It’s that time of year again: The Toronto Fringe Festival! I’m getting my schedule ready for this year’s Festival, and with around 100 shows on offer again this year, that’s no small task. So I’ve sent my Fringe Five questions to more Fringe artists this year to help us all get to know them and their shows a bit better. All of them will be posted on this page, so keep checking back for more interviews!
David John Phillips – Oh! I Miss the War
1) Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
I’m an actor and writer (and, of necessity these days, a producer) working out of Toronto and New York. Toronto audiences may have seen me in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, or Pygmalion, or The Crucible, or elsewhere. In New York, I’ve played the leads in M. Butterfly and Antigonick, and recently starred in the critically acclaimed production of the new play The Trunk. I’m also a surveillance scholar and activist, and have created several immersive theatre pieces exploring surveillance culture, including Cluster Fucked (2018 Toronto Fringe) and Work and Play at the Threshold of Legibility.
2) Please tell us more about your upcoming show at the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Oh! I Miss the War features two interwoven monologues delivered by two aging queer men in two very different, but spiritually connected, queer spaces. In 1967 London, Jack, a tailor to the chorus boys of the West End, watches the decriminalization of homosexuality unfold around him. As a former rentboy, he reflects on the outlaw joy and danger of queer love in hiding and wonders what’s lost in the era of visibility. In present-day Toronto, Matt, a service bottom with failing knees, navigates the evolving queer landscape of apps, puppies, and pronoun fluency. Grappling with the disconnect between generations, he claims his space as an elder and leans into the possibilities of intergenerational queer intimacy and political legacy. Together, these stories form a tapestry of queer experience across a century, touching on hankie codes, Polari, tea rooms, back rooms, faeries, drag, kink, love, grief, work, and hope. The show is a love letter to queer elders, a challenge to intergenerational silence, and a sensual, soulful meditation on what it means to live and love across time.
3) Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Sexy, Queer and Compassionate
4) What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Hanging with other artists!
5) What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
Oh, my god. I have a list of twenty shows I’m eager to see. I’ll cull that down to three: Pornstar(i), Things My Dad Kept, and Temple of Desire.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/oh-i-miss-war
Tamar Broadbent – Plus One
1) Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hello! I’m Tamar. I’m a songwriter, comedian and improviser from the UK. I’ve written five solo musical comedy shows, of which Get Ugly was nominated for Best Comedy at Fringeworld and Best Life transferred to the SoHo Playhouse in New York and was developed into a pilot with Fiction Valley (Fremantle NL). In the UK, I’ve appeared on BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show, Fresh From the Fringe and Sketchtopia. I also won the Stiles & Drewe Best New Song Award for musical theatre songwriting.
I’m the only British woman to have worked as a main stage cast member at the renowned US improv theatre Boom Chicago, where I’d do long-form, short-form and musical improv five nights a week.
This will be my first time performing in Canada, and I can’t wait!
2) Please tell us more about your upcoming show at the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Plus One is my musical comedy show about pregnancy, new motherhood, and the heroic challenge of giving up wine for nine months! It’s a storytelling show about my journey with fertility tests, failed birth plans, hospital snacks and society’s ever-conflicting ideas of what it means to be a “good” mom. It’s the perfect watch for parents, parents-to-be AND those who NEVER want to be parents and can delight in all they’re missing (like lightning crotch!)
The show features 8 of my original songs, played live on the piano, including ‘I Tried Hard to Breastfeed, But It Sucked!’ and ‘Don’t You Wanna Have a Natural Birth?!’ I wrote Plus One to turn the chaos, fear, and unfairness of new motherhood into something cathartic and funny, and to remind other moms that they’re not alone. Most of all, I wanted to show my daughter that becoming a mom doesn’t mean you stop dreaming big. And now… here we are at the Toronto Fringe!
3) Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Musical, hilarious & heartfelt!
