It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Theatre Christmas! The Toronto Fringe Festival! With 123 shows on 27 stages this year, The Toronto Fringe is bigger and better than ever. Once again this year, I’m asking my Fringe Five questions to various Fringe artists to help you get to know their shows a little better! Keep your eyes on this page, as I’ll be adding more throughout the month leading up to Fringe! Happy Fringing everyone!
Bruce Dow – The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts
Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
My name is Bruce Dow (www.brucedow.com). I am the creator, composer, and director of The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts (https://brucedow.com/the-wounds-of-love-and-other-gifts) [Page in Process] a new work of music theatre presented by Olivia Daniels and A.I.R. Collective, in association with the Alliance for Canadian Musicals, as part of the 2026 Toronto Fringe Festival.
I am an award-winning theatre artist with four Dora Award nominations, two Dora Award wins, five featured roles on Broadway, and 12 seasons at the Stratford Festival.
Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival! (
Suitable for ages 14+)
Featuring text drawn from the writings of Oscar Wilde and his contemporaries, The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts has been in ongoing development, under various titles, since 2000, with previous iterations presented at the Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, and as a full professional production with Pittsburgh International Classic Theatre.
Totally reshaped and rewritten, the piece in its current form is deeply influenced by my work in existential psychotherapy — I am currently a registered psychotherapist in private clinical practice — and approaches these stories not as moral lessons, but as lived dilemmas: intimate, complex, and deeply human.
Inspired by Wilde’s The Happy Prince and Other Tales — originally written for his sons — the piece moves beyond the familiar comfort of “stories for children” to ask more challenging questions of us as adults: What does it cost to care? What does it mean to give? And how do we live meaningfully in relation to others?
Are we old enough for fairy tales?
With choreography by internationally renowned choreographer, artist, and creator Jeff Dimitriou, and new orchestrations by Musical Director and Music Supervisor Ethan Rotenberg (Shaw Festival, Shifting Ground Collective), the production brings together a cast of emerging voices from across the Canadian theatre, dance, and opera worlds.
Blending chorus, aria, movement, and text, the work unfolds as a fluid interdisciplinary experience — music, movement, and theatre.
This is a piece that asks something of its audience — and offers something in return. The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts is a true interdisciplinary experiment, and one we are excited to share with Toronto audiences.
Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Challenging. Questioning. Beautiful.
What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Working at the Fringe Festival allows immense creative freedom. While Jeff, Ethan, and I have all been blessed in our careers, we also deeply respect the process of creating for the Fringe because it is truly about the work itself.
The writing and rewriting I’ve been able to do — inspired musically, visually, and thematically by ideas from Ethan, Jeff, and members of the cast — along with the opportunity to collaborate with our immensely talented emerging actor/singer/dancers, has been extraordinary.
There’s nothing quite like it.
With the work at the centre, and almost no budget, the possibilities somehow become limitless — even compared with television, Stratford, or Broadway budgets.
What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I’m looking forward to seeing all of the productions presented by the Alliance for Canadian Musicals — and many more beyond that.
I hesitate to get more specific because I have so many admired friends doing exciting work this year that I would hate to appear to favour one project over another.
My advice? See as much as you can.
If we’re not all exhausted by the end of Fringe, then we probably haven’t done it right!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/wounds-love-and-other-gifts
James Alan – Mysteries and Lies
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
I spend most of the year as a professional magician. I also manage the My Magic Hands program at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. I have been practicing for over twenty years and I’ve lived in Toronto my whole life. I’ve done a number of shows in the city over the past several years: James Alan’s Magic Tonight (2013-2026), Magic & Martini (2016-2020), the virtual experience Bring Magic Home (2020-22). My last Fringe production was fourteen years ago, called Lies, Damn Lies & Magic Tricks.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Mysteries and Lies is first and foremost a magic show. We are messing with reality, or at least your perception of it in really fun ways. And we felt it was important to be able to do that playfully in an environment saturated with “alternative facts”, deepfakes, AI slop and fake experts. I’m a classical sleight-of-hand artist, so we’re doing all of this the old fashioned way. There’s no special technology involved, just the minds of the audience.
