Fringe News
Fringe News
Toronto, ON – This is a year of great change for The Toronto Fringe and our city itself, as we say goodbye to one of our most recognizable landmarks. In honour of our alley legacy we dedicate this year’s Fringe to Honest Ed’s.
Fringe artists have a lot in common with the late Ed Mirvish. They are tenacious, creative on a dime and give back to the community in an extraordinary way. They start with a spark of an idea, are brave enough to go public with it and embrace criticism and failure. They are innovators. They are entrepreneurs. They are to be valued for sharing their voice.
Like Honest Ed Mirvish many of our artists have started small and reached incredible heights. The Toronto Fringe honours possibility. We recognize that everyone has an inner artist. We value every voice and give stories a platform to be heard.
In the words of Honest Ed, Fringe is literally for the birds: it is cheap, cheap, cheap. Tickets are no more than $12 and we return 100% of the net ticket price to artists. Not only that, Fringe has something for everyone: comedy, improv, musicals, horrors, physical theatre, hard-hitting dramas, large ensembles, solo shows, theatre for young people, we even have a medium for the first time in Fringe history with the stage premiere of Carolyn Molnar’s What?! You’re a Medium?!
#Fringe2016 plays host to 151 productions in 31 venues.
We have Fringe Favourites like: Kat Sandler (Bright Lights); Tom McGee (Twelfth Night: A Puppet Epic); and TJ Dawe and Keir Cutler (Shakespeare Crackpot).
We have industry professionals exploring new territory: Elizabeth Saunders (Director/A Good Death), Sky Gilbert (Toller), Britta Johnson (Paul O’Sullivan Prize for Musical Theatre Award Winner for Life After), Jess Moss (Exclamation New Play Winner for Cam Baby), Greg Campbell (Writer and performer of OUT), plus established actors and directors such as Christine Horne, Beau Dixon, Alana Hibbert, Anika Johnson, Ryan Kelly, Sue Miner, Marcel Stewart and Bruce Dow.
This year also marks the return of 20 site specifics. Follow the folks of Convergence Theatre to three unexpected locations; join the team of Crux, as they navigate the gripping world of rock climbing at Boulderz Climbing Centre; or spin some tunes with Shari Hollett at Kops Records. You could finish this adventure off with a bird watching expedition courtesy of Alex Eddington’s Life List.
FringeKids has 8 productions this year. Plus our FringeKids Club (George Ignatieff Theatre, 15 Devonshire Place) will be open June 30-July 10 from 12-5:30pm.
Lastly, and most importantly, we encourage you to engage with our emerging artists. These are the folks who make the Toronto Fringe what it is. We pride ourselves as the launching pad of creative risk. We want you to risk with us. David Hein and Irene Sankoff created My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding for Fringe just a few years ago and now the duo is off to Broadway. You never know what you are going to discover at The Fringe.
Follow this link to view all show listings.
Company Press Releases can be found here.
The 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival: June 29 – July 10, 2016
The Fringe Club is located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s (581 Bloor St. West, southwest corner of Bloor and Bathurst). The Fringe Club is the festival headquarters, with a box office, beer tent, great food, and free programming throughout the entire festival.
$12 Tickets available June 9. Purchase tickets the following ways:
1.Over the phone at 416-966-1062 or Online at www.fringetoronto.com
2.At the Festival Box Office located in the Fringe Club (581 Bloor St. West) (June 29 – July 10, 12:00pm – 9:00pm; Jul 12 12:00pm – 7:00pm)
3.During the Festival: at the show’s venue, one hour before performance (cash only!)
All shows start on time. Latecomers will not be admitted. No exceptions.
The Toronto Fringe
Now celebrating its 28th year, the Toronto Fringe provides creative opportunities for artists and audiences by producing two important festivals – the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Next Stage Theatre Festival – and by running outreach activities that benefit youth, artists and the theatre community at large. In 2014, the Toronto Fringe launched a national crowdfunding platform for indie artists, called Fund What You Can (FWYC). Our home, the Fringe Creation Lab, welcomes independent artists year round, encouraging their creative work by offering them affordable space to make art, congregate and innovate. For more information, visit www.fringetoronto.com
2016-06-02
The 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival runs June 29-July 10