4) What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Meeting the wonderful audiences! I’ve always wanted to perform in Canada and especially Toronto. My husband is Canadian and grew up near this city, and we now have a (half-Canadian) baby who I’m excited to share the city and the fringe with for the first time! I love Canada, the people and the comedy, and I can’t wait to connect with your audiences. I feel like we’ll dig each other!
5) What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I can’t wait to watch anything and everything musical! Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl, which is in my venue The Alumnae Theatre also looks great and I’m excited to see that!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/tamar-broadbent-plus-one
Rob Corbett – JACK’d…a Thief, a Murder, some Sex and a BEANSTALK!
1.Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
I’m Rob, Writer/Director of JACK’d, a Thief, a Murder, some Sex and a BEANSTALK! also writer of 11 other plays, a few of which will NOT be discussed.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
JACK’d is a modern, puppet filled, naughty and thought provoking look at one of the oldest stories we still tell. A sassy Harp who likes to imagine her audiences naked; a “hero” who breaks in, robs and ultimately kills a guy (sorry for the spoiler) and a wife who’s discovered that bigger isn’t always better.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Naughty, funny, thoughtful.
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
The audiences. They’re JACK’d up and totally amazing.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
Dang, that’s hard, there are SO many great shows this year. I’m excited to see $$$ (MONEY, MONEY, MONEY)
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/jackda-thief-murder-some-sex-and-beanstalk
Zac Williams – Jack Goes to Therapy
1.Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
My name is Zac Williams. I am a writer and actor from Caledonia, ON. Some fun facts about me: When not performing I work as an elementary school teacher, I love beach volleyball, and I have a twin brother.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
My show is a gay romantic comedy! It’s the unforgettable story of a kindergarten teacher in therapy with a broken heart after his boyfriend leaves him for the man they had a threesome with. It garnered critical acclaim after appearing at Vancouver Fringe, and Edinburgh Fringe. It’s semi-autobiographical and it’s a comedy with heart.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Funny. Heartwarming. Wild.
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
I love Fringe Festivals! There is such a celebratory energy! Fringe-goers and fellow artists are all about celebrating the risk-taking thrill of creating and seeing new work. I love seeing something that surprises me and really bowls me over. This is my first time doing Toronto Fringe and I can’t wait to see what’s in store.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I’m looking forward to seeing “Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World”. The creator, Duane Forest, actually performed in the same venue as me at Edinburgh Fringe but I never made it to his show because it was always sold out! So I’m hoping to get a chance to see it in Toronto. Also: “Me You and Highland Coo” stands out to me for the name alone!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/jack-goes-therapy-somewhat-romantic-comedy
MJ Kang – James & Eddie
1) Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
My name is M.J. Kang. I was born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Toronto, where my parents helped start the Heritage Language program through the Toronto Board of Education, which has now grown to teach over sixty languages for free to school aged children. They did this while having to start all over in Toronto, where they found out their university degrees were considered invalid. My dad attended Seoul National University, which was then and now, harder to get into than Harvard. We were the second Kangs listed in the phone book, right after my uncle, who had sponsored our immigration.
I started writing plays when I was in high school. I had just run away from home and I needed to make sense of how my family life came to be the way it was. The play won a prize at what was then Young People’s Theater and from there on, I wrote more plays. I was first professionally produced at the age of eighteen, with my first full length play, Noran Bang: The Yellow Room. After writing several more plays, including blessings at Tarragon Mainstage and dreams of blonde & blue at Theater Passe Muraille mainstage, I went to New York City to intern at a theater company there. I got married, had a daughter, who is the best person in the world, and I took time off from being professionally creative. Being a parent requires all sorts of creativity. During the pandemic, I had some extra time because I was no longer driving my daughter to her after school activities and I returned to acting and writing. Since then, I’ve been writing plays, teleplays and feature films as well as personal stories and acting in many televisions, films and other media.
2) Please tell us more about your upcoming show at the Toronto Fringe Festival!