Through the magic of the Fringe lottery we found ourselves in the Sweet Action Theatre, which is a wonderful intimate space on Queen West. There are forty-five seats per performance. And we decided to take advantage of that intimacy to get up close and personal with the audience. Inspired by magicians from Spain and Argentina, we have members of the audience on stage the entire show. They make the magic happen as much as I do. We’re giving up a lot of control and a lot of certainty. It also means each show will be different and anything can happen.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Magic Live Unrepeatable
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Fringe audiences are special. They comes looking for something. They’re not there by accident — they’ve chosen to seek out something different, something they can’t find at a mainstream venue. That means when you build something live with them in the room, they’re genuinely present for it. Every show becomes its own unrepeatable thing, shaped by the specific people who showed up that day. That’s rare, and it’s the whole point.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I have to shout out Keith Brown in 110% Wizard. He’s incredibly talented and charming. We have been watching Keith perform since before he was old enough to grow that beard. And we have the photos to prove it!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/mysteries-and-lies
Marla Torgerson – Sinner: A Musical Tragicomedy About Breaking Up With White Jesus
1.Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
I’m Marla Torgerson, a Calgary-based singer-songwriter, performer, and writer who
somehow took a degree in classical voice, enough Biblical College to be a Pastor, 20
years in the Music Biz and a not so minor existential crisis, and turned it into a onewoman musical tragicomedy.
I grew up in the Alberta Bible Belt and spent much of my life trying to be the person
everyone expected me to be. SINNER. is what happened when I stopped.
It’s a story about faith, desire, belonging, grief, and the realization that the frequency of
laughter contains the resonance that unties that which still internally binds us. Father
Richard Rohr says that ‘the True self is Unoffendable” and I mean to test that theory.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
SINNER. is a one-woman musical tragicomedy about purity culture, evangelical
womanhood, and what it costs to outgrow a world that once gave you belonging.
The show follows a woman trying to untangle faith from fear, desire from shame, and
God from the people who claimed to speak on His behalf. It is a singular journey,
choosing to nurture an internal peace at the expense of the external one.
Audience members have described it as
‘the soul healing I didn’t know I still needed’
And
“If Fleabag went to Bible College,”
At its heart, though, it’s a story about being the first person in your family, your
community, or your tradition to ask a different question. It’s about what happens when
certainty stops working.
And somehow, despite all that, it’s very funny.
Also, We head to Edinburgh fringe almost immediately after the Toronto run, BUT our
Toronto audience gets the full 90 minute, full band and gospel choir version. It’s going
to be epic.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Cantus. Comedy. Catharsis.
(…pretentious huh?)
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Truth? I’ve never been to a fringe festival. I know… I’ve been in music my whole Artistic
life. This is the first theatre I have ever created and to have it so well received has been
really overwhelming and healing for me. In all of my meetings, with veteran Artists
performing both in Toronto and in Edinburgh, what I am constantly reminded of is the
joy. The joy of the Fringe energy and the unique community that it builds. As I try to
keep my logistical head above water these days, editing, producing and starring in the
show, that is what I am looking forward to.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
Galen’s Grocer. I hope they sell sweaters as merch..
Mary, Mary.- our venn diagram is almost a circle
Unsung – I want to laugh
If I leave Toronto with a list of ten artists whose work I’m jealous of, I’ll consider that a
successful Fringe.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/sinner-musical-tragicomedy-about-breaking-white-jesus
Ethan Zuchkan – Ooga Chaka!
1.Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hello there! My name is Ethan Zuchkan. I’m a writer and actor based in Toronto. “Ooga Chaka!” will serve as my playwriting debut in the Fringe Festival. Apart from writing for the stage, I’ve also been trying my hand at novels. I’m a big history buff and one of my favourite genres is fantasy, so I blend them together quite often. I’m an alumnus of the Theatre Performance Program at Toronto Metropolitan University. Here are three random facts about me: gorillas are – hands down – my favourite animal of all time. As a child, I was terrified of lily pads and wouldn’t go near any body of water where they were present. I was inspired to become an actor after seeing Brendan Fraser in “The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor”.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
“Ooga Chaka!” is a comedic journey through time, all the way back to the Neolithic Age, where two cave painters, Bungu and Kiki, decide to try their hand at a brand new form of art: Theatre. As their show gets bigger and bigger, they are forced to put up with egotistical actors, source “pebbles” to fund the show and sacrifice their vision in the name of commercial gain. It makes them beg the question as to why they chose theatre in the first place.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Friendship, honesty, rocks!
