Fringe Theatre 2023/24 Season Image with a backstage motif. A mannequin with a gown with ‘The Spinsters’ tag; a road case with the words ‘Basic Training;’ cigarette smoke from a cigarette in an ash tray spelling ‘Fringe Revue;’ and the word ‘Riser’ on a step stool. In the corner there is a banner that says: Fringe Theatre Season 2023 2024.

 The 2023/24 Fringe Theatre Season!

The 2023/24 Fringe Season has something for everyone. What is the Fringe Season, you ask? Well, we’re glad you did. Fringe Season is our way of sprinkling the magic of Festival throughout the year. It’s a celebration of daring work by incredible Artists curated by our Artistic Director Murray Utas. If you like to Fringe in August, we know you’ll love our Season.

A brand-new Fringe Revue will party on in the heart of winter on December 8. Small Matters Productions brings their deliciously disruptive dark comedy The Spinsters to the Arts Barns January 16 – 27, written and performed by Christine Lesiak and Tara Travis. April 16 – 27 we welcome Kahlil Ashanti’s electrifying Basic Training; a staggering twenty-three characters, all dexterously played by Ashanti, guide Audiences through this award-winning true story.

Basic Training will offer ASL-interpreted performances (April 17 and 18 at 8PM) and a relaxed performance (April 17).

The Spinsters offered three ASL-interpreted performances, two relaxed performances, and an ASL-interpreted talkback (archive below).

Offer What You Will tickets are available for every performance. You may offer any dollar amount you’re able to contribute, or you can offer other non-monetary ways of showing respect and mutual investment, such as tobacco, your own art, or a donation you feel the Artist(s) will benefit from. No one will be turned away. 

BUY TICKETSOFFER WHAT YOU WILL PROGRAMRELAXED PERFORMANCES

We’re thrilled to collaborate with Mile Zero Dance to co-present Vástádus eana/ The answer is land for a one night only performance February 18, 2024. We continue to work with Common Ground Arts Society as a Lead Partner of RISER Edmonton.

Basic Training

Written & Performed by Kahlil Ashanti

April 16 - 27, 2024
Backstage Theatre

Age Rating: 14A

A hilarious true tale of survival and redemption.

A chronicle of Khalil Ashanti’s time on tour as a comedian, actor, dancer, and soldier while enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a member of the elite entertainment troupe ‘Tops in Blue.’ Less than 24 hours before departing for boot camp, a life-altering event forces him home to face the childhood he was trying so hard to forget. A staggering twenty-three characters, all dexterously played by Ashanti, guide Audiences through this award-winning true story.

“Amid the hype-fueled blast of any arts festival comes at least a dozen wheezing promises that here, at last, is The Next Big Thing. In the case of the unlawfully gifted Kahlil Ashanti, the promise happens, on this occasion, to be completely, marvelously true. This show is killer. Recently hit with a salvo of prestigious awards and breathless reviews worldwide, Ashanti performed with the flawless aplomb of a seasoned Broadway darling. Taking us through the tour of his theatrical duty as a US Air Force entertainer, Ashanti offers nothing but impeccable magic. His gift for dead-right mimicry is comparable to Eddie Murphy; his talent for seamless, feel-good melancholy brings Robin Williams to mind.

It’s essential viewing.” – The Age, Melbourne Australia.

Wednesday, April 17, 8PM: ASL Interpreted Performance and a Relaxed Performance. Thurga Kanagasekarampillai will be the on-stage deaf interpreter. Ebony Gooden is the Deaf Theatre Consultant. Robyn Lavender is the Sign Language Coordinator.

Thursday, April 18, 8PM: ASL Interpreted Performance. Thurga Kanagasekarampillai will be the on-stage deaf interpreter. Ebony Gooden is the Deaf Theatre Consultant. Robyn Lavender is the Sign Language Coordinator.