During the pandemic, I started having dreams of a time when I was younger about a family that my family became friends with. They had two younger boys I used to play with. We spent a fun summer together and lost in touch. Their mother looked after me when I was sick because their corner store was close to my mom’s dry cleaning business. While their lives ended up being tragic, the childish joy and innocence I remember haunted me. I ended up buying a laundry basket and playing with it, like I had done with them.
While writing James and Eddie, my parents passed away, a year apart. I had a complicated relationship with them. We loved each other, but we both wanted our love to be shown in different ways. The framing of the pay and the deeper meaning became about forgiveness and being able to move on from the past.
My daughter sees the world as embracing Korean culture. When I was growing up, no one knew anything about Korea, except the Korean war and later, when Korea hosted the summer Olympics. I was othered and made fun of. My parents and sisters were as well – just for being who we are. This play is about that time – when Koreans were told they didn’t belong in Canada. I want this message to come across because it’s so important for everyone to have their culture and identity be embraced and not othered. This includes religion, sexual orientation and gender. Let us be who we are, proudly.
3) Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Joy, family, forgiveness.
4) What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
My favorite part of being part of the Fringe Festival is the opportunity to play, explore and experiment.
5) What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I honestly haven’t looked at the program. (I’ve been busy working a day job to pay for the production of James & Eddie and I have no extra time right now.) There are so many great shows, I know – having participated in the Fringe in previous years. I look forward to being in the audience and reveling in the spirit of the Fringe!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/james-eddie
Peter Cavell & Megan Phillips – People Suck: a musical airing of grievances
- Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
We are Peter Cavell & Megan Phillips, a musical theatre writing team who have worked together for the past 10 years. We write musical comedy that makes you laugh till you cry and cry till you laugh.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
People Suck: a musical airing of grievances is a hilarious musical theatre song cycle showcasing all the ways humanity is just the worst. After the first sold-out run in 2015 which won Best of Fringe and Patron’s Pick, People Suck went on to two acclaimed productions in Australia, and a soon-to-be-announced run in Saskatchewan. Over the past decade, People Suck has grown from a cheeky and clever hour of songs about awful people into a sophisticated show which is poised to become Canada’s next hit musical, and is SO excited to be coming home as part of the specially curated Alliance for Canadian Musicals showcase at Theatre Passe Muraille.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Offensive, insightful, way-too-relatable
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
The camaraderie!! We LOVE Fringe-mas, where the playing field is levelled and we are all just in this wild wacky artistic world together, making skits, growing as artists, and hoping people will come and like them.
Oh, and Fringe tent debauchery!
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
We’re picking two: Don’t Fall In and Apothecary: both GORGEOUS new Canadian musicals. We had the fortune of singing at Don’t Fall In’s fundraiser last month, and the snippets alone were enough to make us so excited to see the whole thing!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/people-suck-musical-airing-grievances
Adam Martino – The Iron Mask
- Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
My name is Adam Martino, and I’m the Founder and Artistic Director of Breakaway Entertainment. Alongside our incredible creative team, we’ve brought to life award-winning productions including Anatomy of a Dancer, Tales of a Cocktail, and the 2024 Toronto Fringe Patron’s Pick, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. Now returning to the Fringe for a fourth time, Breakaway Entertainment is proud to present our newest production: The Iron Mask.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
‘The Iron Mask’
‘In the smoke-choked backrooms of 1920s Toronto, where jazz and bootleg liquor flow like an untamed river, ‘The Man in the Iron Mask is reborn as a Prohibition-era musical. Twins—one, a ruthless crime lord draped in silk and sin; the other, a prisoner lost in the underbelly of King St —are bound by fate and a secret buried in blood. As speakeasy ballads and brass-fueled anthems drive the tale, a band of aging gangsters, once the city’s kings, unite for one last job: a coup against tyranny. In this dance jukebox musical justice and jazz collide in a high-stakes battle where the mask must fall.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Power. Deception. Revenge.