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Community is the glue which holds the Fringe Festival together. Each year, hundreds of talented like-minded artists come together and share stories with one another. I speak for many when I say that the Fringe Festival has introduced me to some of my most cherished friends.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I’m itching to see both “Camp!” and “El Jefe”. I’ve seen past works of both companies and they never fail in putting on an excellent show!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/ooga-chaka
Ruth Goodwin and Liz Johnston – YOU CHOOSE: An Improvised Murder Mystery
1. Could you please introduce yourselves to my readers?
We’re Ruth Goodwin and Liz Johnston, co-creators of YOU CHOOSE: An Improvised Murder Mystery coming to Fringe this summer. Ruth is an actor and co-founder The Howland Company, which she co-launched in 2013 and has since grown into one of Toronto’s most acclaimed independent theatre companies, recently earning 10 Dora Award nominations for their past season of work. Liz is an award-winning comedian and Second City Mainstage alumni and both of us can be seen across various stages and screens around the country! We’ve been collaborators and friends for years, sharing a love of improv, comedy, and farce and we are returning to Fringe after our first show Entrances and Exits won Best of Toronto Fringe back in 2018 and went on to be nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award and remounted at The Tarragon Theatre.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
YOU CHOOSE: An Improvised Murder Mystery is a completely improvised comedy inspired by social deduction games like Mafia, Werewolf and the viral sensation TV show, The Traitors. At the beginning of every performance, the audience secretly chooses the murderer and knows exactly who the culprit is. The cast does not. As the mystery unfolds, a group of improvisers must investigate the crime while unknowingly sharing the stage with the killer.
We’re also thrilled to be joined by an incredible ensemble of comedians and improvisers, including Conor Bradbury (Sex T-Rex, The Second City), Brandon Hackett (This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Second City), Paloma Nuñez (Baroness Von Sketch Show, The Second City), Sharjil Rasool (The Second City), and Christian Smith (The Second City), alongside the two of us. Every clue, accusation, alliance, and shocking revelation is created live, making each performance a totally unique experience.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Laughter. Chaos. Mystery!
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Fringe is where both of us found some of our earliest artistic opportunities, so it holds a special place in our hearts. We love the energy of the festival – the pre-show lineups, the energy of the Fringe tent, and the sense that audiences are genuinely excited to discover something new. There’s also something incredibly freeing about Fringe. Artists get to take risks, experiment, and try bold ideas, and audiences show up ready to go on the journey with you. It’s one of the most exciting creative environments in the city.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
Omgsh lots! There’s so many artists we love and respect working at the festival this summer! 2% of Condoms looks like it’s gonna be awesome! Imagined Love also looks fantastic!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/you-choose-improvised-murder-mystery
Chrisevina Tsoura and Katya Podlesnaia – CUSP
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Our names are Chrisevina Tsoura and Katya Podlesnaia, and we are co-producing, devising and performing in CUSP at the TO Fringe Festival this summer. We, like the rest of the cast, are 2026 graduates of George Brown’s Theatre Performance program, and we are so excited for the opportunity to create and act in a show right after graduating. We are very pleased to be working with Tanya Rintoul, whom we also met during our time at George Brown.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
CUSP is a modern and loose adaptation of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. It is situated in a secluded cottage where eight friends are spending their summer together. They’re young and lost; they don’t really know what they are doing with their lives.
We created this show through devising and improvisation. Chekhov’s text has been more of a guideline for us than a script. We took inspiration from the original text and many other sources to create a version of Uncle Vanya that feels relevant and important to us. We have kept many of the same plot points but adapted them to our reality, our time and our interpretation of the characters.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Entertaining, Chaotic, Hopeful
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Our favourite part of performing in the Fringe is definitely the community we get to be a part of and the people we meet along the way. Fringe is a great opportunity to show the world the work that excites us, meet many like-minded artists and see shows of all shapes and forms.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
We are excited to support many of our cast members who are writing, producing and acting in other Fringe shows, including KidFest’s Pedro the Penguin (Participatory Players), and God Save the Sodomites (Old Soles Theatre Collective).
