Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)

@gracingthestage

A&E critic emeritus—Torontoist/AV Club/Now Magazine, etc. Naval Reserve Instructor. Canadian Theatre Critics Association board member, #TheaTO hashtag creator. Burly #BikeTO boi, karaoke kid, LGBTQ+ Ally. BLM #Tkaronto

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Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

Emerging Artist BZs: T.Almedia (IMAGINED LOVE), J.Jorge (FIRST KISS), J.Bruno (WHITE MAN'S INDIAN), I.Arseneau (LITTLE ASTRONAUT), & the lovers of SUCH ADO—E.Bauman, F.Loiselle, N.Morales, & K.Edelist—are all now on my #TheaTO radar.

Photo by Barry McCluskey, featuring Elise Bauman (L) and Frances Loiselle (R).
An actor with short, brown hair wears a dark half-mask over their eyes and leans toward another actor. The second actor also wears a colourful half-mask over their eyes, with blue streamers flowing out of it. She holds a red fan up to her face, blocking the other actor's view of her.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

Choreographer BZs: A.Pires (A MOMENT FOR FRAYED NERVES) paired K.Wong's clever music&lyrics w/ visually sumptuous sequences; S.Bezic (LADIES DAY) helped dir. J.Creaghan create a cohesive visual tone for 95% of their show; & J,Dimitriou (THE WOUNDS OF LOVE) had E.Bekker's Bird fill the stage w/ joy.

Erinn Bekkers (a white woman with light skin and short blonde hair, wearing a denim button down shirt dress) and Kendra Dyck (a white
woman with light skin and long blonde hair, wearing a white sweater) are captured in a moment of choreography. They both lean on a diagonal, and Kendra’s mouth is open in song. Together, they embody “The Swallow.” Behind them to the right is a blue metal ladder about 10 feet tall. Behind to the left stands Ronan Hayes (a white man with light skin and blonde hair, wearing brown pants, a blue shirt, white vest, and a golden cape), who embodies the statue of “The Happy
Prince.” Photo by Daniella McNeill.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

BZ for the Design team for ORBIT: L. Foote (Lighting), M. Sossin (Costume), J. Kim (Set & Props), A.Naomi (Sound), & K. Cress (Projections). These five, + writer/dir. S. Kumarasinghe, created a polished, thought-provoking, gripping experience, on a shoestring #FringeTO budget.

Photo by Barry McCluskey
Featuring Will King
A man, covered in green computer-like projections, looks into the distance, with his hand touching his headset.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

Individual Bravo Zulu's (BZs)! For Directors, I was esp. impressed by D.Trowbridge (DADS) & J.Creaghan's (LADIES DAY) in the round stagings @ Videocabaret; ditto A.F. Lundy (LITTLE ONE), for her 2nd year in a row directing @ The Puppy Sphere offsite space.

Photographer: Jack Creaghan
People in photo (Left-Right): Shanda Bezic, Jesse McQueen, Blair Macmillan, Jennifer McEwen
Alternative text description: Four women in 1960s era clothing stand grouped together, holding beer bottles and smiling at the camera.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

Another #FringeTO highlight for me? Solo (& duo) sketch. Storytelling chugs along (stand-up was conspicuously lightweight this year), but J.Blair's A COMEDY SHOW AT THE END OF THE WORLD & J. McGuinness' BY POPULAR DEMAND demo'd gr8 sketch w/o an ensemble (HM to 2-MAN NO SHOW, and 2% OF CONDOMS).

Photo by Kofi Yeboah, featuring Janelle McGuinness.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

A #FringeTO '26 highlight was the # of musicals w/ real promise; not just @derrick-chua.bsky.social's fest-within-the-fest's Alliance for Canadiann Musicals shows (FRAYED NERVES or WOUNDS OF LOVE, i.e.), but also Mixtape Project's CAMP!, I. Arseneau's LITTLE ASTRONAUT, & N.Younglai's FIRST KISS.