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
My favorite part of performing at the Fringe Festival is, first and foremost, the incredible artistic incubator that is the Toronto Fringe. It offers emerging creators a rare and vital opportunity to develop bold, original work—pushing boundaries, breaking rules, and ultimately driving innovation in our industry. For Breakaway Entertainment, it has been a launchpad for several new productions and has played a key role in shaping our signature Theatre-Dance style.
Secondly, the Fringe itself is an electrifying experience to be part of. Immersing yourself in the energy of the festival—connecting with like-minded artists, engaging with passionate audiences, and taking in a whirlwind of shows over ten days—is nothing short of inspiring.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
As I mentioned earlier, the festival is such an incredible incubator for fresh, up-and-coming live theatre that it’s nearly impossible to pick just one favorite. That said, Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl, People Suck: A Musical Airing of Grievances, and All That She Wrote definitely stand out. But honestly, there are so many exciting shows this year—the list could go on forever.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/iron-mask
Eleanor O’Brien – Plan V: The Rise of Reverence
- Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
My name is Eleanor O’Brien and for the last 20 years I have been the artistic director of Dance Naked Creative – a sex positive theater company out Portland, Oregon. I have made both solo and ensemble shows across the spectrum of female sexuality – from fantasies (Inviting Desire) to polyamory (Lust & Marriage), attempting to become a dominatrix (GGG:Dominatrix for Dummies), and most recently, inventing a movement where female sexuality is revered and respected (Plan V:The Rise of Reverence).
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Plan V imagines a future in which there has been a global shift to goddess worship as the antidote to patriarchy, and a movement has emerged that reveres P*ssy (aka the Vagina/Vulva/Clitoris/Ovaries/Cercix/Uterus) as the source of life itself. The show opens with a rollicking gathering of the faithful and the curious, including the full sensory fold (the audience) and those who have joined on Zype (the evolution of Zoom). Mama V is the ringleader of this crush of stories that highlight pussy joys and powerful revelations, and she cedes the stage to Eleanor who offers her ‘ovamoanial’ about how Plan V changed her life. I play all the characters (both live and on screen) of various sexes and sexualities. The underlying mission is humans coming together to make sex great again – for everyone.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Subversive, liberating, inclusive. (And hilarious!).
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Connecting with the audience – every single audience is unique and responds to different aspects of the show. People often enter with trepidation (oh jeez, a whole show about pussy) and it’s a delight to surprise them with how layered and entertaining it is. I think they often don’t expect a solo show to feel like such an ensemble comedy, or such a polished multi-media/theatrical piece.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I’ve been in a producer pod with a couple other shows, so I’m probably biased towards their shows – but I’m super excited about Alpha, about an all boys school from Trinidad where one of the students has been accused of rape. The director is bringing 22 students to Toronto from Trinidad. Can you imagine?
There’s a show calls Broads Talk Dirty which is clearly up my alley.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/plan-v-rise-reverence
Laura Anne Harris – Have Fun Kids
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hello, my name is Laura Anne Harris, and I am the performer/writer of Have Fun Kids, one of the four jury-selected Next Stage Festival productions, featured in the 2025 Toronto Fringe Festival!
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Have Fun Kids is a fearless, funny, and intimate new solo performance written and performed by Laura Anne Harris, directed by Jessie Fraser, with experience designer Christopher Lewis, and featuring the posthumous words of playwright Jordan Mechano. Premiering at the 2025 Next Stage Theatre Festival, produced by the Toronto Fringe, this work blends Harris’ personal “mix-tape,” of stories and curated excerpts from Mechano’s unpublished collection. With care, humour, and unflinching vulnerability, Have Fun Kids is not a eulogy, but an act of resistance against forgetting.This show holds space for the unspoken and unshareable parts of grief, while honouring the words and spirit of a friend who saw straight through the noise. Have Fun Kids invites audiences to reflect on memory, community care, and how we might carry each other—and ourselves—through.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Love, community, and conversation.
