theBUZZ Features

Fringe Festival – Discover Indie Theatre and Performance with over 100 shows in more than 20 venues- July 2 to 13, 2025 (Toronto)
Toronto Fringe presents the 37th Annual Toronto Fringe Festival, taking place July 2 – 13, 2025 with over 100 shows in over 20 venues across the city. This is Ontario’s largest performance festival and will include three dance shows, five KidsFest shows, over a dozen new Canadian musicals, the Next Stage Series, plus dramatic theatre, clown, storytelling, comedy, puppets, and more.
Highlights from the 37th Annual Toronto Fringe Festival include:
Lulu at Soulpepper Theatre’s Tank House Theatre
Written by Sashoya Simpson, directed by d’bi.young anitafrika, Lulu embarks on a journey of urgency, into a mystical folk realm of Caribbean folklore and fantasy, to retrieve the key she needs to save her ailing grandmother.
The Zuchinni Club at Tarragon Theatre Extraspace
Pasquale Provolone must protect his beloved garden from a cast of pesky animals in this vaudeville show featuring an entire puppet cast, designed, handcrafted, and performed by Alexander Mantia.
Something to Look Forward To at VideoCabaret – Deanne Taylor Theatre
Celebrated storyteller-comedian Joanne O’Sullivan is directed by Emmy Award-winner Allana Harkin in this touching and hilarious solo show about the power of stories and their potential to maybe, just maybe, save the world.
David Lynch’s Seinfeld at Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
An original episode of Seinfeld that descends into a Lynchian nightmare, starring Paul Aihoshi, Andy Assaf, Guy Bradford, Edward Choi, Chelsea Larkin, Matthew Nadeau, Nicole Passmore, and Colin Sharpe.
The Ensemble at Soulpepper Theatre’s Michael Young Theatre
Written by Aliyah Bourgeault and Emmet Logue, and directed by Christel Bartelse, this show featuring fourteen cast members is a play adapted from José Sanchis Sinisterra’s work Los Figurantes, exploring free will, identity, and just how many people you can fit on a stage.
Playground at Soulpepper Theatre’s Kevin & Roger Garland Cabaret
A new Canadian family musical about the power of imagination and play, featuring excerpts from the music catalogue of four-time Juno-winner Jack Grunsky.
ALPHA at Soulpepper Theatre’s Michael Young Theatre
ALPHA shares the experience of five bright, privileged boys from a fictitious all-boys secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago, and is a re-imagining of Zeno Constance’s popular play The Ritual.
WHISTLING PINE (A Dark Comedy) at Native Earth’s Aki Studio
Centre for Indigenous Theatre presents a new show written and performed by Chris Mejaki, and directed by Ed Roy, that follows a young Indigenous man dealing drugs in small town Ontario. The trajectory of his life takes a dramatic and comedic turn when he’s arrested, incarcerated, and mysteriously contacted by his ancestral spiritual guides.
Very Shady Arab Ladies at VideoCabaret – Deanne Taylor Theatre
Maryem Tollar (Metcalf Prize winner) and Roula Said (Juno nominee) star in this timely comedy that uses sharp satire and song to confront cultural stereotypes. Joined by Dora-winner Anand Rajaram, Very Shady Arab Ladies offers top-tier talent tackling sensitive subjects head-on through comedy and music.
Temple of Desire at Native Earth’s Aki Studio
Fresh from a sell-out, award-winning season at Melbourne Fringe, this bold new work by Karma Dance Inc features 19 dancers trained in the classical Indian form of Bharatanātyam. A radical, visually stunning dance-theatre work where queer desire and tradition unite in a fearless celebration of the sacred and sensual.
And There’s More…
The Toronto Fringe will also host magician Keith Brown’s 55th Fringe appearance (100% Wizard), British comedian Jimmy Hogg’s 20-year Fringe anniversary (Jimmy Hogg: The Potato King), 75-year-old Valerie Boyle’s Fringe debut (Grown Ass*d Broads Talkin Dirty), and tenth anniversary remounts of Fringe hits Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl, and People Suck: A Musical Airing of Grievances.
Toronto Fringe also announced two Best of Fringe series’ in 2025, including TO Live Best of Fringe from July 18-20 at the Meridian Arts Centre in North York, followed by North(519) Best of Fringe by Theatre Orangeville from August 8-10 as part of their Summer Arts Fest. Each series will be decided by jury, and will be announced at Awards Night on July 11 at the Fringe Hub.
Toronto Fringe Festival
July 2-13, 2025
General Tickets: $18.75 • Next Stage Series: $28.75
Teens: $9 • Kids: $6
Preview and Daily Discount Tickets: $13.75
Tickets and multi-show passes are available here.
Toronto Fringe is a grassroots, charitable organization that runs the annual Toronto Fringe Festival each July. Toronto Fringe offers various year-round programs that benefit youth, emerging artists, BIPOC artists, artists with disabilities, and the performing arts community at large. Embedded in Fringe’s operations are the values of Access, Accountability, Creativity, Exploration, and Support. The Toronto Fringe Festival is a platform for innovative theatre and performance. Shows are selected by lottery or first-come-first-served processes, and all ticket revenue goes straight to the artists.
About the Author
Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.