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/cusp
Miho Suzuki – The Improper Identity
1) Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
My name is Miho, I’m originally from Tokyo and am now based in Toronto as an actor, improviser, writer, and multidisciplinary artist. For The Improper Identity, I wear many hats: writer, director, performer, choreographer, Kamishibai creator, costume designer, and more. While filming a TV series this spring, I was reminded of how much the industry has improved in embracing diversity and inclusion. It made me think about how beautiful life could be if that same spirit of respect extended to the whole world—especially in a city where nearly half the population was born outside Canada. Accent bias is something we rarely talk about, despite how deeply it affects many people. Through The Improper Identity, I hope to spark that conversation with humour, heart, and a celebration of every voice.
2) Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
In short, The Improper Identity is a based-on-a-true-story sci-fi comedy about accents, identity, and belonging. Using Japanese Kamishibai storytelling, a cast of wonderfully eccentric characters, and plenty of fantasy and silliness, the show follows a Japanese immigrant navigating life in English. From awkward misunderstandings to unspoken biases, it explores what it means to speak “differently” in a society that often treats certain accents as more proper than others. Equal parts hilarious and thought-provoking, the show fires jokes while celebrating the beauty of every voice.
3) Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Funny. Honest. Human.
4) What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
The energy and spirit of Fringe are my favourite part. I love being surrounded by artists who create out of pure passion and joy, and people who genuinely want to support art and community. It’s something magical and inspiring!
5) What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
Galen’s Grocer The Musical, Every Fringe Show You’ve Ever Seen All At Once, Belly Button and more!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/improper-identity
Charles Ford – Little Eden
1.Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
My name is Charles Ford – I’m currently a student at the University of Toronto in the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies, but I’m originally from Windsor, Nova Scotia. I’ve been fortunate enough in my time in the city to meet some really wonderful theatre-makers from all over the country, and they’ve been so kind as to join me in bringing Little Eden to life! As for my background – I was raised around theatre from a very young age. I found a place at the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia when I was a teenager, and started my stage journey as a production assistant, helping to build puppets for their flagship tours for young audiences. Aside from, and alongside that, I’ve written and performed in a handful of plays about growing up on the east coast – and trying to find a sense of community as a young Queer person in rural Canada. Little Eden is the first of these plays to face a real, public production, and I couldn’t be more excited.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Little Eden is about a young man who is afraid of growing up, at its simplest. Gabriel is trapped in the massive, old house of his recently deceased grandfather, and he’s constantly plagued by vivid nightmares and visions of his childhood while trying to sort through the remnants of his grandfather’s life. His grief manifests in long, rambling stories of what it was like growing up, the people he remembers, and his dreams for the future while trying to find himself both spiritually, and philosophically. Little Eden is about finding your place in a world that’s often confusing, misguided, or underhanded, and how our beliefs guide us to make the decisions that we do; for better, or for worse.
The show is rated 14A for some brief strong language and challenging subject matter, and it will run from July 2-12 at the Factory Theatre Studio. The show is directed by emerging Toronto theatre artist Kenneth Gray, with original music by Jesse Sol.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Spooky. Funny. Hopeful.
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
It’s my first time – so we’ll have to see! But getting the chance to be around so many talented and creative people is very exciting. Having opportunities like Fringe festivals in communities really brings together the voices and stories we don’t often get to hear, in a way where the stakes aren’t too high. Talking with artists, and seeing some of the wonderful theatre that exists in Toronto is a real privilege that we often take for granted in big urban centres.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I’m really looking forward to seeing Odradek Theatre Collective’s SPRINGTIME at CineCycle. Conceptually, it seems so interesting and unique. I’m hoping to get out to see a fair amount of productions during the festival, so I’ll be keeping my eye out for interesting, provocative shows to see when I’m not performing! I look forward to seeing what Fringe has to offer!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/little-eden
Will Parry – The Everlasting Friendship of Billy & Bink
1.Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hi readers! My name is Will Parry (@willxparry), I’m a musical theatre artist based in Toronto! I’m also the writer and sole performer of The Everlasting Friendship of Billy and Bink at Toronto Fringe KidsFest this summer! You may have seen me as Milky White & Others in Into The Woods at Koerner Hall, or outside of the city in Hare & Tortoise (Carousel Players), Wizard of Oz: The Panto (Drayton Entertainment), or maybe on the Instagram of your favourite Toronto theatre companies going to enjoy the power of live theatre. This is my first time performing in Fringe and I’m so grateful to be a part of KidsFest!
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show at the Toronto Fringe Festival!
