It’s that time again! Time to make your way to the Toronto Fringe Festival, and enjoy some excellent local and non-local theatre fun. I’ve been way overdue in curating my picks list this year. Without further ado, read below for what I think will be a great time at the Fringe this year.

CLITORIA: A SEX-POSITIVE SUPERHERO!
Company / Creator: Laura Bailey Music
Venue: Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace
A sexually-repressed high school science teacher accidentally turns herself into a sex-positive Vixen of Kink through a science experiment gone wrong. As the Ontario sex-ed curriculum is scrapped, Clitoria’s transformation wreaks havoc on her square life and her square fiancé.

CLOTHESWAP
Company / Creator: Laura Bailey Music
Venue: Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace
An empty house, a dead grandmother, and too many clothes. This coproduction with The Textile Museum of Canada examines the seams of empathy among women, the high cost of fast fashion, and the stories our bodies tell.

NIGHT COWS
Company / Creator: Moon Cow Theatre Co.
Venue: Jovette Marchessault
It begins at dusk. A vachette describes her mother as she removes the shackles of the day and society transforming herself into a sensual, grotesque, night cow. She opens herself in two, she splits herself in four expanding into the milky way; her daughter riding her back as they go to wake the crows.

THE KNITTING PILGRIM
Company / Creator: Ergo Arts Theatre
Venue: Bloor Street United Church
This performance explores Kirk’s artistic and spiritual journey knitting Stitched Glass, 3 large tapestries, designed in the style of stained glass windows. What he thought would take 10 months to finish, took 15 years. Bring your own knitting to knit while you watch

THE BALLAD OF FRANK ALLEN
Company Weeping Spoon Productions
Venue: St. Vlads
Combining physical theatre, storytelling, musical comedy and indie-rock, The Ballad Of Frank Allen promises to be a festival experience like no other and one of the most weird and original shows you’ll catch at this year’s Fringe

TITA JOKES
Company Tita Collective
Venue: Tarragon Theatre
Meet the Spice Girls of Comedy with a Filipina Twist. They sing, they dance, and they’re going to make you snort-laugh halo-halo through your nose!

THROUGH THE BAMBOO
Company Uwi Collective
Venue: Factory Theatre
Inspired by Philippine mythology, Through The Bamboo is an action-packed adventure about the value of storytelling, and how families deal with loss. A Filipinx-Canadian tale you’ve never heard before, told in the tradition of The Wizard of Oz, The Chronicles of Narnia and Alice in Wonderland. Suitable for kids 7+, grandparents and families.

There are 150+ shows in the festival, at 37 venues.  These are my personal suggestions for you to start with. The Toronto Fringe Festival runs from July 3-14, 2019. For full festival listings, advanced tickets, and more information on How To Fringe, please visit fringetoronto.com. See you in line… and don’t forge to Tip The Fringe!