Rutherford Elementary School

I’ve decided to review local Edmonton businesses and institutions as they are for Fringe venues because I’m a Fringe and Unilocaler nerd like that. So keeping that in mind this review is for Rutherford Elementary School as a BYOV (bring your own venue) for The Edmonton International Fringe Festival. This is not a review for the school as an educational institution. This is also not a review of any shows I’ve seen here. Let’s go.
As a Fringe BYOV Rutherford has several good points and a couple of bad one. First one of the best things about this venue is that it is in a school and you have access to the washrooms inside (this isn’t true for all school venues). It’s nice to know if you gotta go you don’t have to resort to a port-​a-​pottie.
The other nice thing about Rutherford is it’s over by La Cite Francophone, which is a bit quieter area of the Fringe. There is a box office over at La Cite, which is just a short walk across the street, so it’s easy to get tickets for shows around this area. Being that this venue is over by La Cite it could be easy for people around the main box to book a show here, and not realize it’s a bit of a ways from the main site. Remember always check where your venues are to make sure there’s enough time to get from one show to another.
If you walk from the main site you’ll need at least an hour to get there (30 minutes to walk, plus you should be at your show 30 minutes early). The bus is also an option, but I usually just drive. If you can find parking along the street or right at the school parking lot (which is pretty small) then parking is free. If not there’s paid parking at La Cite, which from what I remember is pretty reasonably priced.
As a theatre space Rutherford is just okay. The theatre is inside the gym, and depending on the show itself I’ve seen several different setups for staging at this venue. Sometimes the show will use the stage, which makes it a bit easier for everyone to see the show, but I’ve also been to shows here where they have the stage at ground level. This can be an issue because the chairs here are all at ground level, not on stepped platform. Basically this means that if someone taller than you is in front of you then you won’t be able to see anything. Plan to get to in line early if you want a front row seat.
Being that this is a school there isn’t food or drink available at this venue, or allowed inside. There is always the water fountains if you need a drink, and there are couple of food options close by for pre or post show dining.