The Everlasting Friendship of Billy and Bink is a TYA musical about how to be a good friend! It’s all about the brother-best friend duo, Billy (puppet) and Bink (human – me). They do EVERYTHING together; I mean everything. Same clothes? Check. Same lunches? Check. Same EVERYTHING! One day Billy strays from this with the best of intentions and some communication wires get crossed with his brother Billy. This show is about how they navigate and overcome that. I think it’s a really important piece for folks of all ages but especially young folks who have access to technology, particularly social media… you’ll see why when you come.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words?
Affable. Whimsical. Fuzzy (in essence and cause like… puppets).
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Growing up I always LOVED going to see Toronto Fringe shows. Building the schedule. Following along different artists’ journeys year after year. Discovering new ideas of what theatre could be year after year. I still feel this same giddiness every July as an adult. It’s like theatre Christmas!! Getting to be on the other side of that now for audiences, especially for many young people whose first theatre experience it will be… there is truly no greater gift. THAT’S my favourite part.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?I’m really really looking forward to seeing CAMP!. I loved Iris (Says Goodbye) last year and am excited to see what Mixtape Projects does next… and with a musical geared towards younger audiences! Also for your readers 14+, I’m also performing in another Fringe show called Will & The Amazingly Obsessive Theatrical Vinyl Collection at The Jamii Hub.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/everlasting-friendship-billy-bink
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/will-and-amazingly-obsessive-theatrical-vinyl-collection
Kevin Wong and Alysa Pires – A Moment for Frayed Nerves
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
We are Kevin Wong (Patrons’ Pick winning creator of Polly Peel and Drama 101), Alysa Pires (National Ballet of Canada, New York City Ballet), and Rielle Braid (original cast of Ride the Cyclone), the creative team behind A Moment for Frayed Nerves!
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
A Moment for Frayed Nerves is a brand new Canadian musical and dance piece, a delicious Studio Ghibli inspired pop and r&b fever dream to soothe you in these trying and complex times. Co-created by Wong and Pires, Frayed Nerves explores themes of hopelessness, burn out, and the joy and gratitude of life’s purest and simplest pleasures, such as food, cooking, sex, and creature comforts. Frayed Nerves takes anime, pop, classical composition, and dance, and bakes them into a beautiful souffle.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Zany. Gourmand. Searching.
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Fringe celebrates the most exciting part of the theatre process – creation. Premiering shows at Fringe is the exact spirit of birthing a new piece, in a supportive, exciting environment, with the most passionate theatre audiences.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
Will Parry and the Amazingly Obsessive Theatrical Vinyl Collection!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/moment-frayed-nerves
Caspian Keys – Spiritual Bob is Trapped in Paradise!
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hi, my name is Caspian Keys and I’m a 45 year old trans guy. I’m the writer/director/producer of Spiritual Bob is Trapped in Paradise! This is my first play, but I’ve previously written stories and role-plays for a very niche vampire ASMR YouTube channel, as well as maintained my own movie blog.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Spiritual Bob is Trapped in Paradise! is an absurdist take on my former life as a Mormon sister missionary in Arizona from 2003 to 2004 (that’s right, it’s a period piece!). The premise is simple: two sister missionaries are magically trapped in a room, where their secret fears and desires will be revealed. Much of the conversations and stories within the play are taken directly from my journals, providing an authentic view into the highs and lows of missionary life.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Absurdist semi-autobiographical missionary.
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
I’m learning so much about producing a play! The Fringe provides us with many resources, workshops, and even access to a mentor that will answer any questions we have along the way. And I get to talk to other producers in “producer pod” calls, and learn alongside them. I also get to work with two very experienced actors, and a stage manager, who don’t mind taking the time to explain things to me as we go. It’s been a great experience so far.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I’m looking forward to seeing the work of my fellow producer pod creator, Kathryn Haggis, who has written and stars in Lifeguard. Much like my own play, it’s based on her life experiences, and is presented both comedically and poignantly.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/spiritual-bob-trapped-paradise
Kathryn Haggis – LIFEGUARD
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
My name is Kathryn Haggis, I’m a Toronto based actor,comedian,storyteller and certified lifeguard (of forty years, think Greywatch not Baywatch). I’m a graduate of The Neighbourhood Playhouse in New York City, a Second City Auxillory Tour Co. and teaching Alumnae of the Teen Program at The Second City Training Centre. I have multiple theatre, film and television credits, most notably playing Cousin Marianthi in, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, triology written by Second City alumnae Nia Vardalos.
