View this email in your browser

Returning, Transforming with 10 Digital Shows

We are pleased to announce the full slate of 2022 Next Stage Theatre Festival shows will now be presented online. Previously planned as a hybrid in-person and digital festival, the Festival will now be completely online in compliance with the Government of Ontario’s recent move to Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen. The Next Stage Theatre Festival will begin January 19, 2022 with four Digital Series presentations.

A Message from Executive Director Lucy Eveleigh:
"We feel fortunate that we built resiliency into our planning for Next Stage, knowing that if sudden changes impacted our theatres, we would have a brilliant Digital Series still in place, and hopefully could still have space to safely record and create digital offerings of the live or in-person pieces. The artists have stepped into this realm with a wonderful enthusiasm, and we are so grateful that we still get to share the work of all these incredible companies and present our original slate of ten productions”.

All in-person ticket-holders will be contacted to confirm their tickets are converted to allow them access to the digital screenings.

Next Stage Theatre Festival will begin with Stories of a Dish and The Sunglasses Monologue available on-demand starting January 19, and with live digital presentations of The Complex opening January 19, and Saving Wonderland opening January 20.

Next Stage will then continue with digital drops of Bremen Town, Heart of a Dog, She’s Not Special, Stand Up Comedy, Tango In The Dark, and Ursa: A Folk Musical featuring live-to-tape performances for on-demand viewing. These shows will be made available in a staggered release schedule to watch online as early as January 22. We will announce the digital drops here in our newsletter, and on Toronto Fringe's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Tickets are on sale now for the four original Next Stage digital shows, with on-sale dates for the remaining shows to be announced throughout the month as they are uploaded to our website.

Visit Box Office

Opening Next Week at Next Stage:

A tube television sits in a field with a cloudy sky in the distance. The screen shows a shadowy image of a group of people walking into a lit tunnel.

The Complex
Created by Chantal Forde, Jessie Fraser, Mandy Roveda
From It's Not a Pivot Productions
January 19 at 7:30pmET

The Complex is an interactive, immersive digital theatre experience where participants must collaborate to choose a worthy new leader in order to save the planet and humanity.

More Info

A bright light shines through a metal contraption full of toothed gears.

Saving Wonderland
Created by Attilio Rigotti, Kevin Hammonds, David Andrew Laws, Jacob Thompson, Sarah Reynolds, Caroline Prugh
From Gamiotics Studios
January 20 at 7:30pmET

Plunge back down the rabbit hole where the familiar turns peculiar in a race to find missing gears, restore Wonderland, and save the day in this innovative, interactive new adventure.

More Info

A close up image of a burnt sandwich in a pan.

Stories of a Dish

Created by Himanshu Sitlani
From Nautanki Bazaar
On-Demand as of January 19

A global pandemic may have struck, but we have a person who’s just stuck! Will he find the secret recipe to happiness? A culinary theatrical journey awaits.

More Info

Vivian Chong sits on the ground smiling next to their large dog holding a ukulele. The person wears comically large, star shaped sunglasses, and the dog wears glasses on top of their head.

The Sunglasses Monologue
Created by Vivian Chong
On-Demand as of January 19

Through storytelling, comedy, and original songs, Vivian Chong shares her journey coming out from a coma, and losing her sight which ultimately led to the reinvention of herself as an artist.

More Info

Tango in the Dark
Directed by Alexander Richardson
From PointeTango
On-Demand as of January 22

Award-winning dance company PointeTango heats up your screen with Tango in the Dark, an original hour-long dance film created during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More Info

A blue merch graphic with Laura modelling a TO Fringe toque and sweatshirt.

Get Your Fringe Gear

Once again, the theatre community has had to pivot to share their art in the digital realm.

This crewneck sweatshirt features "SORRY I MISSED YOUR ZOOM SHOW." written across the chest, and the Toronto Fringe logo on the back. Modeled by our fabulous Managing Director Laura Paduch.

By purchasing Toronto Fringe merch now, you are supporting our efforts as we ramp up for the Next Stage Theatre Festival. Find this and other Toronto Fringe gear on our website.

Shop Merch