The 39th edition of the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival concluded its twelve-day run on July 26.
The festival, founded by the Royal Manitoba Theatre Company in 1988, hosted shows by 160 performing companies in 31 venues across the city this year. Echoing this year’s theme, “Play Hard,” there was an attendance of 87,832, according to the festival — an increase from 84,936 in 2025.
Fringe shows run the gamut, featuring plays, comedies, dance acts and more by local and international performance companies. Festival manager Tori Popp explained that the festival lacks juries and uses a lottery selection system to encourage free artistic expression.
“It’s non-juried […] Anybody who has a show, if they apply for the festival, they have the opportunity to be drawn in a lottery and put a show on stage,” she stated. “It can be whatever they choose.”
Festivalgoers can expect the unexpected, Popp also expressed. Some of the acts this year include The Shelter, a drama by local playwright Mike Seccombe about a life-changing encounter between a young woman and a homeless man. On the other hand, Vancouver creator Blair Moro’s comedy, CULTS, explores five real life cults as a reflection on American politics and manipulation.
The Harry S. Rintoul award, given each year to a local act chosen by a committee of professionals, is awarded to Debbie Patterson’s Happy Valley, a stand-up comedy on disability and Patterson’s eponymous hometown in northern Ontario. The honourable mention is given to Our Father, a play written by Ethan Stark and directed by U of M theatre associate professor Bill Kerr.
For Popp, the best part about the Fringe is getting together with loved ones and meeting new faces. She noted that the “Fringe family” is for everyone, regardless of background.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, doesn’t matter what you look like, what you’re doing, whether you’re working in the arts or just a patron of the arts […] the Fringe community is for you,” she said.
In the end, Popp remarked that artists are taking risks by putting themselves on stage for the audience’s entertainment — which is what the festival is all about.
“Art is important. Theatre is important. Taking a risk on something that you believe in is important, and I think that Fringe embodies that.”
The Winnipeg Fringe will take place from July 14 to 25 next year, marking its 40th anniversary.
Visit winnipegfringe.com for more information on the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival.
