The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival kicks off Wednesday and, once again, there is plenty of representation from the Southeast. 

Every year, well over 100 shows take part in the 12-day festival, showcasing sketch comedy, stand-up, shadow puppetry, dance, magic, drama, and so much more. 

A number of local performers, writers, and directors will be participating this year.  

The Two Gentlemen of Verona 

Dryden Dilts has acted in many productions over the years including Godspell with the Steinbach Arts Council, See No Evil with Looking Glass Productions, and The Tempest at last year’s fringe fest, but notes this time around, he is making his directorial debut. 

“The play is called The Two Gentlemen of Verona, it is actually by Shakespeare, one of his earliest comedies. It's a funny play, nobody dies in it, and it's a romance. You've got two guys, best friends, they both fall in love with same girl, that's kind of the gist of it. So, there's a lot of mayhem that ensues. We've kept all the text, but we've moved it into a modern setting, so it actually takes place at a golf course for most of it.” 

Dilts says the comedy really comes through nicely thanks to a great cast which also includes Cole Recksiedler who recently played Jesus in Godspell. 

He notes their show is taking place at Venue #10, the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film on the University of Winnipeg campus. He notes their first show is late Thursday afternoon July 18th, adding “there's a lot of good action so you should never be bored watching this show.” 

Tickets are available online and at the door. 

Agency 

Steinbach's Grant Burr says he first started attending the Winnipeg Fringe Festival around two decades ago and has been in many shows since then.

This year, he is acting in a new drama called Agency which was put together by a Winnipeg playwright. He notes it is a play focused on the child welfare system set in several eras. 

“It deals on some weighty matters and it brings these children together for interactions in what they call The Agency, which is sort of this space that transcends time, in fact, and so these children get to encounter each other, have conversations, and see the similarities of their experiences.” 

He notes it follows these children as they struggle to understand their own identities, who they are, where they came from, and what that means for them going forward.  

He adds “It's a really good show, It delves into some of those matters in a really sensitive way, and I think it leaves the audience thinking about the issues. At the end of the day, it doesn't answer any questions for you, I think it just provokes a lot of thought and asks you to think about it yourselves.” 

Agency opens on Thursday evening, and it is also at Venue #10, the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film on the University of Winnipeg campus. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased online.

It should be noted, Agency does include coarse language, sexual content, child neglect and apprehension.

Sidetrack Bandits Sketch Comedy 

The Sidetrack Bandits are a local comedy group made up of three couples. Following another great season hosting comedy nights at the Steinbach Arts Council, Thalin Dyck says the troupe has put together a really fun 45-minute show for the fringe festival with a lot of new material. 

“We've got some songs, we've got some physical comedy, which I hope you know us for already. We've got some a lot of really quick, witty [sketches].” 

Jeremy Plett notes the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is his favourite week and a half of the year. 

“In the last two years we've been doing these comedy nights in Steinbach and I think we've really found our style. We've found an audience in Steinbach that really likes what we're doing, and it's awesome to bring that audience and kind of pair them in with the fringe audience because we've kind of developed two audiences over the years. I just really enjoy performing for the combination of the two.” 

During a regular season Steinbach Comedy Night show, Michelle Plett says the Sidetrack Bandits often play with improv and a loose format, but with the strict timeline at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, she notes they will be packing as much hilarious sketch comedy as they can into the 45 minute runtime.  

Sidetrack Bandits Sketch Comedy hits the stage for the first time Thursday evening at Venue #20, The Studio at Théâtre Cercle Molière on Provencher Boulevard. Tickets can be purchased online with links at SidetrackBandits.com or at the door. The show includes mild language.

The Dungeons 'N' Dragons Improv Show XV: The Skeleton Key   

Jeremy Plett is also a member of the D&D Improv troupe along with fellow Steinbach actor Kenton Dyck. 

Plett says even if you don't play Dungeons and Dragons there is a good chance you will really enjoy this show. 

“A lot of people get scared when they hear the D&D because they're like, ‘oh, I don't play D&D, so I won't get it’. That's just a part of it, it's really just a group of characters who are going on an adventure.” 

He adds “It is fantasy themed but if you are worried about hit points and all the stats that come from the D&D side of things, don't worry, it's just a party. It's very funny, lots of good, strong improvisers from across Manitoba in this show. It is truly a remarkable show.” 

Having been a huge fan of the Dungeons ‘N’ Dragons Improv Show for many years himself, Jeremy says the fanbase is one of the things that makes it so special. 

“There's this crowd of people that come to the show year after year and there's that group that we call the super-fans and they will wait in line 5 hours before the show starts with lawn chairs because it's rush seating and they have these seats that they want to make sure that they get so there is this rabid fan base for the show, which is so much fun because every night is an amazing audience.” 

He notes the excitement from the existing fanbase is contagious and it is impossible to not get sucked in. 

This year, the Dungeons ‘N’ Dragons Improv Show is at Venue #18, The Park Theatre on Osbourne South and their first show is Wednesday July 17th. Once again, tickets are available online and at the door.

Dungeons ‘N’ Dragons Improv Show may include coarse language, violent content, strobe lights, smoke or fog.