As always, this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival is a scrappy love affair of theatre. The 2026 edition features 123 shows on 27 stages around the city, taking place from June 30 to July 12.
Comedy dominates again, with improv, sketch, satire and stand-up from the margins.
The theme of AI has shown up in three productions, and there is discussion about the use of AI-generated posters and promo materials for shows.
This is the second year with the festival homebase being in the Distillery District at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Factory Theatre has returned as a venue, and there are some unconventional venues like the eyeglasses shop Ollie Quinn on Queen West.
I tried to pick a bit of everything for this list and give love to plays not already on prominent lists, but I came up a bit light on drama and musical productions. Use this as a springboard for curiosity and exploration, and check out the Fringe site for the full list of shows.
Sure things: award winners, Fringe faves of yore, beloved artists
Artificially Intelligent 2.0: Anesti Danelis is back with more ChatGPT musical madness.
You Choose: An Improvised Murder Mystery: The audience decides the murderer, in a kind of reverse whodunnit, and the cast of acclaimed comedians have to figure it out.
D.E.I. Another Day: From the minds of award winning “Colonial Circus,” a satire about diversity, equity and inclusion (D.E.I.) with Bollywood flair promises a fun time.
Evie & Alfie: A Very British Love Story: Won at the Montreal Fringe, starring hilarious Fringe favourites Alex Dallas (Horseface) and Jimmy Hogg (Potato King).
Dance and movement
Seasons of Souls: Choreographer Sydney Keir has a diverse background dancing with the National Ballet and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This should be a fascinating show.
Love, Shakespeare and Rope: Shakespeare’s sonnets meet the world of Shibari, Japanese rope bondage, in what is sure to be an acrobatic and romantic performance.
Storytelling
Afeni: We need stories of revolutionaries right now, for so many reasons. The play tells the story of Black Panther Afeni Shakur, who was also the mother of Tupac Shakur.
Dads: A look at dads created and performed by the award-winning playwright Taylor Trowbridge and a rotating cast of comedians. Looks funny and heartwarming.
My Journey Back to ChihSang: An autobiographical story of the universal need to fit in and getting lost along the way. I am pre-emptively ranking it high on the Whimsy Meter for its theatrical use of bubbles.
Of these times
Minimum: Don’t you wish the premier of the province would be forced to live on minimum wage? This winner from last year’s Hamilton Fringe imagines what that might look like.
Imagined Love: Tamara Almeida plays a woman looking for post-breakup connection who turns to AI.
Cult Following: From falling in love with an AI companion to a wellness retreat, Jane Adé, co-creator of last year’s thriller My Loneliness is Killing You, brings another unsettling tale.
Galen’s Grocer: The Musical: After last year’s sold-out run, Galen’s Grocer, about a familiar-sounding grocery store mogul with a bad reputation, is back, but this time as a musical.
1 Santosh Santosh 2 Go: Live At Grind Con: Developed in the 2025 Buddies In Bad Times Emerging Creators Unit, Srutika Sabu brings techbro and secondhand Tesla owner Santosh Santosh on as a last-minute speaker at Grind Con.
White Man’s Indian: From the Centre for Indigenous Theatre, Darla Contois’ solo show features Jaeli Bruno as a Cree teenager struggling to fit in at a new school.
Unconventional venues
Many Happy Returns: An immersive and interactive time-travelling experience to the roaring twenties, including a cocktail reception. Looks like a fun use of the Society Clubhouse.
All-Star Stand-up Comedy Show: In all honesty, I’m curious about the vibe of a stand-up show in optical store Ollie Quinn!
State of Balance: A story about a gym in a functioning gym: unconventional, experiential, and truly site specific.
For kids and the whole family
Pedro the Penguin: Born as a 10 minute assignment by Philip Diamond in a 2025 playwriting course, Pedro the Penguin has grown into a full length production.
Neuro-DIVE!: Carlyn Rhamey plays “Dina the Dopamine Receptor” in what looks to be a chaotic exploration of a brain that doesn’t follow neurotypical rules. It looks to be chaotic fun edu-tainment, while dangerously unserious adults fight about vaccines and tylenol causing a scourge of autism.
