Island Fringe Festival
Bold and unexpected theatre returns in October
This October, the Island Fringe Festival (IFF) returns to Charlottetown with theatre, comedy, music, storytelling, experimentation, and at least one man singing passionately about horses. Running October 7–11, The Island Fringe Festival will bring together artists from PEI, across Canada, and beyond for a celebration of bold, independent performance.
IFF is PEI’s annual celebration of independent theatre and performance. Dedicated to artistic freedom, accessibility, and creative risk-taking, the festival provides a platform for artists to share original work and for audiences to discover performances they may never encounter anywhere else.
This year’s lineup features eight original productions that embody the spirit of Fringe: artist-driven work that is surprising, personal, funny, moving, and occasionally impossible to explain.
Audiences can emerge from hibernation alongside a mysterious character in A Day in Winter, a whimsical blend of clown, mime, dance, live soundscapes, and onstage costume creation.
In An American (not) in Paris, New York City performer Liv Rocklin combines stand-up comedy, musical comedy, and storytelling to explore 25 years of obsessive-compulsive disorder, overachievement, and the chaos that follows when life refuses to stick to the plan.
Die, Die, Lavinia! follows a queer Mormon kid navigating the 1980s with the assistance of Shakespeare, horror novels, pop music, and an imaginary Cabbage Patch Kid, which, as coping mechanisms go, is surprisingly effective.
For audiences who have spent their lives wondering why there aren’t more musicals about horses, Men Love Horsies: The Musical finally answers the call. It is exactly what it sounds like. No further clarification will be provided.
Shabaroon blends autobiography and dark comedy to uncover the humour, absurdity, and shadows hidden inside lived experience.
In This Is Me!, audiences are invited to laugh, reflect, and celebrate authenticity through a one-woman comedy about empathy, self-acceptance, and embracing who you are.
White As Snow, a new solo work by Rose-Ingrid Benjamin, weaves together poetry, music, memoir, and storytelling to explore faith, family, identity, and belonging through the lens of a Queer eldest immigrant daughter.
IFF will also feature a performance by PEI-based pianist and storyteller Sarah Hagen, with full details to be announced.
Beyond the stage performances, audiences can once again enjoy the festival’s popular After Dark programming and Closing Night celebrations, where sometimes the most memorable Fringe moments happen after the curtain call.
IFF is also preparing to launch its annual volunteer recruitment campaign. Community members interested in helping artists, audiences, and the occasional wandering clown are encouraged to follow the festival’s social media channels for upcoming opportunities.
Tickets, schedules, and additional festival announcements will be released in the coming months.