"There's so much more I need to learn from you and I want more stories," Utas said.
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According to Utas, the lack of traditional administrative gatekeepers enabled independent artists to take creative risks that still influence local companies.
"If you look at just the sheer voracious volume of independent work that happens during the year outside of the festival, there's a direct relation from being able to take that risk at the fringe cause we subsidize a lot of it.
I think that kernel spirit is what drives an entire indie community," Utas said.
Utas added that Paisley recognized the momentum of the festival after setting its groundwork, even as it grew far beyond his initial expectations.
"It's like a snowball rolling down a hill. Once it got going, it just kept picking up momentum," Utas said.
Longtime theatre critic Liz Nicholls, who met Paisley in the early years of the festival, described his personality as uniquely suited to the theatrical environment he built.
"It put Edmonton on an international map," Nicholls said.
Nicholls emphasized that the festival shifted the focus of local productions away from large financial backings toward creative resourcefulness.
"The budget didn't rule. It was ingenuity and in its informality, it broke down the traditional barriers," Nicholls said.
The structural layout of the festival ultimately empowered the performers by removing corporate directives.
"It asked artists, what do you want to do instead of artists being told what to do?" Nicholls said.
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The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival will mark its 45th anniversary in August 2026 with a public community gathering to share stories and honor Paisley.
