What a fun year this fringe has been! I feel like I say this every time, but truly Fringe is so much fun and I’m lucky to get to experience it. With performers coming from all around the world all coming to celebrate Victoria’s 40th anniversary, it was a great time!
Congratulations to all the winners of the Victoria Fringe Awards!
Honourable Mentions:
Reclaimed! and Immune to Affect
Both Reclaimed and Immune to Affect fell (for me) into that perfect Fringe-y category, something new, something different, and something that needed to be tested in front of an audience. While both these shows were strong on their own, I think both have even more potential with a bit more workshopping and polish.
Immune to Affect is a smart, moving concept that asks us to consider the whole of ourselves, of who we are in the world. I would love to see more tension developed in the switching of emotions, and the struggle of only having one emotion. An overall strong, and very innovative show with only four dancers, these newcomers have completed an admirable feat to stage their first full length show!
Reclaimed! is a joyful love letter to reclaiming old wood from build sites to rebuild better, this was completely charming and so fun! This show worked best when they fully leaned into the camp, embraced the cringe, and went for it with gusto. No, you can’t be cool while singing about trees, and you don’t need to be. I would recommend re-shuffling and shortening a few numbers, but this bopping musical was a blast to see and I hope we’ll see more of it soon.
Bad Stoic
Both somehow more emotional and more rational than I expected, this journey into parenthood was filled with so many twists and turns, about parenting, yes, but also the great stoic scholars and what Andrew Bailey learned from his own dad (a doctor who spent years advocating BC governments to address the forthcoming family doctor shortage). I can’t really explain what this show is about more than that, Bailey’s work is so beautifully layered you can’t really talk about one part of it without unraveling the whole. As with his last show, Brain Machine, Bailey’s impressive intellect doesn’t scare you away, it pulls you in with humour, pathos, and fostering creativity.
Womb Service
How is a doula like a spy? It’s not the setup to a joke – Pamela Bethel gives you the answer! Bethel is a local doula and her journey to helping moms in labour is fascinating, even if you don’t think you’re interested in what it’s like to give birth. Bethel is honest about the details but somehow doesn’t make it terrifying, but her tales from corporate life are pretty chilling. Bethel has such an ease and wit about her storytelling that she naturally pulls you in and makes even life situations you have no idea about seem natural and easy to connect with.
5. The Ice Keeps
It’s almost hard to talk about the Ice Keeps – a sold out run, lineups out the door, a world premiere of a new script, beloved local actors, a sweep of all their Fringe categories, and a joining of forces of two innovative theatre companies – this was the collaboration of so many incredible theatre artists, and it shows. Following the tale of Ernest Shackleton, this show involves a gender bent cast and shadow puppetry to tell the tale! Keep your eyes peeled on their social media – rumours are there may be a remount.
4. The Joy
Another show about being a new parent, but this time with a musical twist. Brendan McLeod tracked his baby daughter’s reactions to 500 songs and did an impressive amount of cross-referencing to figure out what she liked. McLeod, a musician himself so dearly wishes to connect with this new human that he has to statistically figure out what music she loves. This is touching, lovely, and so beautifully told by McLeod.
If you want to check out McLeod’s other work, The Ridge, performed by the Fugitives will be performed at the Mary Winspear on November 7th, 2026.
3. Romeo and Juliet, Part 1
I love Shakespeare, but I’ll be the first to admit that not every adaptation is a winner. Even if you don’t like Shakespeare, I defy you not to enjoy Dana Schindel’s all-in full-hearted take on the Bard. As an audience, we’re asked to become a company of players, sometimes reading lines solo, sometimes breaking the audience into two (Montagues and Capulets), and often playing together as one character. Telling stories together, out loud, is what theatre and especially the bard was meant for – and to take part in this playful take is just so much fun!
And I know – forced participation feels like schoolyard hell for some people. But I promise, this show isn’t like that. Schindel is so precisely on the ball with all the lines, so polished, and so incredibly skilled at crowdwork, it never feels uncomfortable, we’re all there having fun together!
2. I’m Actually Right about Everything
You should really listen to your gut – and Tracy Hamilton’s funny yet heartbreaking show tells us exactly why. When she ignores her gut, bad things happen. Hamilton’s tale of finding out who she really is, of heartbreak and love in different forms is a journey that feels so welcoming and kind to both herself and her audience. Hamilton’s story takes the tropes we all know of heartbreak and love and turns them on their head – for the better. Totally engaging and heartwarming from moment one, this was a treasure of a show.
1. Cabaret of Legends
What can I say about Tymisha Harris? A powerhouse performer? Yes! One of a kind in her skill and repertoire? Yes! Nonstop storytelling bringing us in over and over again? Yes!
Cabaret of Legends tells the story of black musicians that set the stage for so many musicans who came after. Harris connects us so deeply with these women in such a short time, and then performs their hits while making it all look so easy. She is a joy to watch and energizes us from the second she steps on stage. What an honour to see a performer like this!
You can catch Harris in her award winning, and well-loved show Josephine on September 29th, 2026. It’s a fundraiser for Intrepid, so win-win!
