Artists to Watch at the Toronto Fringe
From seasoned theatre vets to talented newcomers, here are some artists guaranteed to generate buzz — and lineups
Are you ready for Toronto’s Indie Theatre SuperBowl, FIFA or whatever other sports comp you can think of?
The Toronto Fringe kicks off (see what I did there?) June 30 and for the following 12 days is determined to make you laugh, cry, think, feel, and in the end be grateful your venue has air-conditioning. There are 123 shows, so even if you’re Derrick Chua (whom I’m frequently mistaken for, perhaps because we both wear a lot of black) you won’t be able to see every show.
To help you out, here’s a list of artists who have done solid work in the past. Keep in mind, though, that the Fringe is all about discovery, so make sure to add some unknown titles to your schedule. Some of my favourite Fringe memories have happened that way.
Once the fest begins, I’ll be part of the Toronto Star’s Fringe review team (you can find review hub here). I’ll also be contributing a few comedy-related Fringe reviews to Parton and Pearl.
As per last year, if I see anything else I’ll review it here. I’ll also likely write up a mid-fest report featuring any news I hear about during the ultra busy opening week. I’m curious to see how the Fringe hub, which seemed pretty cramped and underused last year, does. I also want to know what people think of the $19 general ticket price (daily discount tix, if available, are $14).
You can find out more about the shows and other Fringe stuff here.
Who: Ruth Goodwin and Liz Johnston
What: Writers/co-stars, You Choose: An Improvised Murder Mystery
Where: Tarragon Mainspace
With the popularity of the Knives Out films and Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie remakes, mysteries are hotter than ever. Now Ruth Goodwin and Liz Johnston, the gut-bustingly funny creators of Howland Theatre Co.’s big improvised Fringe farce Entrances and Exits are back with their spin on the genre.
You Choose: An Improvised Murder Mystery is exactly what it sounds like. There’s a murder (or two), a bunch of suspects — played by a rotating group of the city’s funniest folks, like Second City alums Conor Bradbury, Brandon Hackett, Paloma Nuñez, Sharjil Rasool, Christian Smith, as well as the writers themselves — and the audience gets to choose who the murderer is.
Will the characters figure it out? And will the audience die laughing before they do? See info here.
Who: Alice Fox Lundy
What: Director, Little One
Where: The Burroughs Building
Director Lundy burst onto the theatre scene last year with two powerful plays, the stylish expressionistic drama The Adding Machine (at the Toronto Fringe) and the tense historical thriller A Question of Character (remounted after its successful Hamilton Fringe staging).
Now she takes on Hannah Moscovitch’s (Interview with a Vampire) 2011 play about two adopted siblings’ complex, psychologically twisted bond. Expect to be properly spooked by this chiller, performed by Izzi Nagel and Wayne Burns in a venue that feels appropriately steeped in history. See info here.
Who: Srutika Sabu
What: Writer/performer, 1 Santosh Santosh 2 Go: Live at Grind-Con!
Where: Sweet Action Theatre
One of the biggest Fringe surprises of 2024 was medicine-grad-turned-clown Sabu, whose awkward, middle-aged South Asian software engineer/brown uncle alter ego Santosh (nicknamed “Tosh”) was simultaneously cringeworthy and adorable.
Now Sabu and her sweaty, tech-bro drag character is back in a sequel in which he speaks at Grind-Con. Directed by sketch artist Shohana Sharmin (Dead Parents Society), the show is sure to make you squirm — and laugh — at Tosh’s attempts to make it big and gain his parents’ love, even though he’s not a neurosurgeon like his two sisters. See info here.
Who: Alex Dallas and Jimmy Hogg
What: Writer/performers, Evie & Alfie: A Very British Love Story
Where: Soulpepper’s Michael Young Centre
Individually, UK-born comic actors Hogg and Dallas are the king and queen of the international Fringe circuit, having performed their hit shows like The Potato King and Curriculum Vitae (Hogg) and Drama Queen, Goddess and Nymphomania (Dallas) around the world for decades. (Note: Hogg is also starring in Mashed this Fringe.)
Now, in the theatre equivalent of a later-in-life royal wedding, they’re joining forces to play the eponymous retired couple, recounting the ups and downs of their lives. Directed by James Gangl (a Fringe vet himself), the show won two awards at separate Fringes last year; expect it to do the same here. See info here.
Who: Anesti Danelis
What: Creator/performer, Artificially Intelligent 2.0
Where: Alumnae Mainspace
Viral social media star Danelis debuted the first iteration of his show two years ago, and it was a hit at various international festivals, including Toronto, Edinburgh and Sydney. In it, he fed ChatGPT stories and songs about his life — his immigrant Greek parents, being bisexual, finding it hard to make new friends in one’s 30s — and let it spit out a 20-second story at the end.