Tickets

RISER Edmonton

Common Ground Arts Society


Find out more at commongroundarts.ca

Common Ground Arts Society

Past Events in the 2023/24 Season:

ᐋᒋᒧᐃᐧᐣ âcimowin

Curated by MJ Belcourt

March 22 - 23
Backstage Theatre

ᐋᒋᒧᐃᐧᐣ âcimowin: A Celebration of Indigenous Storytelling,” where the word ” âcimowin” carries the essence of ‘story’ in the Cree language. As winter blankets the land, our gathering holds special significance. In the quiet of the season, storytelling warms our spirits, connecting us to our ancestors, culture, and community. Elder Jerry Saddleback will impart traditional wisdom, followed by performances curated by Fringe Theatre Indigenous Director MJ Belcourt.

Tickets

Vástádus eana/ The answer is land

Created by Elle Sofe Sara Co.

February 18, 2024 at 7:30PM
Westbury Theatre

co-Produced by Mile Zero Dance and Fringe Theatre

A powerful performance focused on community and tales of resistance. Norway’s Indigenous Sámi people are at the heart of the work by Elle Sofe Sara.

Community and kinship between people, with nature and with the earth we all share, are the main themes of Vástádus eana/ The answer is land. The choreography is inspired by demonstrations, Sámi spiritual practices and formation dance, and features Sámi yoiking (singing).

Written specially for the performance by composer and professor of yoik (Sámi traditional songs), Frode Fjellheim, the polyphonic yoik works as a supportive pillar throughout the work. Fjellheim showcases the breadth of yoik and a new way of working with polyphonic yoik.

Doors at 7PM, Performance at 7:30PM. Please dress warmly and for the weather conditions. The audience will gather inside the Westbury Lobby at the Fringe Theatre Arts Barns before the performance. The performance will begin outdoors near the Fringe Theatre Arts Barns, and the audience will move indoors to the Westbury Theatre for the rest of the performance. Theatre seating is general admission.

There are no spoken words in the performance that will need translation; some yoik lyrics are in Sámi. Translations are provided in the digital playbill.

Detailed accessibility information about the Fringe Theatre Arts Barns can be found here.

Photo credit: Antero Hein

Tickets

The Spinsters

Written & Performed by Christine Lesiak & Tara Travis

January 16 – 27, 2024
Westbury Theatre

Age Rating: 14A

Small Matters Productions 

Cinderella’s Ugly Stepsisters. This time, it’s their ball. 

The Ugly Stepsisters cordially invite you back to the Palace, just like the good old days. Doesn’t everyone love a ball? The pageantry, the elegance, the romance… but their ball, their rules, and the world’s most infamous stepsiblings are ready to dish the dirt. What scandals hide within the glittering facade? What was Cinderella really like? Are the stepsisters really vapid? Vindictive? … Victims? 

The Spinsters is a seductive feast featuring mesmerizing movement, magical dresses, and stunning shadow puppetry. It’s a deliciously disruptive dark comedy for adults brought to life by some of the most innovative designers and creators from across Western Canada. 

Wednesday January 17, 8PM: ASL Interpreted Performance, Relaxed Performance. Interpreted by Diane DeAndrade and Lacey Hews.

Saturday January 20, 2PM: ASL Interpreted Performance, Relaxed Performance. Interpreted by Robyn Lavender and Diane DeAndrade.

Tuesday January 23, 8PM: ASL Interpreted Performance, ASL Interpreted Talkback following the performance. Interpreted by Robyn Lavender and Diane DeAndrade.

More information about The Spinsters. 

The Spinsters is a Past Event

Fringe Revue

A Fringe Theatre Production

December 8, 2023 at 8 PM
Westbury Theatre

Age Rating: 18+

For ONE NIGHT ONLY, curl up by the metaphorical fire for an evening of sketch comedy, music, and shenanigans. That’s right – we’re making Fringe Revue bigger and even better than before. Get ready for unhinged Fringe hilarity and entertainment. We’re talking about a special event involving four writers, a groovy ensemble, and two weeks to make it all happen, leading to a special 1-night-only-show. What could go wrong? (probably a lot) 

Fringe Revue is a Past Event