The Toronto Fringe Festival opens today this week with the Digital Toronto Fringe Festival running to July 31, 2021. Taking place completely online, Toronto Fringe 2021 will present over 65 shows in four virtual series including the Fringe On-Demand series, KidsFest On-Demand series, Fringe Primetime series, and POSTSCRIPT Live(stream) events.

Fringe On-Demand is a series of 56 pre-recorded audio, video, and visual shows by artists from around the world that audiences can watch at any time from anywhere over the course of the festival. Fringe On-Demand includes festival favourites such as comedies, musicals, dance, drama, and more with themes including immigration, Queerness, mental health, and feminism.

Highlights from Fringe On-Demand include: 

At The End of the Day
Company/Creator: Bustle & Beast/Brenda Kamino
At The End of the Day, starring Brenda Kamino (CTV’s Carter), shines a light on a hundred-year-old Japanese Canadian woman’s epic lifelong journey, her resilience and humour through her many upheavals.

Bannock Republic
Company/Creator: The Centre for Indigenous Theatre/Kenneth T. Williams
A hilariously touching, hard-hitting comedy/drama about love, loss, politics and power on the Rez.

Broken Hearted Girl
Company/Creator: She’s So Vyle/Selena Vyle
Drag queen Selena Vyle recounts the relationships that have shaped and shifted her self-perspective and mental health, through a visual album of original music.

Dance of Torn Paper
Company/Creator: Nowadays Theatre/Mohammad Yaghoubi

A double-bill immersive 360˚ film experience, presented in both English and Farsi, by  Mohammad Yaghoubi known for their sold-out run of Winter of '88 at the 2020 Next Stage Theatre Festival.

Deaf Spirit Theatre: ComMUTE
Company/Creator: Deaf Spirit Theatre/Elizabeth Morris, Juan Jaramillo, Robert Bhola, Theresa Upton, Susan Oram, Michael T. Cyr, Marc Heyez
ComMUTE features new short works written by emerging and established artists in the Deaf community across Canada. 

The Incredible Adventures of That Nice Canajun Gurl
Company/Creator: Taborah Johnson
Collected fragments of a life well-lived through stories and song performed by Taborah Johnson, known for her roles in The Sentinel, The Big Comfy Couch, and more.

Orange Chicken: A Sketch Show
Company/Creator: Sumeeta Farrukh, Shreya Jha, Wilfred Moeschter, Nam Nguyen, Nightingale Nguyen,Gabby Noga
A part-live action, part-animated sketch comedy show created by a pan-Asian collective of theatre and musical artists who don't know how to not name a show after food.
 

KidsFest On-Demand is a series of pre-recorded shows with content that has been carefully created for children and their grown-ups! Each KidsFest On-Demand show is accompanied by free activities for various ages in the Digital KidsFest Club. 

Fringe Primetime shows are live, appointment viewing, digital theatre experiences including pre- and post-show lobby chats and social time. Fringe Primetime will feature three play contest winners including: the winner of the Digital New Play Contest My Korean Canadian Friend; the winner of the Digital Adams Prize for Musical Theatre As You Lay Sleeping; and the Digital 24 Hour Playwriting Contest winner Empty.

As audiences cannot gather in person for post-show hangouts this summer, Toronto Fringe has created the POSTSCRIPT Live(stream) virtual patio for FREE live streamed fun and community building. All are invited to drop in to the virtual Fringe patio each night from 9-11pmET, hosted in the video-calling space gather.town. POSTSCRIPT Live(stream) events will include Opening and Closing Night parties, Fringe Artist Cabaret, Comedy Night at Unknown Comedy Club, and more!

About the Toronto Fringe: Toronto Fringe is a grassroots, charitable organization that runs the Toronto Fringe Festival each July, the Next Stage Theatre Festival each January, and various year-round programs that benefit youth, emerging artists, BIPOC artists, artists with disabilities, and the performing arts community at large. Embedded in Fringe’s operations are the values of Access, Accountability, Creativity, Exploration, and Support.
 

Digital Toronto Fringe Festival
July 21 - 31, 2021

Fringe On-Demand
Purchase a $5 Membership to access the On-Demand programming,
 then Pay What You Can for each show. Suggested price of $13 per show. 

KidsFest On-Demand
Purchase a $5 Membership to access the On-Demand programming,
 then Pay What You Can for each show. Suggested price of $13 per show.
Digital KidsFest Club activities are FREE

Fringe Primetime
Tickets: $13

POSTSCRIPT Live(stream)
Tickets: FREE

fringetoronto.com