I am very excited to be sticking my toe in this year’s Fringe Festival waters.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
LIFEGUARD is a solo (soul-o) show, “Once a Canadian actor always something else”. This new emerging work is written and performed by me, Kathryn Haggis, directed and co-created by solo guru Tracey Erin Smith, a Broadway Award winning Director and Soul-O Artist. Dramaturgy by Judith Thompson one of Canada’s most widely recognized playwrites.
LIFEGUARD is a semi-autobiographical show about being the ‘Willy Loman”, of the Toronto acting scene, saving and being saved. This is journey of life, death and human connection, “AI can do a lot of things but it can’t breath in a room of people”, is layered with fantastic music, true personal stories, a lot of laughs and heart.
LIFEGUARD is the life line we all need right now.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Heart and Soul (is three words I would use to describe the essence of this show).
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
My favourite thing about performing at The Fringe Festival is the people you meet during the sheer marathoning it takes to independently produce a show. I haven’t seen my partner in weeks. The urgency combined with wearing multiple hats pushes you to the limits of guerilla warfare. It demands you get everyone involved, including the neighbour you didn’t know before but now love because they lent you their car twice in the last week.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I’m really looking forward to seeing, “Assembly Suggested”, written by Rymn Wadhwa at The Aki Studio in The Native Earth Performing Arts Centre. She was featured on your first podcast. We share this venue. We had a great laugh doing a stand-up comedy course earlier this spring. Rymn is a great artistic spirit writing her first play about assembling a chair from IKEA. It’s such relateable material. Any store that requires arrows and footprints on the floor to get to the exit is a panic attack just waiting to happen. IKEA needs a LIFEGUARD. Happy Fringing.
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/lifeguard
Julie Cohn – Many Happy Returns
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hi! I’m Julie Cohn, the Artistic Director of BEARS! In The City! and Creative Director at IntrigueX. I’ve been making theatre for over 30 years, and my artistic mandate is to entertain, enlighten, and inspire. I’ve had some fantastic past Fringe successes: “Meet Cute” (Best of Fringe, Direction); “Is That How Clowns Have Sex?” (Fringe Top 5, Devising/Direction); “Sorry ‘Bout That.” (Five Favourite Fringe Shows, Devising/Direction/Acting). At BEARS! In The City!, we are proud of having Queer leadership. We share compelling stories with integrity, and we’re passionate about anti-oppression. We are so jazzed to be bringing our award-winning, smash-hit show, MANY HAPPY RETURNS, to Toronto Fringe ’26!
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
MANY HAPPY RETURNS is an immersive time travel adventure, Winner of No Proscenium’s 2025 Audience Award for Outstanding Immersive Work! Our guests are Time Travellers, and together, we go on a mission back in time to a 1926 New Year’s Eve speakeasy! We infiltrate the party, mixing and mingling with the People from the Past, and manipulating the events of the party to retrieve ten historical artifacts – or stay trapped in a time loop forever!!! Time Travellers are encouraged to dress to impress, secure a cocktail, and make new friends at this thrilling co-operative escapade! Every choice reveals novel timelines, so no two missions are alike – you can return to experience entirely new heists each visit, and uncover more secrets! It’s like a murder mystery meets escape room meets speakeasy meets Queer love story meets mission impossible; it’s unlike anything else you’ll experience – and your choices determine the outcome! The adventure begins with a 30-minute cocktail reception to meet your co-operatives, then a 60-minute caper! 19+ We’re at Society Clubhouse, as an Unconventional Venue, 967 College St, Toronto. Our shows are over 1/2 sold out, so get your tickets now while you can! MANY HAPPY RETURNS!
Show Schedule *all times in p.m.:
Date——————Cocktail Briefing———–Heist
June 30————–7:15—————————7:45
July 1—————–4——————————-4:30——Sold out
July 2—————–10—————————–10:30
July 5—————–9——————————-9:30
July 6—————–7:15—————————7:45
July 7—————–7:15—————————7:45
July 9—————–6:45—————————7:15
July 12—————-2——————————-2:30
Links:
Ticket site: https://www.fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/many-happy-returns
Insta: @bears_in_the_city
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BEARSInTheCityProductions
Website: https://www.bearsinthecity.com/
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Thrilling, collaborative, festive.