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
I love being able to hone and explore my artistic practice in the giant sandbox of experimentation that is the Next Stage Festival and the Fringe! The fringe has a diverse offering of productions that showcase an array of performers from Canada and beyond.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I can’t wait to check out the other Next Stage Festival shows: Justice for Maurice Henry Carter, Songs by a Wannabe, and Siranoush.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/have-fun-kids
Sara Masciotra-Milstein – Me and You and the Highland Coo
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hiya! My name’s Sara and I’m a Montreal-based playwright and dramaturg! My creative obsession is connecting with an audience in a way that allows them to feel seen. My art primarily explores themes of liminality—the feeling of belonging in two worlds —and aims to be uplifting while conveying a deeper, underlying message. I want to guide an audience into the story through curiosity, wonder, and joy – so that they feel safe enough to open their minds to its message. My goal is to create emotionally connected story experiences that leave an audience with goosebumps, and a lasting shared memory.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Me and You and the Highland Coo is a Scottish road trip adventure that follows best friends Jackie and Charlie in their pursuit of the perfect Highland coo…all while distracting themselves from their problems back home in Canada. Buckle up, because they’ll need your help to tell this story!
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Hopeful, effervescent, playful!
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
My favourite part of performing at Fringe is the feeling of taking control of your creativity! The shows here didn’t wait to have permission or approval to create; they just did the work and made their art. I’m honored to be included in a lineup of so many brave, self-motivated, and fiercely determined artists.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I’m really looking forward to seeing the Iron Mask by Breakaway Entertainment, since I love musicals and jazz. I’ve been following their work for a while now and look forward to seeing this latest show.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/me-and-you-and-highland-coo
Tharshan Raj – Pornstar(i)
- Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hi, my name is Tharshan Raj and I am the creator of Pornstar(i). I am a writer, producer, actor, and I enjoy crafting narratives through storytelling that delve into identity, tradition, and social realities through a deeply personal lens. Aside from my Fringe play, I am also the co-founder of Basement Reels, which is a production studio known to create viral short films and sketches that resonate with the South Asian community. Through all my creative work, my goal is to amplify underrepresented voices and spark meaningful conversations through the arts.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Set in 2003, Pornstar(i) explores the tensions of living a double life as a porn star while navigating family expectations in a South Asian household. Blending humor and drama, the play dives into themes of identity, acceptance, and the complexities of breaking free from societal norms. This dramedy challenges stigmas around sexuality and cultural identity, confronting taboos and encouraging audiences to reflect on the social pressures that shape how we define ourselves – and the strength it takes to break free.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Funny, quirky and unapologetic.
4. What’s your favorite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
My favorite part about performing in the Fringe Festival is to be able to work alongside other passionate creatives in the field, and be able to share my work to a diverse audience. It’s also an environment that encourages artistic freedom, allowing performers to explore bold ideas, develop unique characters, and push the boundaries of storytelling.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
Another show that I am looking forward to seeing this year at Fringe is “This is not me” which is directed by my good friend Ganesh Thava. This solo performance follows a Croatian-Canadian woman entering veterinary school with hopes of helping animals, only to find herself confronting systemic challenges that test her compassion. What makes it even more special is that a portion of the proceeds supports Promised Land Animal Sanctuary.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/pornstari
Azadeh Kangarani – Echoes of My Silence
1.Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
I’m Azadeh. I was born and raised in Iran. In my late twenties, I began moving around the
world—living in Dubai, Prague, Washington D.C., and currently, California. I’ve been
practicing theatre as a director, performer, dramaturge, and writer. Living in various cultural contexts and meeting people from different backgrounds has profoundly shaped my artistic journey.
As a human being, I’ve always wanted to understand others and to help others understand me. Theatre has become a tool through which I introduce my identity and express my personal views on social and political issues, as well as questions of gender, race, and ethnicity. Theatre allows me to share the culture I come from—my language, my history—with those who may not know much about it.
In theatre, even though we play roles, we must remain honest to the here and now of what unfolds on stage. Honesty creates a genuine connection between the performer and the audience. For me, theatre is the most powerful language for building connections across the different social and cultural contexts I’ve lived in.
