• Duane Forrest

Toronto-based singer-songwriter Duane Forrest presents his captivating, award-winning music-storytelling show at the Winnipeg Fringe. With a deep personal connection to his Jamaican roots and a profound admiration for Bob Marley, Duane takes the audience on a journey through the history, cultural impact and timeless songs of the reggae icon.

Born to Jamaican parents in Toronto, Duane’s exposure to reggae shaped both his music and life. Through storytelling, live music and audience interaction, he shares how reggae transformed his life and became a global phenomenon, all while capturing the essence of Bob Marley’s music.

5 STARS “Doctors should prescribe it as an antidepressant” – Broadway Baby

Sell-out show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024.

• Holly M. Brinkman

Holly M. Brinkman – Woman’s Guide (4 STARS), My Body of Work (4 STARS), PackAnimals (5 STARS) returns with a fully improvised show that blends the spontaneity of Whose Line Is It Anyway? with the seductive appeal of 50 Shades of Grey.

Praised as “riveting” by CBC Manitoba, Brinkman is a talented performer celebrated for her captivating stage presence. With years of reading erotic fiction under her belt, she brings her sex-pertise to the stage. Prepare for a sultry and hilarious tramp through your favourite bodice ripping, enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn, spicy, erotic fiction!

Whether on a sizzling date or a night out with friends, this show promises to titillate while tickling your funny bone. Join Brinkman for an improvised romp through your naughtiest fantasies.

• Blair Moro

One brain. Two sides. Left and right. Together, they should be a perfect team — but today, they’re a disaster. Left Brain wants structure, order and control. Right Brain wants creativity, impulse and fun. They don’t always agree, but they have to function as one. The problem? Thoughts are misfiring, words are vanishing and memories aren’t quite where they should be. Is it just a bad day, or is something bigger going on?

From Blair Moro (Cabaret of Murder – 4 1/2 STARS), BRAIN is a fast, funny and wildly unpredictable comedy about the mind’s greatest struggle: itself.

“Expertly directed” – A. Wade

“Brilliant” – J. Marley

• Andrew Bailey

5 STARS “Check it out. Your brain will thank you.” – CBC

4 STARS “Bailey’s sharp and satisfying…” – Winnipeg Free Press

“Bailey subtly, skillfully braids the stories of the Internet’s inventors with his own experience of going viral… Go, learn, laugh, take hope.” – The Georgia Straight

The hit solo show Brain Machine is finally returning to Winnipeg, where CBC Manitoba named it one of the picks of the 2018 Fringe. From the multiple award-winning creator of The Adversary and Me, the Queen, and a Coconut.

• Meraki Theatre

Say it once, say it twice, say it… okay, you know how this goes.

BugJuice, BugJuice, BugJuice!

Join Meraki Theatre’s all-teenage cast in this musical parody of Beetlejuice, with a few extra legs and a whole lot of fun. Packed with laughs, larger-than-life characters and toe-tapping tunes, it’s a ghostly good time for the living and the not-so-living.

From the team that brought you the completely sold-out run of Midnight (Winnipeg Fringe 2023) and Barbie: A Parody (Winnipeg Fringe 2024) comes a delightful journey through the land of the living, the dead, and everything in between.

• Cactus Theatre Co.

When the god of death runs out of minions but a mortal needs to face their past before they die, the boss has no choice but to step in.

Of course, it’s just Tom’s luck to not only find out he’s dying but to be escorted through his most painful memories by a slightly surly deity who’s out of practice. At least his best friend Jackie (and her trusty cactus, Angie) are coming along as emotional support. They can face anything as long as they’re together… right?

Written by Daniel Gilmour, who left the world’s stage too soon. Cactus is a dark comedy about life, death, love and loss that we now perform in his memory.

• sherri elle theatre projects

New boyfriend, new city, new life! The future’s so bright…

But when he’s suddenly a patient on the notorious 5GREEN, it’s life and death. But not your life or your death… How do you make sense of that?

Cancer Wife looks past the obvious story, past the patient, outside the spotlight, where you start to feel like a secondary character in your own life. But you still have to show up for him, because you’re in the middle of the biggest battle you never imagined.

Written and performed by sherri elle, with special thanks to TJ Dawe and Megan Phillips.

Previous work:

friendzone

“Dark and relatable.” – Winnipeg Free Press

“Deeply honest and uncomfortable.” – Jenny Revue

Mornings at Miss Mabel’s

“Earnest and endearing.” – Winnipeg Free Press

• Chase Padgett

Join Chase Padgett (6 Guitars, Nashville Hurricane, Grab Bag Cabaret) as he humorously chronicles his musical misadventures in How to Play Guitar Poorly. Through heartfelt storytelling and unforgettable songs, Chase shares his journey from novice strummer to seasoned musician, offering a comedic and touching exploration of the tunes that shaped his life. This solo cabaret blends music and comedy while delivering an evening that resonates with both musicians and music lovers alike.

5 STARS “A deft actor and virtuoso guitar player” – CBC

5 STARS “Earn applause no matter your musical preference” – Winnipeg Free Press

• Chuckle Hunters Improv

Join Brody Sjodin, Charles Hunter, Cora Pare, Kathryn Derksen and Quinton Vander Aa as they make up a narrative story on the spot based on audience suggestions! These five performers have been hard at work studying the subtle arts of maintaining an accent, prolonged eye contact and male-on-male lip interactions. These are just some of the many experiences that may or may not happen at each one-of-a-kind show!

• Here’s Hoping Theatre Co

On the chatroom website CliqYou users can experience the highs and lows typical of all friend groups – the laughter, the grudges, the crushes, the rivalries, the inside jokes and the seemingly pointless conversations – while hiding the most vulnerable parts of themselves behind the safety and security of the screen. But friendships can be complicated, and friendships with people who live thousands of miles away can have unique complications of their own. Loaded with hilarious pop culture references and friendship dynamics you know and love, CliqYou is a play about seven lonely people who discover the incredible distances that trust, understanding and love can travel, as long as you choose to let them.