It’s 20 years for the Hamilton Fringe Festival

By Allison M. JonesJul 18, 2024

The city’s annual unjuried theatre event, running July 17 to 28, attracts works from around the world and close to 20,000 attendees.

The Hamilton Fringe Festival will celebrate its 20th birthday with an extended party running July 17 to 28 that will feature nearly 50 shows across all genres of theatre.

Hamilton Fringe is an annual, unjuried theatre festival that selects participating artists through a lottery system. During Fringe, audiences can enjoy performances by talented local artists as well as those from around the world. The festival sees close to 20,000 attendees in just under two weeks.

The festival’s parent, the Hamilton Festival Theatre Company (HFTco), describes itself as “a not-for-profit charitable organization committed to training, platforming, and amplifying Hamilton’s theatre artists and storytellers. Since 2003, we have been building a community for artists and arts lovers…cultivating work that is accessible, innovative, and artistically adventurous.”

Hamilton Fringe is the largest theatre festival in the Greater Hamilton Area and is a member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF). The Fringe originated in Scotland in 1947, when a handful of theatre groups left out of the Edinburgh International Festival decided to stage their shows “on the fringe” of the larger festival. The idea spread as a grassroots movement and a collection of Fringes has become key in the Canadian performance calendar.

Unlike traditional performing arts festivals, CAFF-regulated festivals return 100 per cent of ticket profits back to the artists. In 2023, the Hamilton Fringe returned more than $75,000 in box office revenue directly to its artists.

Fringe organizers do not censor the artistic content of productions and strive to provide accessible opportunities for audiences and artists to take part. According to the Hamilton Fringe website, festivals on the CAFF circuit “subsidize artists’ costs such as staging, audience seating, lighting and sound equipment, ticketing services, and marketing.”

HFTco’s annual programming supports independent, emerging, and established theatre artists through its cornerstone summer Fringe Festival as well as the Frost Bites biannual winter festival, the ALERT education program for emerging arts leaders, and the Spark Teen Intensive.

New in 2024 is Fringe on the Streets! In a partnership between the Hamilton Fringe and the City of Hamilton, this is a series of free performances at public locations throughout downtown Hamilton. A walking tour will lead participants to destinations showcased creatively by artists “in the spirit of re-discovering, re-defining, and re-animating the city.”

From comedy to drama, first-time playwrights to returning favourites, mature content to family-friendly fare, solo performances and ensemble shows, there are choices for every possible patron of the arts. Fringers will enjoy a wide array of entertainment options for a very reasonable price. In addition to more traditional plays, there are performances which incorporate music, song, dance, improv, hip hop, drag, and outdoor experiences including a walking tour through Hamilton’s downtown core.

In no particular order, here are 13 shows on offer. But this is just the tip of the Fringe offerings. Pore over the Fringe catalogue, and create your own viewing schedule of local, national, and internationally created shows until the festival wraps up on July 28.

ABD with Mark the C
The Westdale: 1014 King St. W.

In their own words: “Set mostly in a hotel in Alliston and a motel in Brockville in the 1960s and '70s, ABD with Mark the C explores funny/sad, ordinary/extraordinary characters and events in the potato country of Simcoe County and on the shores of the St. Lawrence River. The play celebrates our desire for connection, communion and escape. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll dance!”

Audience: 13+
Draw: personal experience; solo show; written/performed by Threshold Theatre’s co-artistic director, Mark Cassidy (Kafka and Son, As I Lay Dying, Howl)
Run time: 60 mins
Find out more here.

Gavin Stephens: Object of Strangeness
The Staircase - Bright Room: 27 Dundurn St. N.

In their own words: “Gavin Stephens, a comedian caught at the crossroads of identity and belonging. Half Guyanese, half Portuguese, he once found solace in the vibrant subcultures that shaped his comedy. But as the pandemic comes to an end, he realizes he no longer fits neatly into those boxes. In a world reshaped by late-stage capitalism and social upheaval, Gavin embarks on a new journey of self-discovery. Through his humour, he navigates the complexities of race, culture, and societal change, searching for where he truly belongs in this evolving landscape.”

Audience: 13+ (coarse language)
Run time: 60 mins
Draw: Juno-nominated comedian (album, All Inclusive Coma) featured at Montreal’s Just for Laughs, Austin’s SXSW, named one of the “10 Funniest Canadians” by E! Network, and chosen as “Best Local Stand-up Comic” in NOW Magazine’s Readers Choice poll
Find out more here.

