The 2022 Vancouver Fringe Festival is Next! 12 Exciting and Nerdy Picks

The Vancouver Fringe Festival is right around the corner! This event will be taking place Sept 8 to the 18th at various venues around Granville Island, and for those who missed those travelling shows at Victoria Fringe have a chance at Terminal City.

Where possible, I’ve included my thoughts on why this particular show must be seen. The links will take you to their landing page on the Vancouver Fringe website and list the dates. As a bonus, ten performances will be live-streamed! Please visit the landing page here for a full list. I’ve mentioned a fond Victoria favourite and am still waiting for the return of One Man Avengers, once that act is fine tuned.

Tickets are $15 each (live and in person), and info concerning health / pandemic regulations can be read here.

Ares Requests

Ares, God of War, is thinking about a career change. He requests your presence for a debate on what humanity can do to finally stop needing him all the time. As he reflects on his epic and illustrious past, in a realm outside of space and time, he also needs your advice; What else could the God of War become God of? You, the privileged few, are granted the power to decide if there will still be a God of War tomorrow. What will you choose?

Blockhead

Honestly, if the promotional picture isn’t telling enough, the name of this show and the protagonist tells all.

This comedy takes inspiration from The Peanuts, and to avoid licensing issues, Zac Williams dodges the issue by not directly referencing Charles Schultz’s classic. It’s a must-see for those curious in how one particular character is worried about growing up.

The Disney Delusion

Award-winning comedian and playwright Leif Oleson-Cormack pushes confessional comedy to its limits and all I have to say is bring it on! I’ve had my experiences with friends and relatives whom I went to Disneyland with. And quite often it meant that “cousin” bringing up a sad moment I don’t recall (from my youth), and other times, finding striking out on my own better than following the gang. Those were different times, before Disney built their Star Wars attraction, and etc. Yes, we have our respective loves, but there are just times you just don’t know.

To hear about what this comedian “faced” in this fiction ranges from criminal acts, surgically-altered sugar daddies, Sinatra impersonators, to a cynically-charged ‘coming out’. This (unfortunately) true story sounds like one not to be missed. I’m sure we’ve all been there, and to hear another person’s problems may be the therapy we all need to get over the past.

The Family Crow: A Murder Mystery

My fondness for puppet theatre is huge, and it’s a shame my local event doesn’t have anything this year. This murder mystery has all the elements I enjoy from this genre, and when there’s only one man to perform them all, I’m heavily considering a two day excursion to the big city just to see this show!

Adam Francis Proulx is known for BAKER’S DOZEN: 12 Angry Puppets (Patron’s Pick, BC Touring Council Award 2015), and although he’s not a name who made it to the island for performances here, all I can hope for is the future to bring him here instead of me having to travel.

Ha Ha Da Vinci

When a graduate student discovers that Leonardo da Vinci and his collaborator, magician Luca Pacioli, invented a time machine, she is zapped back to the Renaissance. It’s up to her to solve a 15th-century mystery so that she can return to the present. A tuba lights the way, beds make music, paintings take on a life of their own, and a radio delivers a message from the past. This production combines elements of illusion, music, and theatre to weave a story overflowing with the unexpected.

How to Believe in Anything

Believing in the unbelievable is easy; surviving it is a whole other story. That’s the tagline for this show, and to watch how Sam (a 14-year-old girl) faces it sounds like the perfect X-File therapy we also need too.

What we learn from the show synopsis is that this young woman is also the representative of all humankind, according to the peaceful alien overlord (at least, she thinks it’s a peaceful alien overlord) who comes to visit her in the corn field every Friday night. An out-of-this-world opportunity to break a dangerous cycle, Sam’s ready to blast off by any means necessary.

Juliet: A Revenge Comedy

Anyone with a degree in English Literature will no doubt have their eyebrows raised in this pseudo-tribute to William Shakespeare. This show asks the question of what if Juliet didn’t kill herself?

The show summary describes it best, it’s “a fast-paced, action-adventure comedy that follows Juliet on the literary adventure of the century as she recruits a team of Shakespeare’s most famous female characters to find out why they’ve been forced to die!”

June Bug

June Bug is an energetic and imaginative young woman who loves conspiracy theories, Patrick Swayze, and her granny. When her granny is abducted by aliens, June Bug is determined to save her and her home. June Bug allows your inner child to be explored, celebrated, cared for and loved.

Brought to Vancouver Fringe by returning company Ragamuffin Productions (Legoland), June Bug is an honest and outlandish portrayal of grief through the eyes of an imaginative youth.

June Bug is a show for all ages, including young audiences such as youth and teenagers.

One Man Pride and Prejudice

Anyone who knows Charles Ross’ resume will love the fact he’s branching out to also cover the classics!

This veteran of the Fringe and Theatre scene has done it all, and one One Man acts is special. He broke into the scene with One Man Star Wars, and to know what he’s done in the past means checking out our archives.

He is one of a few shows selected to be streamed live for all to see. Mark your calenders, because it’s only available Sept 13th.

Spooky & Gay Cabaret

Who says Halloween comes only once a year?

SPOOKY & GAY is a queer horror storytelling cabaret featuring original scary stories, songs and stand up. Think Goosebumps – only gayer!

A one person variety fantasia written and performed by award-winning Florida playwright-performer, Bruce Ryan Costella.

Wendy, My Darling

Following her return from Neverland, Wendy Darling moves to Hollywood, as so many Lost Boys do, to become a writer. Her life is turned upside down when she accidentally records a video that goes viral and reveals her true identity to the world. This not-so-Solo Musical is a fresh look at a classic character that is both timely and timeless.

With an original soundtrack that sparkles with wit, this laugh-out-loud funny, multi-media infused production is proud to be previewing at Vancouver Fringe Festival.

Starring award-winning solo artist April Wish, with Special Appearances by Busy Philipps (Freaks and Geeks, Girls 5 Eva) and Jon Cryer (Pretty in Pink, Two and a Half Men).

Ver·i·si·mil·i·tude

As a post-truth world rages in conflict, danger and disparity, the only responsible way for humans to interact is by a revolutionary patented multi-sensory immersive living experience. Everything you need to live a life in ‘Real Reality’ is within your pod. Completely alone, you’ll never be lonely again. Be anywhere, see anyone, the real you, in the real world.

ver·i·si·mil·i·tude is a brand new dystopia where humour collides with horror from the award-winning company that brought you HYSTERIA (Vancouver Fringe 2018).

Shows from the Victoria Fringe Festival that’ll be playing at the Vancouver Fringe Festival include:

• Blueberries are A**holes
• Drag Me to the Opera
• mr.coffeehead