Over the past ten years, I have been writing and performing autobiographical plays in Europe and the U.S. Through this process, I’ve come to recognize four distinct phases: recalling the events, writing them down, rehearsing, and finally performing them for an audience. This journey has been a form of healing. It transforms the subjective perspective of the performer into a more objective one.
For example, suppose the performer initially sees herself as the victim of painful
circumstances. In that case, the act of writing and performing those experiences allows her to gain distance from the emotional turbulence. Over time, she becomes better able to reflect on those moments with clarity and compassion, viewing them with less judgment and a greater sense of peace.
Performing such personal narratives also serves as a powerful reminder that we are not alone in our experiences. Audiences often recognize parts of themselves in the stories shared, and through that recognition, a deeper human connection is formed.
One thing that should never be underestimated is humor—even when I write about traumatic events, I never forget to weave it in humor. Without it, life can feel like a long winter without sunlight—gray, heavy, and endless. Humor is the flicker of warmth that reminds us we’re still alive, still human, still capable of finding light in the darkest places.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Echoes of My Silence is my latest autobiographical play—and perhaps the most daring work I’ve created so far. It required a level of vulnerability I had never accessed before, as I chose to share deeply personal life experiences and internal thoughts I had never spoken aloud.
The play explores how, despite seeing myself as an intellectual and educated woman, I
realized that many of my thought patterns still unconsciously echoed societal stereotypes and patriarchal conditioning. I began to ask myself: What happens when we catch ourselves thinking in ways that contradict our values? Do we dare to face those thoughts? Do we analyze them? Do we forgive ourselves for them? If we held a mirror to our minds, how much truth would we be willing to confront and accept?
This journey of self-examination led me to revisit moments from my life where I encountered power imbalances, particularly with men in positions of authority who tried to assert control over me, sometimes in sexual or emotionally manipulative ways. By threading these moments together, I shaped a narrative that is both raw and reflective, blending humor with pain, and personal memories with broader societal questions.
Echoes of My Silence begins as a deeply individual story, but something powerful happens in the theatre: it resonates. What feels private becomes universal. I’ve witnessed how audiences recognize pieces of themselves in the play, and that, to me, is the true power of sharing personal narratives on stage.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Resilience, self-reflection, and breaking the silence
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
What I love most about performing in a Fringe Festival is the spirit of collaboration and
community. It’s a unique opportunity to work as part of a team, build new networks, and
connect with a vibrant group of creative artists. I also really enjoy engaging with local talent and sharing the energy of live performance with diverse, curious audiences.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe
Festival?
I’m looking forward to several shows at the Toronto Fringe this year! A few that have caught my attention are: Siranoush, Regarding Antigone, Bitty Bat Show, Paper Chase, and Jimmy Hodgg: The Potato King.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/echoes-my-silence
Shanice Stanislaus and Rachel Resnik – $$$ (Money, Money, Money)
1.Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
We are Shanice Stanislaus and Rachel Resnik, an international comedy duo! We are both trained clowns who met at a clown school called Philippe Gaulier and have been working on this project together since last summer.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Our show is called $$$ (money, money, money) where we try to fundraise 200 million dollars in an hour for our next unconfirmed Netflix special. We wanted to make a show reflecting the financial aspects of being an artist and how unsustainable self producing can be.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Goofy, real, glamorous
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
We love meeting other artists and watching shows of all genres, it’s very inspiring for us to be a part of a bigger community that celebrates art.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe
Festival?
100% wizard by Keith brown, we love a great magic show! But there are so many great shows we want to see them all!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/money-money-money
Joanne O’Sullivan – Something to Look Forward To
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
My name is Joanne O’Sullivan and I’m a Storyteller and Screenwriter. I’ve written for This Hour has 22 Minutes and The Baroness Von Sketch Show. Something to Look Forward To is my 4th solo show. My 3rd She Grew Funny premiered at the 2017 Fringe and won Patron’s Pick and was named one of Now Magazines Outstanding New Plays.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Comedically, my sweet spot has always been combining the light with the dark and this new show is a very good example of that. In it I tell the story of how a triple dose of grief almost ended my career as an artist – until I fell back into the thing I love most: storytelling. I’ve been needing something to look forward to – and this show is it.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words
Funny. Raw. True.