A half dozen cast members of A MOMENT FOR FRAYED NERVES, all wearing black, jump with their hands in the air in a scene from the musical. Detail of a photo by Liz Bragale.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

+ #FringeTO shows I saw ready 2 remount incl. EVIE & ALFIE; ORBIT; LITTLE ONE; FIRST KISS; SUCH ADO; AFENI; MIRV-ISH; +solos J.Blair/J. McGuinness/J. Hays/K.Brown. W/ dramaturgy, LADIES DAY; A MOMENT FOR FRAYED NERVES; IMAGINED LOVE; WOUNDS OF LOVE; CUSP; LITTLE ASTRONAUT; +solos M.Torgerson/J.Hogg.

Performers Alex Dallas (a white woman with short curly hair, wearing thick framed glasses, a floral blouse buttoned to the neck, and a pastel blue cardigan) and Jimmy Hogg (a white mad with brown hair and beard tinged with grey, wearing reading glasses, a tan button up shirt, a brown tie, and dark blue cardigan) give the camera befuddled expressions, standing in front of wood paneling in the background.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social no longer deals w/ drink&food sales. Technically, the Hub is partners Young Centre/Soulpepper/Old Flame's problem/opportunity. But much is lost not having a big central place for #FringeTO folx to gather en masse to socialize, network, cross-promote, etc. Moving on...

A woman with long brown hair wearing a white and pink floral dress is seen from behind, taking video of a a woman (in large sunglasses, a white tank top, bshort ruffled black skirt and black calve high boots) who is posing beside a red sandwich board sign for the Toronto Fringe patio. In the background, on red cobblestones, are the Fringe bar tent, and several patrons sitting on small chairs. Photo courtesy the Toronto Fringe.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

What @toronto-fringe.bsky.social artists & patrons crave is ONE big, central communal space for pre/post shows, w/ 200+ capacity, & open @ least until 1am. Could Old Flame/Soulpepper get a Nightlife Hub permit from @toronto.ca's Cllr Ainslie for #FringeTO '27? www.thestar.com/gift-redeem?...

A night time shot of the Fringe Club, circa 2016, at the Scadding Court Community rink location. Hundreds of Fringe patrons mingle, some seated on folding chairs at small tables, some standing in clusters. along the south side of the rink fence are food and beverage stands; at the east end of the rink is an outdoor stage. Photo courtesy Toronto Fringe.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

Events @ Old Flame—drag show, line dancing, silent disco—drew ppl, but Distillery District forced them (& YC Patio) to close by 11pm (9pm on Sundays!). YC indoors stayed open to 12am, but few Fringers visited post-show. Factory, TPM, & Tarragon hosted cozy but under-utilized l'il lounge spaces, too.

Cast members of the show 1920's WALKING AROUND IN A DREAM perform on the small, shallow stage in Old Flame Brewery, as part of a showcase of Fringe shows, early in the festival.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

#FringeTO HUB DID improve over '25. Drinks could travel b/w Young Centre (YC) Atrium, Community Lounge, & tiny Patio. Old Flame Brewing was an official Hub space. But hrs & capacity are still inadequate. Atrium was a through-space for @toronto-fringe.bsky.social venues, + MEDUSA & HEATED RIVALRY...

Detail of a Toronto Fringe venue map, zoomed in on the layout of the "Fringe Hub at Soulpepper Theatre." In blue pen, added to the layout of the Young Centre, are arrows marking where patrons lined up outside to enter the central Atrium, and traverse it to the doors to 1 of 3 Fringe performance spaces (a fourth space, the RBC Studio, was accessed from outside the Distillery District, lining up on the sidewalk along the West side of Cherry Street.

Also added to the map is the location and dimensions of Old Flame Brewery, a beer hall directly south of the Young Centre complex, across Distillery Lane.

Lastly, the small outdoor courtyard space at the southeast corner of the Young Centre has had the infrastructure of the bar and box office added to the layout, as well as an arrow indicating how patrons could take drinks along a covered walkway between the patio and the main doors to the Young Centre Atrium.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 24d

METRICS: @toronto-fringe.bsky.social '26 made 660K for 122 #FringeTO co's, & 52K in donations (vice 577K for 106 co's, & 47K, in '25). Most co's had 7 shows, 8 @ smaller & "satellite" venues Aki Studio, Alumnae, Sweet Action, & Videocabaret (hopefully offsetting higher venue fees), more @ off sites.

