DID YOU KNOW: our very own Allana Reoch is a Canadian Comedy Award nominated comedian, freshly back from a hot trip to the Chicago Women’s Funny Festival. We thought we’d ask her to lend her expert opinion re: what comedy shows to check out at this year’s Toronto Fringe Fest, which kicks off WEDNESDAY! Take it away, Lannerz. 

1. Toronto, I Love You
The Bad Dog Repertory Players are some of Toronto’s finest improvisers. If you love improvised comedy (and who doesn’t?) I highly recommend checking out this unscripted, unconventional love letter to Toronto.

2. Sex T-Rex presents – Watch out Wildkat: Yer’ Dealin’ with the Devil
Action-Comedy!!!!!!!!!! This is the troupe’s third full-length scripted comedy, and as their previous shows were all met with rave reviews, I doubt this one will disappoint. Plus, Cowboys.

3. 2-Man-No-Show: Frozens
Canadian Comedy Award-nominated duo Ken Hall and Isaac Kessler are true Fringe faves. A trip to the festival would not be complete without checking out some of the duo’s amazing chemistry and high energy. If you haven’t seen these two perform, I highly recommend it. Check out performance dates here.

4. Everything Is Fine…
This show boasts some incredible up-and-coming talent from the city’s bustling comedy community, as well as the direction of aforementioned Fringe fave Ken Hall. It also features… me. I’m in this show and really not interested in pretending I am above shameless self-promotion. The cast has put together an immersive experience that bastardizes taboo topics like death, homosexuality and abortion. It’s gonna be great. Join us in Hell, because Everything Is Fine. www.everythingisfine.ca

5. An Evening In July
Recently nominated for a Canadian Comedy award for Best Sketch Troupe of 2013, Briana Templeton and Gwynne Phillips of the Templeton Philharmonic take character comedy to new levels. I was lucky enough to catch an excerpt of the piece a few months ago and am very excited to see it in its entirety. Information about this site-specific comedy can be found here!

6. Love’s Labour’s Lost
Shakespeare! At the Fringe Festival! A revolutionary idea, I know. Produced by Shakespeare Bash’d, an up and coming theatre company who exclusively revive, you guessed it, Shakespearean classics, this company won Best of the Fringe last year. Having seen many of these actors in action with classical text, I can guarantee you this show will be as engaging as it is polished. Get your culture on with this show.

7. Peter n’ Chris and the Kinda OK Corral
Physical comedy, great characters, and sharp writing – this troupe has it all. I had the pleasure of catching an incarnation of this show at Toronto’s Sketch Comedy Festival this year, where these two won the Audience Choice award and had to have an extra show ADDED just to appease the demand of the crowd. Peter n’ Chris also won the Canadian Comedy Award for best Sketch Troupe last year and are nominated again this year! You don’t want to miss this show, trust me. Get your tickets way in advance. Plus, Cowboys (again).

8. Watching Seana McKenna Watch Paint Dry
I picked this solely on the title. As a stand-alone, this title is enough of an inside theatre-nerd joke for me to go and see it, regardless of what it’s about. By the way, I have no idea what it’s about and I’m not going to try to find out before I see it*. If you’d like to, you can click here.

*Side note, I did just look it up and it is performed by lawyers. So, I mean. Yes. Absolutely see this.

9. You Detective
Fratwurst refer to themselves as Toronto’s “second favourite sketch troupe.” They are completely right in doing so and as such have crafted an interactive detective show that is bound to be your second favourite of the festival. Wink! In all honesty, this show is one of the most elaborate of the comedy offerings at this year’s Fringe, with several different possible endings, depending on the choices of the audience. Props to the innovation and commitment required to stage a show with such an intricate structure. Check out the details here.

10. Rulers of the Universe: A Love Story
Back-to-back Sketch Com-Ageddon champions, Rulers of the Universe are not only clever, but awesome performers as well. This troupe impresses me every time I see them, so I would suggest not missing out on their first full-length Fringe show!

I have my Fringe Festival pass. Have you got yours? Buy one here!