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
The audiences – game for anything and so much fun.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
Have Fun Kids Written and Performed by Laura Anne Harris
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/something-look-forward
Karma Dance Inc. – Temple of Desire
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
We are a group of 16 Queer/ Trans & POC dancers that have come together from AUS & Canada to create something that’s sacred and sexy.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Temple of Desire is a delicious dance-theatre performance at the nervous edge where spirituality and sensuality meet. Featuring 16 queer, POC andtransgender dancers of colour, Temple of Desire is a visually breathtaking celebration of brown bodies and histories, which has the power to shift perspectives. From a sold-out premiere season in Australia, Temple of Desire has gone on to tour to Woodford Folk Festival and is now coming to TorontoFringe this July.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words
Sensual, Radical , Stunning
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Fringe is a democratised platform that encourages risk taking and that is what our show is all about
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
We are excited about:
- AT THE END OF KALIYUGA: https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/end-kaliyuga
- BODY AS NATURE: https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/body-nature
- REGARDING ANTIGONE : https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/regarding-antigone
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/temple-desire
Deval Soni – Gaumukhi (Cow)
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hello! I’m Deval Soni, the actor and producer behind Gaumukhi (Cow). I’m a South Asian actor, producer, and director based in Toronto, originally from India. I hold degrees in Theatre Arts from Centennial College (Toronto) and in Performing Arts (Drama) from Gujarat University (India). My creative journey has taken me across Canada, India, and Italy. I’m also the founder and Artistic Director of Dramatic Jukebox, a collective focused on bold, immersive storytelling rooted in South Asian culture and shaped by global influences. Some of my past creator credits include Animalia (Mississauga Multilingual Fringe) and Toba Tek Singh (Toronto Fringe Hit). I’m honored to be a two-time national award winner in Proscenium theatre in India, and you could see me in Mismatched Season 3 (Netflix), commercials for CIBC and Vadilal Ice creams, and Late Bloomer Season 2 (Crave, Canada). This summer, I’m excited to tour across Ontario with my solo show Gaumukhi (Cow)—a deeply political and physical piece exploring identity, belief, and transformation accompanied by live Indian Classicial music.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
“Gaumukhi” is an existential solo drama tracing a cow’s journey as she grapples with profound questions of existence in a society that has outlawed her purpose. Set after India’s beef ban, she navigates her unwanted life on lease and the complex web of her religious, cultural, and social identity. Featuring live Indian classical music—Bhakti Sangeet, Sufism, and Kabir Bhajans—the play uses love and devotion to frame her inner dialogue. A reflection on India’s rising sectarianism, Gaumukhi invites audiences to see through sacred, marginalized eyes in a search for truth, redemption, and the contradictions of society.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Cow after beef ban !
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Fringe is honestly the most exciting time of the year—it’s when indie artists from all over come together in the city for one big, shared purpose: to create and celebrate bold, boundary-pushing work. Having a platform like Fringe is a real gift. It allows us to perform and produce projects that might not find space in Toronto’s more commercial theatre scene. Fringe has launched so many careers and given countless artists the recognition they deserve. With Gaumukhi (Cow) and its 18-show tour across the city, I see this as a chance to fully showcase my skills as an actor, while performing in the kind of work I truly believe in. For me, it’s not just about the stage—it’s about being part of a movement that values artistic freedom, experimentation, and voice.
