate to swap tales. But because of scheduling issues involving other events in the area, Blackmore agreed to shut down the tent earlier this year.

Nor has the weather — rains and wild temperatures — helped.

“We’ve had just the worst weather imaginable, but we’ve managed to survive … as always,” says Blackmore, flashing her trademark smile,

Blackmore is an indomitable force. Since 5 a.m. on this morning, the diminutive boss, heavy tools in hand, has been bringing down the tent with volunteers.

Regardless of the obstacles, the festival has been operating full-tilt: 110 companies — from across the country and beyond — will have presented more than 600 performances in over 20 venues........

© Montreal Gazette