This year, the Toronto Fringe Festival will run from July 3-14, returning with over 77  shows at 16 venues across Toronto. Watch the city come to life with comedies, dramas, musicals, dance, storytelling, and more.  ALSO – there will be free events and entertainment at the Fringe Patio and the KidsFest Club. What a great way to round out the theatre watching experience. 

Fringe serves as a platform for innovative theatre and performance, with many new voices and stories showcased that Canada has yet to see. All ticket revenue will go straight to the artists to better support the local arts scene – yay!  All Fringe shows in the festival are not curated, as you might expect, but rather chosen by a lottery draw  This allows underrepresented voices and artists the chance at presenting their project at a fair cost, for a fair return. One of the most accessible theatre experiences for artists and for you! Show prices range from $6 for patrons aged 12 and under to $18 for general admission. To make this festival even more accessible, there will be daily discounts announced daily on their site for tickets priced at $13 for select shows. 

We wanted to highlight some of the women and queer-led productions in this year’s lineup we believe will be a SMASH HIT! So that your fringe watch list will slay as strongly as these talented writers, performers, and theatre practitioners. Here are some of the shows to add to your list this year.

Courtesy of Fringe Festival

The Bluffs

This mix of modern gothic and classic horror follows Eleanor as she makes her final visit to her creaky bluff-side cottage. Following her wife’s tragic death in the lake below, she navigates a life thereafter. A storm traps Eleanor, her squatter brother-in-law, and a mysterious neighbour inside the home. While stuck inside, the three of them must contend with their complicated relationships with each other and the deceased, and work together to defeat the overlooming presence in the cottage walls. The team who put this together are dedicated to their craft and one of the cast members, Shelayna Christante recently won a DORA for an outstanding performance by an ensemble!  More info.

Courtesy of Fringe Festival

Disarming Venus

Several women share their personal stories and perspectives on love, beauty, and ageing at Disarming Venus. Heightened emotions will take the forefront of this play with poignant, inspirational, and comedic scenes. If you enjoy light hearted shows, this might just be the show for you! It’s got it all with drama, comedy, puppetry, and music to take audiences on an emotional roller coaster. Listen in on women-led stories, we heard it’s a fun filled Game of Crones … without the blood and gore! More info. 

Courtesy of Fringe Festival

Girls’ Night Cabin Fever

You might want to hide behind your chairs at Girls’ Night Cabin Fever because things are going to get spooky. This fast-paced, horror farce follows three women who are stranded in a creepy cabin. Charlie, Ember, and Liz make an attempt to survive all the classic perils of a cabin in the woods, but can they also rekindle their childhood friendship?  If you love shows that have you on the edge of your seat, I can guarantee you that this show will leave for a memorable night. Think about any horror and action movie that sits in your Letterbox and multiply that, and there you have it, Girls’ Night Cabin Fever. More info.

Courtesy of Fringe Festival

Gringas

Seven Latina-teenagers have lost their ability to speak Spanish. To reconnect with their roots, their mothers force them to attend a Spanish-only summer camp. Inside cabins, bathing in lakes, and breathing in cigarette smoke, these young women are set on a journey to find themselves before the end of summer. If that alone is not enough to push you to get tickets for this show, the playwright of this show is She Does The City’s very own Digital Content Producer, Mercedes Isaza Clunie!  Her writing is phenomenal and this award-winning mystical and hilarious story will reflect one of the many experiences of what it means to be Latina-Canadian today. More info.

Courtesy of Fringe Festival

Gutted

This new contemporary dance work by Katie Adams-Gossage, soloist Frédérique Perron steps into her own calcified edges. This alluring performance will unearth the materiality of the body in its most raw form. Dance is one of those art mediums that may require a closer attention to detail, but viewers of all ages can join in on this transformative experience. Audiences can expect a tethered, drenched, and gutted performance that calls for undivided attention. Katie Adams-Gossage is best known for her visual art that blurs the conceptions of form, you are guaranteed to be entranced by her movements. More info.

Courtesy of Fringe Festival

Patty Picker

Life at 16 is no easy feat, the world seems to be in the cusp of your hands. Follow Patty, a 16 year old girl who is the embodiment of youth. She eats pizza for breakfast, plays chess, and works to keep a secret underneath. Her life is turned upside down when her shame against picking her nose becomes gossip. While keeping everything else in order, Patty deals with her picky girlfriend Phoebe, problematic father Paul, and getting revenge on Preston who caused it all. If you were a chronic Tumblr user in the 2010’s the coming-of-age angst will be familiar to you during this production. This show is more than gossip and teenage experiences, it speaks to tolerance, bullying, and acceptance, who wouldn’t want that? More info.

Courtesy of Fringe Festival

Remembrance 

Follow the journey of a young Caribbean woman who comes to a crossroad in her life. This play embarks on a series of spiritual experiences that helps her access the memory that is stored in her DNA. She remembers the true power of her healing, spiritual, sexual and sensual energy of women. This play is not only brought to life by the actors, but by using traditional Afro-Caribbean Dance, ancestral wisdom, poetry, as well as Dancehall and Soca dance. There are so many dimensions to this play that make it as great as it is. It is not only filled with these grand performances, but it was composed with care to reflect these spiritual experiences. These performances take the audience on a memorable journey and are loosely based on real life experiences! More info.

Courtesy of Fringe Festival

Snacey!

Snacey is throwing a birthday party for herself, but she fears nobody will attend. Snacey is self aware that she has not been the kindest snake, so it is time for her to be rid of her practices. She discovers the power of an apology and works hard to win back her animal-puppet friends to accept that she is capable of change. This is one that I think should be on your lists regardless of age, it is cute, light-hearted, and just the perfect watch for the summer! There is much we can learn from Snacey to change our lives for the better. More info.

Courtesy of Fringe Festival

Bus Stop

On a bus ride back to Toronto, former child stars and best friends, Emily Orchid and Daniela Crest must inhabit roles from their pasts to solve a murder. This muder-mystery comedy investigates the decisions that get made, the parasocial relationships between artist and fan, and the distance we go for friends. This is a story that is larger than life, it does follow two young girls, but their stories are so much more than what is put forward. Sit in and go through this journey of self-discovery with this duo! More info.

Courtesy of Fringe Festival

GULP

Sunday is rushing out the door to meet her off-the-clock psychologist, when her phone rings. She receives a hoard of shameful voicemail messages from a departed friend which derails her plans. Sunday’s unease about the friendship rises to the surface as she learns more about herself and those around her. If you’ve been pondering on questions related to shame and culture, this play will hit home. How does it feel to communicate something that feels impossible to say out loud? More info.