What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I usually try to catch as many shows as I can during Fringe—it’s one of the best parts of the experience! Of course, you can’t always see everything you want—sometimes it’s sold out, or you’re racing across the city between venues. But this year, I’m really looking forward to catching some international pieces, like Temple of Desire from Australia, Kalyuga, Silence, Pieces that are happening at the VideoCabaret and many more. Honestly, I love discovering shows on impulse—flipping through the program or hearing about something last minute and just going for it. That spontaneity is what makes Fringe so special.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/gaumukhi-cow
Shaharah Gaznabbi – My Pet Lizard, Liz: The Shakespearean Existential Crisis that Led to His Ultimate Demise
1.Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Sure thing! Hello there! It is a pleasure to meet you:) My name is Shaharah Gaznabbi
(They/Them), and I am a 22 year old Playwright, Actor, Comedian, Puppeteer, (you name it!) in Toronto. I was an Artist in Residence at Tarragon Theatre this year through the Ellen Ross Stuart Award, as well as part of their Young Playwrights Unit last year. That is why I am so happy to be performing at my Theatrical home during the Fringe Festival!
I am the biggest Doctor Who Fan, and one day hope to build a fully functioning TARDIS of my own. I also live with Tourette’s Syndrome, as well as a lovely cocktail of other things such as ADHD, OCD, & Anxiety. My neurodiversity, I think, adds that layer of texture to the work that I do, and because of that, my shows are unique and surprising.
This will be the 3rd Fringe Festivval that I am taking part in after having performed at the
Edinburgh Fringe in 2023 (winning the Neurodiverse Review’s BOP Emerging Talent Award), and Directing in Toronto Fringe’s KidsFest 2024.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
This year I am back onstage performing a silly, surreal, and surprisingly tender musical comedy called “My Pet Lizard, Liz: The Shakespearean Existential Crisis That Led to his Ultimate Demise”. This show is an exploration of grief — how we process it, avoid it, and sometimes dance around it with puppets. It’s jam packed with Toronto Theatre references (and some familiar voices you may recognize!), as well as puppets created from found materials and built by the stellar Lindsey Griffith & Natasha Ross. The music also showcases the work of local Toronto Musicians Kicksie & Michelle Qadir, blending these two artistic scenes in a very meaningful way onstage.
I would say that no matter what your relationship to Shakespeare may be, you will be able to relate to the story of the show. We won’t leave you behind. As an additional accessibility measure, every show during our run will be relaxed. This is so that audiences can come in and out as they please, especially with the heavy explorations within the show. A sensory area will be provided at our Front Of House table, so anyone who needs the support is taken care of!
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
This is what I would say for this show: – – –
Humourous
Heartwarming
Vulnerable
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
You only need to perform in a Fringe show once to catch the Fringe bug. Especially after doing the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where the entire city becomes international Theatre Camp, you just can’t help but feel that undeniable energy of the magic of Theatre in the air! The line-ups outside of the venues, or socialising at the Fringe Patio; it feels like summer, and it feels like Theatre.
Everyone you meet during a Fringe Festival has a show coursing through their veins. No matter who you bump into on the street or come across handing out flyers, they have lines and blocking and a passionate fire circulating within themselves. That, I would say, is my absolute favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe
Festival?
Oo this one is a tough one because there’s a lot of exciting stuff to see! Let’s do my top 3, each at
different venues: – – –
Videocab – FAOC’s Very Shady Arab Ladies (Also Directed by our Director, Anand
Rajaram)
Soulpepper – Lucian Plato & The Secrets of Pussy
Theatre Passe Muraille – Killy Willy
Enjoy, and Happy Fringe!
JJ Tartaglia – THUNDEROR
- Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hi! My name is JJ Tartaglia. I’m a rock/metal musician based in Toronto and I’m so happy to be launching my first musical theatre production. - Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
It’s a rock opera musical called Thunderor! For anyone who likes Bat Out Of Hell and has been craving something new with that spirit, I’m hoping this will fill that void for you. The soundtrack is all original material from the new Thunderor album, which will be released later this year. - Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Rock Romance Adventure - What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
This will be by first one! Working with the Fringe team has been amazing, it’s a fun community vibe and really looking forward to experiencing the whole thing. - What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
Hoping to catch some of the other musicals, including Don’t Fall In and The Iron Mask
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/thunderor
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