  Barry Smith moves from suburbia to London in the late '80s in American Squatter. |
The Toronto Fringe Festival is now in its 20th year and like previous versions, it will be an extremely busy period from today until July 13.
Whether comedies, dramas, musicals or some mixture of the three, there is bound to be something for everyone's taste.
And since most of the plays are not one-off affairs, there are plenty of chances to take in different performances.
Add to that the fact not one ticket is over $10 -- and it's tough to pass up.
Here are some of the Fringe Festival events this year you wouldn't want to miss. More information on the actual times of these performances is available at the official website fringetoronto.com.
Floozy: The Musical
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
(79A St. George St.)
July 4-5, 8-10, 12-13
Margaret Grimthorpe's life is turned upside down when her husband passes away after achieving his first successful erection. Reza Jacobs and Melissa Major play all the roles in this interesting, quirky and humorous piece.
The Exploding Breakfast
Factory Studio
July 3, 6, 8-12
Australian writer Ingle Knight spent three months in Johannesburg as a writer-in-residence in order to write his next play. However, he got far more than he bargained for with a drug scam and an assassination. It's a funny but unnerving look at how Knight survived this time period.
About An Hour
The Fringe Club
July 2-12
Fortunately the cast of Jim Annan, Rob Baker, Jan Caruana and Alex Hatz don't have any lines to remember for this hour-long performance. All that's needed is an audience suggestion and the rest is improvised in this one-act comedy.
Damages
George Ignatieff
(15 Devonshire Place)
July 4-6, 8-10, 12
Written by Michael Posner, this drama revolves around Jacob and Ezra, two Holocaust survivors who haven't touched base in over 30 years. Well-known actors Harvey Atkin and Howard Jerome star in this riveting piece.
American Squatter
Factory Theatre Mainspace
July 5-7, 9-12
Lauded wherever it goes, this work of Barry Smith (creator of Jesus In Montana: Adventures In A Doomsday Cult), moves from suburbia to London in the late '80s as a squatter. Home videos and photos only lend more credibility to the work by this strong storyteller.
The Honeymoon Period Is Officially Over
Glen Morris Theatre
July 3-4, 6, 8-11
Praised and acclaimed wherever it is performed and dubbed the Best of Fest at last year's Winnipeg Fringe festival, multi-talented British writer/director/actress Gemma Wilcox moves from one character to another with amazing ease and fluidity in this moving comedy-drama.
The Christian Republican Fundraiser In Dayton Tennessee
The Cameron House
July 2, 4-9, 11-13
In this "country/rock musical" written by Grant Tilly, a GOP fundraiser is disrupted when the band God's Country attempts to change the upcoming presidential election with "three chords and the truth." It's unknown if John McCain will attend.
A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant And A Prayer
Royal St. George's College
(Church Basement)
July 3-6, 9-13
Edited by Eve Ensler, the creator of The Vagina Monologues, this 75-minute performance revolving around violence against women contains monologues by Maya Angelou, Edward Albee and Kathy Najimy among others. Directed by Tanisha Taitt, the pieces were commissioned by V-Day for the 2006 festival Until The Violence Stops.
The Tricky Part
Factory Studio
July 4-8, 10, 12
Winner of a 2004 Obie Award and with actor Peter Hayes earning a 2007 Fleur du Cap Award for Best Solo Performance, this 90-minute piece, based on the memoir of Martin Moran, deals with a young boy sexually abused by a church camp counsellor and his own personal journey in coming to terms with what transpired.
Take It Back
George Ignatieff
(15 Devonshire Place)
July 6-7, 10-13
Melding new hip-hop dance styles with older dance steps such as the Lindy Hop and swing, Take It Back has been described as "Urban Dance Theatre." JoDee Allen and Helen Simard from Montreal's Solid State Breakdance bring their talents to this energetic and entertaining show.
72 Hour Survival Guide
Theatre Passe Muraille Main Space
(16 Ryerson Ave.)
July 3-4, 6-8, 11-12
The premiere play by Three Sheets Production revolves around a city-wide quarantine against an illness that involves scratching, pecking, cawing and a trail of loose feathers. The play is by John Bryans, Sarah Sherman and Lara Neumann.
20 Hour Playwriting Contest
The Fringe Club
July 13
It's the equivalent of a WWE Royal Rumble, only minus the turnbuckles and with more notepads. Sixty playwrights enter this contest with each having only 20 hours to create a masterpiece. The winning entry then has his or her play read while some of the city's best talent performs it.
