Brian Paisley

Brian Paisley C.M. (1946 – 2 July 2026) was a Canadian film and theatre producer.

Early life

Paisley was born in 1946 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Career

Paisley was best known in Western Canada for his contributions to the development of Canadian theatre, most notably as the founder of the Edmonton International Fringe Festival, which he modeled after the Edinburgh Fringe. The festival began in 1982 and was the very first Fringe festival in North America. The alternative theatre concept has since spread and been developed as similar 'Fringes' in major cities across the continent including Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg, Boston, and New York. Paisley worked as producer of the Fringe festival in Edmonton for the first ten years of its existence, until 1991, when he left his position to shift his artistic focus from theatre to film.

Paisley's feature-length screenplay, Lies Like Truth, won the 2003 CHUM TV Reel Edge competition. Along with a million dollar plus budget for the film itself, a 13-part documentary film entitled Good To Go was made to chronicle the development of the project from script to screening. The documentary, which featured Paisley's insight prominently throughout the series, aired nationally in Canada on the A-Channel network. Lies Like Truth premiered at the 2005 Victoria Independent Film & Video Festival.

In 2006, Paisley once again tackled event production and worked as producer for the 2006 Victoria Arts Symposium.

Death

Paisley died on 2 July 2026, at the age of 79.

Recognition

In April, 2010, Paisley was invested to the Order of Canada. Named as a Member, he received the honour as "a cultural visionary who has left an indelible mark on Canadian theatre".

In 2012, the City of Edmonton named a new suburban neighbourhood in the Heritage Valley area as Paisley in his honour.

References

  1. ↑ "Brian Paisley, founder of North America's longest-running Fringe festival, has died". CTV News. The Canadian Press. 7 July 2026. Archived from the original on 7 July 2026. Retrieved 14 July 2026. Born in 1946 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Paisley grew up in Vancouver.
  2. ↑ "Brian Paisley". Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  3. ↑ Ostad, Ramin (6 July 2026). "'Father Fringe': Edmonton festival founder Brian Paisley remembered as 'staunch supporter of the arts and the artists'". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  4. ↑ CTV.ca
  5. ↑ "Mr. Brian Paisley | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | Member of the Order of Canada". Honours. Governor General of Canada. 7 April 2010 [23 October 2008]. Archived from the original on 11 December 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Ferchoff, Danielle (26 February 2013) [July 2012]. "Brian Paisley" (PDF). Naming Committee (Press release). City of Edmonton. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Stolte, Elise (23 August 2012). "New Edmonton suburb to be named for Fringe founder Brian Paisley". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.