Hi internet.

Before I dive in, I’d like to give a special shoutout to my parents’ and in-laws’ friends. You’re all fantastic, but the parents’ friend demographic has been particularly enthusiastic and has sent some really nice messages. Thanks, and I appreciate your support! More play reviews coming next week, but for now, on to this article.

The Toronto Fringe Festival is an annual July theatre event where thousands of theatre lovers gather to create art – some great, some mediocre. A handful of successful theatre (and TV) shows started at Toronto Fringe, including The Drowsy Chaperone, Kim’s Convenience, Da Kink in My Hair, and My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding.

What troubles me about Toronto Fringe is that admission into the festival is based entirely on a random lottery system, not merit. The festival believes that “every voice has an equal right to be heard,” which is a fair position, but I vehemently disagree. I agree that admission should not be based on “who you know,” but surely having a higher overall standard of theatre would elevate the festival’s reputation, which could attract more theatregoers, creators and donors and in turn help produce more high-quality theatre. My solution would be a basic pre-screen process that hides the names of the applicants until final decisions have been made, and then perhaps a designated # of lottery picks. I digress..

This year, there are over 100 shows being produced, and the Fringe website is not particularly well organized. So, I lovingly made a searchable google sheet listing all the shows and a brief description. You can use filter views if you’d like to sort based on the type of show, theatre etc. Sorry for any typos or mis-categorizations – feel free to shoot me a message with any changes.

Now, I love experimental theatre as much as the next theatre nerd, but reading the summaries of these shows reminded me of the scene from The Producers where they’re sifting through a pile of questionable plays. Regardless, all of these creators should be celebrated for creating art, some of which will surely be diamonds in the rough. I shall highlight some of the most intriguing (or perplexing) paraphrased summaries below:

• “Puts the fun back in funeral”
• 1-man musical written in iambic pentameter
• Frankenstein with a 6-foot puppet
• A drama about grief and a pig-shaped cookie jar (?)
• A hip-hop adaptation of Julius Caesar
• Climate science + athletic dance (?) + video
• A girl stuck in a maze discovers her Hungarian heritage
• A musical about a multi-level marketing scheme
• Stars an actual porn star
• A play about memories, environmental justice, queer relationships and anti-capitalism

So, lots to look forward to. While the list of shows was only released yesterday, here are the top 11 shows that piqued my interest:

1. Our Little Secret: The 23&Me Musical – bias alert! My friend is producing this one, and friends support friends. But it’s a one-man musical based on a true story of a surprising DNA test.
2. Maggie Chun’s First Love and Last Wedding – won a bunch of playwriting awards. “Sweet show about love, family & home.”
3. The Bad Mitzvah – a play about Abigail’s Bat Mitzvah.
4. The End of Everything – a 2-woman show set on a space station. I love space.
5. The Family Crow: A Murder Mystery – it’s a puppet murder mystery. So crazy, it just might work.
6. A Little Bit Pregnant – a dramedy about adulting.
7. Paz – a drama about a child that goes missing after her Filipina nanny is fired.
8. Corporate Finch – a creepy thriller about teens breaking into a factory.
9. Hullaboo and the End of Everything – “A Pixar movie at the Fringe festival.”
10. Killing Time: A Game Show Musical – a murder mystery musical.
11. Blake & Clay’s Gay Agenda – comedy duo that won best comedy @ Fringe last year.

So, those are my first impression rose winners. As the theatre community chatters, I’ll make some adjustments. Happy Fringe!

The Toronto Fringe Festival runs from July 5-16, 2023. Buying tickets ahead of time is actually a bit confusing for a newcomer. The gist of it is: head to the Fringe website and add the shows/dates you’re interested in to your cart. When you’re checking out, you have the option of either buying individual tickets to shows, or a pass to see a bunch of show (the process is explained here).

Photo credit: Toronto Fringe Festival