The 35th Toronto Fringe Festival returns this summer, taking place July 5 to July 16, 2023. The Toronto Fringe will be taking over 16 venues across the city over its 12 days Festival, and also boasts a "POSTSCRIPT Patio" at the Tranzac (292 Brunswick Ave).
This year's Festival welcomes over 1,200 artists and showcases over 100 productions that include comedy, drama, musical theatre, dance, storytelling, and KidsFest (children's theatre). You can find the descriptions of each show here.
AT A SNAPSHOT
WHO: Toronto's version of the iconic arts festival that originated in Edinburgh. Learn more about the World Fringe Festivals here.
WHAT: The 35th annual Toronto Fringe Festival with over 100 productions. Since 1989, the Festival has been unjuried, meaning shows have been chosen by lottery than by a curator.
WHEN: A 12-day festival taking place July 5th-16th, 2023.
WHERE: 16 venues across Toronto including St. Vladimir Institute; Tarragon Theatre - Mainspace, Extraspace and Solo Room; Al Green Theatre; Factory Theatre - Mainspace and Studio; Theatre Passe Muraille - Mainspace and Backspace; Native Earth's Aki Studio; Alumnae Theatre Mainspace; Tank House Theatre; The Spadina Museum; Jeanne Lamon Hall; Supermarket; and The Canadian Music Centre. Find the venue map here.
WHY: Not only is the Toronto Fringe Festival the largest theatre festival in Ontario, but it provides a fantastic way to engage in Toronto's arts scene in an affordable and accessible way. On top of this, Fringe's ticket sales go directly to the artists.
HOW: Tickets can be purchased for $15* each- $13 of the ticket price goes directly to the artist and $2 goes to the Fringe operational costs. More on HOW TO FRINGE below.
HOW TO FRINGE
Tickets can be purchased online (subject to a $3 order fee) at fringetoronto.com, over telephone at 416-966-1062 (subject to a $3 order fee), at the POSTSCRIPT Patio, or at the Festival box offices at the Tranzac and Alumnae Theatre.
*Along with regular priced tickets, the Toronto Fringe Festival also offers:
KidsFest tickets, for patrons 12 and under, for $6.
Preview performance and daily discount tickets for $10 ($8 for the artist + $2 for Fringe's operational budget).
5- ($55), 10- ($110), 20-($220), or 30-show ($280) passes. Youth passes for patrons 13-18 are also available for 3-shows for $24. Passes can be redeemed at the door, or if you want to ensure you get a ticket to the performance, you can pre-select tickets for a $2 per ticket service charge. NOTE: A 5-show pass can be redeemed for 1 ticket per show; all other show passes can be redeemed for 2 tickets per show.
Other things to know:
1) The Toronto Fringe holds a strict latecomers policy so aim to arrive early!
2) Tickets are no longer being sold at the door. Tickets to each performance can be purchased online up to 5 minutes before showtime, or at one of the two Fringe box offices.
3) You'll be asked to "Tip the Fringe" at every performance - and please do! The pandemic has hit the Fringe Toronto hard, and they are looking at a deficit this year. The organization needs to raise $500,000 this year or 2024's Fringe lineup will need to be slashed in half. If you're able to, please donate to the Fringe here.
RECOMMENDATIONS
COMEDY: Ms. Titaverse; Bunny!; The Bad Mitzvah; Blake & Clay's Gay Agenda; Danielle Tea's Infernal Latte; Hymns and Hearse; Do You Think You're Better Than Me?
DRAMA: Levels The Play; Corporate Finch; Dead End; Back to the Bar; Fatal Charade; June; Things We Lost in the Fire
MUSICAL THEATRE: An Incomplete List of All the Things I'm Going to Miss When the World is No Longer; Killing Time; Choir; Pyramid; Constellation Prize: A New Musical
DANCE: In Passing; The Fourth R: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Revolutionize
STORYTELLING: Muse: An Experiment in Storytelling and Life Drawing; The Will of a Woman [Author's note: I had the opportunity to see this play's dress rehearsal and it was incredible! The show has sold out its complete Fringe run in pre-sales but if by some chance you're able to see it, I'd highly recommend it!]
KIDSFEST: The Camp Campy Campfire Show; Catch Me in the Kitchen Story Adventures