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Meeting all the incredible, interesting audiences, and other phenomenal artists, and sharing an amazing experience.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
“Love, Shakespeare and Rope”, by our friends, Tifereth and Birdhaus!
https://www.fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/many-happy-returns
Nasim Ramirez – Snacey!
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hi! My name is Nasim Ramirez and I’m a Mexican-Persian actor and singer based in Toronto! I graduated from the UofT and Sheridan joint acting program in 2023. This is my first EVER fringe and I get the honour of playing the titular character, Snacey!!!
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
Snacey! Is a kids musical about friendship and identity. Sure it’s a “kids” show but it’s perfect for everyone. It’s so funny, the songs are incredibly catchy and the cast is unimaginable! It it a fully accessible show; we have every preformance captioned and select preformances asl interpreted! You will not regret buying tickets!
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
Funny, Heartwarming, Accessible
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
I’m so excited to see Fray! From what I heared it’s incredibly unique paired with a talented cast! What else could you want in a fringe show ?!?
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I love collaborating with different artists and getting to work on new works that will become the future of our theatre industry!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/snacey
Gaia Miccianco, Choreographer and Victoria Matchett, Director – outside these walls, everyone is sleeping
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hi! My name’s Gaia (like Maia but with a guh) I’m a Toronto based actor originally from San Diego, California. I do improv shows around the city, love to dance salsa, and am a big foodie (always looking for recommendations).
I’ve been doing theatre since elementary school and am so excited to be jumping into the world of devised theatre. I’m a performer in “outside these walls, everyone is sleeping” as well as choreographer and assistant director! It’s my first fringe show as well as my first time directing/choreographing and I’m thrilled to be bringing all of you into this world we’ve created.
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
“outside these walls, everyone is sleeping” is a movement based piece, with original music and projections. It follows a young woman into a dream state as she explores her grief through movement, sound, and ritual.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
movement, healing, surreal
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Getting to know so many other creatives in the city! From the amazing team that has assembled around our show, to all the other artists participating in the festival. It’s inspiring to see so many people come together for the love of the art and storytelling.
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
So many to chose from and explore but for now I’ll say Galen’s Grocer!
1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers?
Hey hi hello! I’m Victoria Matchett, multidisciplinary artist and tiramisu connoisseur. I’ve been on stage since I was 6 years old and they haven’t been able to stop me since. I’ve been living, loving, and laughing in Toronto for 6 years now, having studied theatre and currently studying design, all so I can max channel my creativity into making myself, Sappho, and especially my cat daughter, Artemis, proud. I’m also Dreamer, the protagonist of “outside these walls, everyone is sleeping”, as well as one of the creators and designers!
2. Please tell us more about your upcoming show in the Toronto Fringe Festival!
“outside these walls, everyone is sleeping” explores the self isolated, sleepless world of a young woman, an artist, a… Dreamer, as she dances between reality and reawakening.
Awash in the aftermath of loss, carrying grief she can no longer shoulder, Dreamer escapes into memory, music, and movement, until she can no longer escape herself.
It’s raw, it’s beautiful, it’s (sur)real.
3. Describe the essence of your show in 3 words.
vulnerable, dreamlike, healing
4. What’s your favourite part of performing in a Fringe Festival?
Surviving the highs and lows of Toronto Fringe Fest with some of the most talented, most resilient, and most delightful creatives in the city. It takes an absolute village and a half to make theatre happen and I’m so honoured to be sharing the wild and wonderful devised theatre process with such a dream team 🙂
5. What’s another show that you’re looking forward to seeing at the Toronto Fringe Festival?
I can’t wait to see as many as possible (hopefully see you all there?! Say hi if you see me!) but I’ve got some incredible friends in Ooga Chaka, Three Descending Notes, and Fray that I can’t wait to see take the stage!
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/outside-these-walls-everyone-sleeping
Thank you to my Patrons:
Natalia, Steve, Brendan, Deborah, and Phil
And to my supporters who’ve bought me a coffee:
Angelica and Paul, Anonymous, Adrianna, Caitlin, Jonathan, Jada, and Courtney
Would you like to become a Patron? Check out my Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox
Or, you can buy me a coffee at: buymeacoffee.com/aviewfromthebox
A View from the Box 