What to Expect at… the 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival
Looking for information about your favourite theatres? We’ve got you covered! Intermission’s Insider Intel articles showcase one theatre at a time to give you all the information you need before your visit.
This week: The 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival
What is the Toronto Fringe Festival?
Run by Toronto Fringe, a grassroots, charitable organization, the 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival is bringing over 90 shows to Toronto this July. Over the course of 12 days, more than 1,000 artists will participate in performances across the city that include comedy, drama, musicals, improvisation, storytelling, children’s theatre, dance and much more.
Now in its 34th year, the Festival remains a non-juried festival, holding an annual lottery to select shows at random for programming. The process ensures that every project submitted to the Toronto Fringe Festival holds equal weight: It’s not about who or how much you know. The festival prioritizes the values of Access, Accountability, Creativity, Exploration, and Support, and their programming process ensures that shows are not only accessible for audiences, but for the artists who created them.
Toronto Fringe is a creative match-maker, connecting artists with audiences, and empowering everyone to unleash their artist within. They create vital opportunities for both emerging and established artists to produce their work with complete artistic freedom, while making productions as affordable and accessible as possible.
What kind of theatre can you expect?
The 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival is live and back in person!
Taking place July 6–17 in 11 venues across the city, the festival is bringing a buffet of productions to Toronto stages. Ranging from comedy and improvisation to musical theatre and solo shows, there is something for everyone at the Toronto Fringe Festival.
Where is the Toronto Fringe Festival taking place?
The 11 venues hosting this year’s Fringe Festival are spread across the city of Toronto. Visit their website to view a map of the venues to start planning your Fringe experience!
- Tarragon Theatre Mainspace
- Tarragon Theatre Extraspace
- Tarragon TheatreSolo Room
- Al Green Theatre
- Robert Gill Theatre
- Factory Theatre Mainspace
- Factory Theatre Studio
- Streetcar Crowsnest Guloien Theatre
- Native Earth’s Aki Studio
- Ada Slaight Hall
- Kidsfest: St. Vladimir Theatre
Accessibility
Both Toronto Fringe and the individual companies involved in the festival have a number of accessibility measures in place for patrons. To find out more about each venue’s physical accessibility, visit the festival’s website.
To learn more about the festival’s accessibility policies and to find out about additional accessibility options offered by individual companies, visit the Access Measures page on their website.
Tickets Prices
Individual show tickets are $14, and patrons looking to see multiple productions can purchase passes for up to 30 shows at the box office. The Toronto Fringe Festival offers a variety of discounts throughout the festival’s run, including daily deals and discounted preview performances. For more information on how to buy passes and individual show tickets, check the festival website.
COVID-19 Safety Information
The 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival requires all patrons to remain masked when inside each performance venue, and throughout the duration of the shows. Masking is not required at the POSTSCRIPT patio or at the POSTSCRIPT Lounge when eating or drinking.
Awards and Contests
Each year, the Fringe Festival distributes a number of awards to its participants. Ranging from the most popular show at the Fringe to an accessibility award, be sure to check out the festival’s awards page to find out more about the contests and how/if patrons can participate.
Where to Eat and Drink
The 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival has two festival hubs: The POSTSCRIPT Patio and POSTSCRIPT Lounge.
Located at the Tranzac Club, POSTSCRIPT Patio is the festival’s hub for free programming, including the Opening Night Party, Fringe Artist Cabaret, Awards Ceremony, and more. The Patio will offer Filipino street food from Kanto by Tita Flips, along with a full bar.
The POSCRIPT Lounge is located at Daniels Spectrum, and features vegan comfort food from Animal Liberation Kitchen, as well as a full bar. The Lounge is open daily one hour before the first show of the day, and closes at midnight.
Both venues will house a Festival info booth, a box office, and a variety of crafts and activities. To find out more about POSTSCRIPT, visit the festival’s website.
Jessica Watson
Jessica is a former associate editor at Intermission, as well as a writer, classically-trained actor, and plant enthusiast. Since graduating from LAMDA in the UK with her MA in acting, you can often find her writing screenplays and short plays in the park, writing extensive lists of plant care tips, or working on stage and screen (though she uses a stage name). Jessica freelances with various companies across Canada, but her passion lies in working with theatre artists and enthusiasts.
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