If you want to see art that’s deliberately expressive, interesting or just downright weird, the Halifax Fringe Festival is for you.
Unrestrained from any means of censorship, the Fringe Festival stages are a place where artists can put on whatever they’ve been working on, no matter the content. Over 11 days, Wednesday Aug. 28 through Sunday Sep. 8, Haligonians will be presented with theatre plays, musical performances, circus acts, comedy routines and more.
The festival spans artistic spaces throughout the city. One night, ticketholders can be immersed in a musical ghost story at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. The next could take you to the Neptune Scotiabank Studio for an aerial theatre performance about the many voices that guide us through life. There are stories of racial identity, a play about the great maple syrup heist, and even an improvised musical.
The Fringe started in 1990 and provides local, national and international artists with an unjuried, inclusive space to show off what they’ve been working on. All ticket proceeds go to the artists involved and can be purchased on the Halifax Fringe Festival website.
Here’s a list of venues showcasing works from Fringe artists, as well as a short description of each show. Dates and times can be found on the Halifax Fringe website.
What’s on the Fringe?
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
Chosen Christmas, queer friendship and chosen family are major themes in this Christmas-centric production.
Ghost Light, ghosts appear and fade away. Perhaps the Kaua’i’o’o bird will sing again?
I Left an Entity in my Room???, X is trying to create a show but there’s an entity holding his theatrical evolution hostage.
Kitty’s Bound for Broadway, an empty nester begins to chase her dreams of stardom.
Mark I, a performative retelling of the Gospel of Mark using modern language.
Sappho’s Garden, rediscovering what remains of Sappho’s poetry through folk opera.
The Greatest Betrayal, a solo dramedy about celebrity crushes and dating with a disability.
The Professional People Pleasing Program, a new graduate from the “Triple P Program” is tasked with giving their first presentation.
Train to Nowhere, a young person sets out to find their missing father.
Who is Robin Hood?, the long, often disputed history of the English folk hero.
Bus Stop Theatre
A gentle kiss on the bruised cheek of god, an interrogation between a cardinal and a person imprisoned for sodomy touches on themes of sex, kink, power, religion and queerness.
Autobiographical Fiction, an improvised solo show where you’ll hear varied stories from some of the most interesting people who never existed.
Briane Nasimok: Recovering Romantic, the acclaimed storyteller and comic delivers touching tales in an effort to cure himself of love.
Galaxy Pals: A Space (Odd)yssey, an improvised sci-fi adventure.
Horse Girls, get your stick horses ready for the Altantic Hobbyhorse Association Provincial Grand Prix!
Joke into the Night, Kyle Barnet lets his anxiety drive him forward through this comedy performance.
Knight of the Bat 3, Will Shakespeare is faced with his greatest tragedy yet—the ending of his story.
Love, Sharks, and Frenching, Lou Laurence delivers a certified hot date.
Sisterhood of the Travelling Vowels, a sketch comedy show fueled by female rage and lifelong friendships.
The (Blank) Show, a sketch comedy show that promises to be about… well, a lot of things.
The Distance Between Newfoundland and Toronto, Theresa Molloy is off the rock and ready to share her family’s deepest and darkest secrets.
Cambridge Battery
Sticky Business, the greatest heist in Canadian history through a comedic lens. And yes, it involves maple syrup… plenty of it.
Neptune Imperial Theatre
After/Thought, an adaptation of Prometheus Bound centred around the titular character attempting to become free from Zeus' grasp.
Broken Kingdom, a recent theatre grad revisits a play they wrote when they were 11, partnering with their younger self to pull it off.
General Insurance, short sketches that amp up the frustrating aspects of office work to 100.
I Am 108, Latina drag queen Juanita Bang Bang tells the story of 108 men detained during a murder investigation in Paraguay.
Rethinking Good Intentions, stories from a community health nurse who worked in Sierra Leone in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Something Missing, Chester comes home for a tension-fueled Christmas dinner with their sister and recently divorced mother.
The Draft, two junior A hockey players confront their traumas as they chase their dreams.
Touch Grass, an artist with self-inflicted social media brain rot attempts to have a normal conversation.
Neptune Scotiabank Studio
Actual Secrets: A Weird Magic Show, magician Vincenzo Ravina is back with an absurd and hilarious bag of tricks.
A Map to the Centre of Everything, Argo and Pelly travel through time and space, looking for their personal utopias.
Butt Suckers, promoted as the most breakup breakup of all time.
Clue: A Murder-Lesque Mystery, blending burlesque with the fun of a classic murder mystery.
Dedicated to You: The Wonderful Audience, a young homeless person is suddenly struck with a condition where it feels an audience is watching them at all times.
Golden, May utilizes a friendly puppet to recall a childhood story as they try to encapture their racial identity through art.
Selves, an aerial theatre performance concerned with our inner thoughts.
The Great Newspaper Heist, every newspaper gets replaced with a fake one indicating a catastrophic event has occurred. What could go wrong?
Tricked: A Family Magic Show, Braden Carlisle presents a magic show for people of all ages to enjoy.
Us Two! In: Us Two?, a show that will “make you wanna stand and cheer while asking for your money back.”
Neptune Windsor Studio
Benjamin’s Passion, a solo tragicomedy about a Ukrainian ballet director in Idaho and an aging dancer who lands their big break.
Dat Dere Sorcerer of Cheticamp, a comedy about two women who attempt to put a stop to a local sorcerer.
Dial M for MoeFlo, an improvised murder mystery.
My Body is My Home, a solo performance dealing with the humour and heartache of self-discovery.
Snakes are Cool, a one-man sketch comedy that promises to be as frantic as it is random.
Sweater Season, when an outcast girl goes missing, three of her bullies go looking for her.
The Woman Who Was Owned Online, a comedy concerning a troll who is sent to internet hell.
Together We Drum, Our Hearts Beat As One, prose, illustrations, and drumming all come together to teach children about community.
Woe is Him, Woe is Me, a one-woman play concerning the relationship between a patient and her therapist.
Bring Your Own Venue Shows
Breaking Circus Presents: Boundaries, a circus performance that will break the boundaries of its performers.
Improv: The Musical, each scene and song is made up on the spot in this hilarious improv musical.
Spontaneity School for Improv, improvisers take you through a day in the life in a fictional boarding school.
Third Bridge Improv, using audience suggestions to build a brand new universe every night.
This is ME, a woman gives a tell-all performance of her experience with the medical, legal and insurance industries.