Grabbing The Hammer Lane: A Trucker Narrative
Mills Hardware: 95 King St. E.

In their own words: “Grabbing the Hammer Lane: A Trucker Narrative explores the transformational journey of two men forced to confront the life choices they’ve made. It is a searing play about prodigal rebellion and fleeting moments for redemption. Matt, a long-haul trucker hits the road to find himself and the freedom he desires, only to become a prisoner over time to a steel cell on 18 wheels. Clarence remains at home, diminishing with the passage of time and from the anguish he bears from losing the love he pushed away. With humour, grit and in-your-face honesty, Hammer Lane chronicles the lives of these two men, living different sides of one story – a story about rejection, regret, separation, and the devastating consequences of rage-fuelled choices. It offers an intimate glimpse of a final reckoning after a six-million-mile journey back home.”

Audience: 13+ (coarse language)
Run time: 60 mins
Draw: A classically trained actor and playwright with decades of experience as a commercial truck driver, David M. Proctor’s first play is already critically acclaimed at the Orlando Fringe Festival, the Roswell Roots Festival, and the United Solo Theatre Festival in NYC
Find out more here.

Stationary
The Staircase – Elaine Mae: 27 Dundurn St. N.

In their own words: “Stationary is a 60 minute coming-of-(middle) age romantic comedy about two strangers in dead-end relationships who find an unlikely friendship when their gym schedules sync up. Sharing stories, hardships and the occasional protein bar, they walk and talk in place but get somewhere they never expected to go. Can love find its stride when life keeps them stationary?”

Audience: 13+ (coarse language)
Run time: 60 mins
Draw: Local talents; written by actor/producers Michael Rinaldi (What If (2013), My Special Guest (2021), Capsule (2024)) and Juno Rinaldi (CBC, Workin’ Moms); produced by Jennifer Walton and Laura Ellis, two of the team behind The Tragedy of Othella Moore (Best of Fringe, 2016). You may have seen the director and cast at the most recent James Street Art Crawl, bedecked in their work-out gear!
Find out more here and here.

Izad Etemadi: Let Me Explain
Theatre Aquarius Studio: 190 King William St.

In their own words: “Your favourite Persian Prince is back … this time sharing his own stories about being a gay Iranian Canadian whose name no one can pronounce and who has really cornered the market on 'role' diversity with all those terrorist auditions he had to go to. Izad Etemadi: Let Me Explain is the next Netflix comedy special we all desperately need. When asked about the title of the show, Izad shares, 'Immigrants have to explain themselves all the time, their name, their ethnicity, their reasons for being in Canada; immigrants have to explain their entire existence while Henry from the Hammer just gets to be Henry. It’s exhausting! With this show, I’m going to explain everything there is to know about me, so I never have to do it again!' Through songs, stories, re-enactments, and playful audience interaction, Izad takes us on a journey through his world – born in a refugee camp in Germany, his move to Victoria, his first boy crush, a venture to musical theatre school looking for a gay fantasia, coming out to his parents, and making it in show biz.”

Audience: 13+, mature language and themes
Run time: 60 mins
Draw: Returning Hamilton Fringe favourite (Leila), award-winning playwright, queer content, comedy, solo show; relaxed performance on July 21
Find out more here.

The Underwear Fairy and Other Love Stories
The Staircase – Studio Theatre: 27 Dundurn St. N.

In their own words: “The Underwear Fairy came one night when she was 13 years old … and thus was born the strangest personal mystery that has never been solved. Join award-winning comedian and storyteller, Kristi Boulton, as she bares all and takes you on a journey of the embarrassing, delightful, sometimes heartbreaking true stories that have shaped her, including the mystery that not even 100k+ TikTok sleuths could solve. Plus, you’ll hear stories like the night she survived being trapped in a stranger’s room that was full of swords, the time she had a run-in with a mermaid, the night of the fire ants, and so much more.”

Audience: 16+, mature content/language
Run time: 60 mins
Draw: Award-winning local Fringe and improv artist and podcast performer; stand-up comedy, true crime, storytelling
Find out more here.

The Poppy Whorer Picture Show
The Players’ Guild of Hamilton: 80 Queen St. S.