Now that society’s feelings about AI have changed from hopeful optimism to paranoia and fear, he’s revisiting the subject through more stories and songs that explore algorithms and what it means to be human. With Alia Rasul again directing, you can expect fresh insights into Danelis’ wild life and chatbot craziness. See info here.
Who: 郝邦宇 Steven Hao
What: Director, Ooga Chaka
Where: Soulpepper’s Michael Young Theatre
Just as Hao brings a spontaneity and rich inner life to all the roles he plays onstage (Cockroach, Anne of Green Gables, the current A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Stratford), he does the same as a director. Witness his handling, last year, of the massive ensemble piece Concord Floral — the inaugural production by Pucker’s, who are producing this new work with Parlous Theatre.
Ooga Chaka imagines two cave painters who get the idea to take the paintings on their wall and make... theatre! While I’m sure there’s a big metaphor in there about creativity and collectivity, it also sounds like a lot of fun. Writer Ethan Zuchkan starred in last year’s hit Zeitgeist, and several of that show’s co-stars — including Nicholas Eddie, Rachel Cucheron and Ben Yoganathan — as well as Iris (Says Goodbye)’s Ben Kopp and Margot Greve — join in on the Neanderthal narrative. See info here.
Who: Janelle McGuinness
What: Creator/peformer, By Popular Demand
Where: Native Earth‘s Minogitoon Workspace Giizis Studio
A month and a half ago, I caught McGuinness’ impressive solo sketch set at Spotlight at the Second City, where (if the Fringe description is any indication) she was working out some of the material for this show.
Even in that 30-minute spot, I saw range, stage presence and a fearlessness — both with the audience (there was some audience participation) and also with her material, which included big stylistic and thematic swings. I can’t wait to see what McGuinness — who won Best of Fringe a few years ago for Carpe into My DMS — does with an hour-length show. Especially since former Second City artistic director Carly Heffernan — who’s got a great eye for talent — is directing. See info here. (McGuinness is also part of the ensemble for MIRV-“ish,” an improvised musical.)
Who: Jesse McQueen and Jack Creaghan
What: Co-writers, director (Creaghan) and co-star (McQueen), Ladies’ Day
Where: VideoCabaret’s Deanne Taylor Theatre
Hot off their multiple Dora nominations for the indie play Romeo Pimp, McQueen and Creaghan — who were part of last year’s buzzy show Cheap Wine — premiere a new play about a weekly, booze-filled get-together of suburban Windsor housewives in the 1960s.
McQueen, who was so memorable in the recent Wren Theatre production of Pride and Prejudice, is joined by Shanda Bezic, Blair MacMillan, Jennifer McEwen and token dude Carson Pinch in this play based on her own grandmother’s weekly gatherings. Count on some dark laughs and insights into women’s lives 60 years ago. See info here.
A bonus list of more artists generating buzz
• Will Parry, the most enthusiastic theatre social media influencer, debuts two shows: Will and the Amazingly Obsessive Theatrical Vinyl Collection and the kids’ show The Everlasting Friendship of Billy & Bink. We are sat.
• You haven’t experienced sketch comedy until you’ve witnessed the terrific tag team of Ken Hall and Isaac Kessler and their 2-MAN NO-SHOW shows. Their new show is called Balls Out!, which kinda sums up their comedic approach.
• Darla Contois, a Cree-Saulteaux writer and actor who stars in the acclaimed series Little Bird, presents White Man’s Indian, her solo show about a Cree teen (Jaeli Bruno) trying to fit in at a new school.
• The fiercely unique Kathryn Haggis is familiar to long-time indie theatre fans (Dyke City) and moviegoers (all of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding films), but she’s also a trained lifeguard, which she recounts in Lifeguard, her new solo show directed by Fringe fave Tracey Erin Smith.
• Prolific playwright Oren Safdie, whose moving Beyond Ken Dryden was recently turned into a memoir, directs Gratitude, a coming-of-age play about sexual awakening, consent, power and identity.
• Broadway vet and two-time Dora Award-winning actor Bruce Dow (and current registered psychotherapist) has written the music for and directed The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts, featuring words by Oscar Wilde.
• Father’s Day just happened, but Taylor Trowbridge will keep the memories going in DADS, her solo show (directed by her brother, Dylan Trowbridge) that combines stand-up, games, storytelling — and a bit of audience participation. Each show comes with a stand-up set from a different comic telling stories about their own dad.