A volunteer w/ red curly hair and think black glasses, wearing brown pants & a green Toronto Fringe volunteer fringe shirt, scans in two patrons (both wearing being pants and dark blue shirts, the one on the right with a light coloured fedora and black shoulder bag, the one on the left with a white tote) outside the Videocabaret venue. Photo courtesy Toronto Fringe.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 26d

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #41: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... You'd have to have a heart of stone not to appreciate this new musical by a UofT student re: female Engineering students struggling w/ patriarchy & toxic masculinity, feat. a cast of 13 UofT students + a 15 piece (student) band.

LITTLE ASTRONAUT star & creator Isobel Arseneau (a small white woman with long brown tresses, wearing a purple cardigan), sits at a small schoolroom table, surrounded by other students, blurred, in rows behind her, save for Hermela Abiy (a Black woman with her hair tied up with a loose white bow, wearing a white button up shirt, holding a blue notebook against her chest), who sits to Arseneau's left in the row behind her. Photo uncredited.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 26d

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #40: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... Musical geeks will adore S.Page's "solo" show (mild spoiler: a bubbly S.Philbert plays Page's teenage self) re: a "mid" triple threat mulling hanging up her character shoes; it coasts on their outsized stage personalities.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 27d

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #39: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... This time-skewered musical drama borrows plot points from SLIDING DOORS, GROUNDHOG DAY, & BEETLEJUICE. Witty lyrics & A+ singing from the on stage trio (+ T.Wichenko's comedic timing) make it work, tho it could shave 10-15 min.

A short blonde woman (Taryn Wichenko), wearing a paisley blouse and dark blazer, stands behind a desk between two chairs, with an unframed door upstage, in a black & white photo of a scene from the musical Grey Spaces. Photo by Ian Kowalski.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 27d

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #37: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... This delightful take on Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING partially updates the dialogue, is set @ a progressive college w/ an all gender soccer team, & makes the romances queer, w/ nuanced portrayals of the flawed lovers.

Photo by Barry McCluskey, featuring Naomi Morales (Left) and Keren Edelist (Right), in a scene from SUCH ADO.

An actor with long brown hair, wearing a light blue shirt, stairs off into the distance. In the background, we see another actor who is wearing a blue and pink soccer jersey and black shorts.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· 27d

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #36: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... Cheese puns & cartoonish characters abound in this silly story of an influencer dairy biz heiress, but it works, mainly due to the spirited turns by A.Curran (the titular sleuth) & J.A. Bordas (everyone else, incl. puppets).

Actors José Andrés Bordas (a tall Latino man with a full brown beard and shoulder length hair, wearing a black stetson and faded blue denim jacket and pants) and Arleigh Curran (a white woman with brown shoulder length hair, wearing a flouncy deep pink dress with elaborate crinoline ruffles at the bodice and knee length hemline, holding a large novelty stick of butter) pose in costume as the patriarch and heiress of a dairy family company from the play HOW TO CATCH A CHEESE PERVERT: A PRSCILLA PRESTON MYSTERY. Photo by Ally MacKenzie.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 11

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #35: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... CIT remounts D.Contois' 2017 play, w/ dir. E.Roy back, & emerging actor J.Bruno in a moving turn. She plays Eva, the only Native @ a city school, who's grappling w/ a history of abuse, a severed family, & a 2-Spirit awakening.

Jaeli Bruno, a woman of Plains Cree descent, wears a blonde wig, red dress, and red and black face paint on the top half of her face. She stares at the camera, arms crossed, in this uncredited photo.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 10

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #34: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... This musical is a delight from start to finish; a 1980's queer awakening of a 2nd gen Filipino-Cdn teen, complete w/ 80's hit tributes & references, & a 5 piece band (giant harp!). Spitfire singer-actor J.Jorge is a revelation.