In their own words: “Get ready for a time warp through the trans perspective! Picture this, it’s 1984, a teen gender bender rejoices because CityTV is finally going to show The Rocky Horror Picture Show (mom and dad never let the kids rent it). They sneak down to the basement boob tube, to experience it for the very first time. Picture the antici-PATION! Only to discover the real horror … gender-bending is just about kinky sex to the outside world. This was Hamilton performance artist Key Straughan’s complicated experience with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Reflecting on concepts of the cisgender gaze, appropriation, the over-sexualization/exotification of trans culture in the film, they created a new picture show where cisgender pop culture tries its horrible hardest to whore out transness to two trapped trans folx. All this alliteration and more make up The Poppy Whorer Picture Show.”

Audience: 18+, mature content/language
Run time: 60 mins
Draw: Local talent, queer content; parody, drag, camp, queer art and poor taste
Find out more here.

Nook & Cranny: Twin Detectives
The Staircase – Bright Room: 27 Dundurn St. N.

In their own words: “Justin Shaw and Devin Bateson return to Hamilton Fringe with comedic murder-mystery. There’s no mystery too preposterous for Nook & Cranny: Twin Detectives. Coming to the 2024 Hamilton Fringe, get ready for a mystery that will leave you seeing double. Nook & Cranny: Twin Detectives tells the story of estranged twins and former kid-detectives reuniting as adults to solve the murder of the century. Big laughs and big nonsense abound in this off-the-wall comedy.”

Audience: 13+ (coarse language)
Run time: 60 mins
Draw: Returning Hamilton Fringe performers (The 70 Mile Yard Sale, A Creature is Stirring, and The Midshipman’s Handbook). Shaw is a touring comedian with Yuk Yuks and can be heard on Sirius XM. Bateson is a musician and has been a featured performer at Toronto Sketchfest
Find out more here and here.

Scheduled Maintenance: A Queer Monologue Collection
Hamilton Theatre Inc.: 140 MacNab St. N.

In their own words: “Scheduled Maintenance is a massive collaborative project by the Hamilton community that weaves together six queer stories of love, identity, pain, and rising above the many challenges inherently faced by the queer community, all told by people simply waiting for a train.”

Audience: All ages (some coarse language)
Run time: 60 mins
Draw: Local talent, queer content; identity; ensemble
Find out more here.

Ushindi: When We Are Welcome
The Westdale: 1014 King St. W.

In their own words: “Ushindi’s cast knows all about being new to Canada: from the hunt for a job and a home … to learning how to order a double-double and how to dress for snow. They come from a place where you rarely face challenges alone and there are “aunties” to help you figure things out. Through song, dance and stories, Ushindi gives a new perspective on life here and what could be if there were more aunties around to help!”

Audience: 13+
Run time: 60 mins
Draw: Newcomer/immigrant experience; song, dance, culture; ensemble; created by refugee women who are part of the YWCA's Transitional Living Program
Find out more here.

The Velveteen Rabbit
The Players’ Guild of Hamilton: 80 Queen St. S.

In their own words: “The Velveteen Rabbit is a fun heartwarming story of a girl who meets her best friend – a stuffed rabbit – she helps her friend go on a journey of becoming a real rabbit. Along the way, we meet a wise toy, an impatient little boy, a most unlikely duo of friends, a grandmother with stories to tell and a fairy who saves the day. Feel good fun for the whole family! Songs, dance and shadow work!”

Audience: All ages
Run time: 60 mins
Draw: Puppetry, song, dance, family friendly
Find out more here.

3 Queens
Fringe Mini Bar - Ringside: 324 James St. N.

In their own words: “Join acclaimed late night talk show host Rupert Wells, as he interviews three amazing guests. Will they be from the past, present or future? Be part of the amazing new technology. A talk show like no other, and like you've never seen.”

Audience: 13+, mature content
Run time: 20 mins
Draw: Comedy, local talents, $7 tickets; let me repeat, “A talk show like no other”
Find out more here.

The Resurrection of Sarah Jeremiah
Fringe On The Streets Outdoor Walking Tour: King-James corridor

In their own words: “Are you good enough? Sarah Jeremiah thinks so. She’s hitting the streets to preach self-love, self-acceptance, and self-validation. If you don’t already love yourself, you will … Sarah Jeremiah is a persona based on (Alison Fishburn’s) own experience of learning to overcome internalized punitive shame, guilt, and fear of eternal damnation.”

Audience: All Ages
Run time: part of 90 min walking tour
Draw: Free performance; Pushcart Prize-nominated writer, award-winning playwright, performer and community organizer
Find out more here.

NEED TO KNOW

2024 Hamilton Fringe Festival
Dates: July 17 to 28, various showtimes
Tickets: (mostly) $14 + a Fringe Backer button ($4), available in person or online at hftco.ca