In this uncredited photo from a performance of FIRST KISS, actor Josette Jorge, a woman of Filipino descent with a bob of black hair, wearing a faded denim jacket, black & white checkered skirt, leg warmers and Chucks, sits on a platform on stage left. Behind her is projected a large image of a 1970's era wood panelled TV, showing a scene from the John Hughes film SIXTEEN CANDLES.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 10

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #33: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... Too many #FringeTO cliches—overly long musical intro & outro; direct self address to a childhood photo—to recommend this autobiographical show re: emotionally closed off father issues (tho I'm glad M.E. Smith found therapy).

Mike D. Smith, a mostly bald white man, wearing Vietnam War era green army fatigues, stands on stage, circled by several lens flares. Photo by Zeboria.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 10

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #32: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... Veteran Fringe storyteller J.Hogg previews this new, (mostly) swear-free show, ostensibly about a day trip to visit a girl when he was 19—but it's really his storyteller origin story. He has fun playing in the round @ Videocab.

Jimmy Hogg, a white man with wavy brown hair and a bushy beard streaked with grey, wearing a blue hoodie, is pictured shoulders and head, smiling, with a field of yellow wildflowers out of focus in the background, Photo by Alan Compton.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 10

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #31: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... Writer-performer J.Hays brings this stirring story of how he found solace in soliloquies after suffering personal upheaval (death, divorce, health scare) home after years of foreign fests. It's very polished—he knows his craft.

Writer-performer Justin Hays, a white man with close cropped hair & salt & pepper beard, dressed in black t-shirt, black jeans, and sneakers, sits in an ornate wooden chair on a rug, in an uncredited rehearsal pic.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 10

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #30: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... J.Bennett's continuous Fringe touring (160+ & counting!) ended abruptly in Oregon in 2020; he was locked down w/ a stranger, then deported to his childhood home in Australia. I won't spoil his comeback story—it's his calling.

Jon Bennett, a shaggy haired white man with a short dark beard, wearing a white shirt with blue whales on it, looks at the camera in this uncredited photo.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 10

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #29: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... Bard enthusiast D.Schindel leads the audience through R&J "Part 1"—until the balcony "sweet parting"—in group & individual screen reads, clicking a (sometimes slow) remote. Participation/fun was nigh-universal—but IS optional.

Dana Schindel, a white woman with brown tied back hair, wearing a black t-shirt and slacks, holds a red rose out with both hands to the camera, against a stark white background, in this uncredited photo.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 9

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #27: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... W. Perry soundtracks their coming of age as a musicals-obsessed kid, & their turbulent teens & 20's as a queer person, w/ lovingly curated vinyl selections (& some solos, natch). Charming, & candid, but slight, as a cabaret.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 9

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #26: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... An engrossing history lesson re: Afeni Shakur's legal defence of herself & the "Panther 21" (which doesn't touch on her famous son until the end), & a must see, due to O.Henry's charisma, & #FringeTO vet writer/dir. A.Bailey.

Onika Henry, a black woman with boho braided hair, wearing a black t-shirt, performs on stage with a red velvet curtain in the background. Photo by Adam Bailey.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 9

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #25: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... 4 Cdn/US border guards get into workplace hijinks in this genial semi-improvised comedy that relies heavily on audience interaction. (Half the cast needs to project & enunciate more to be heard consistently in the large space.)

Samantha Lee of U UP? portraying a Canadian Border
Officer. Photo by Omer Shamir.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 9

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #24: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... Exceptional singer-songwriter M.Torgerson slowly rejects her Bible Belt roots in this ambitious autobiographical show, which starts as a bible study, ends as a rock concert, & would benefit from a dramaturgical assist w/ pacing.

Marla Torgerson, a white woman with tousled blonde hair, wearing a inory t-shirt, and playing an acoustic guitar, stands on stage singing into a microphone in an uncredited photo.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 8

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #23: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... C.Cavalheiro & N.Bon's witty show re: having absentee dads plays out in fantasy sequences (trench warfare) & recollections (kid's summer camp, adult surprise sex party), as 2 besties candidly challenge each other's narratives.

Pictured are Claire Cavalheiro on the left - a white woman with straight brown shoulder length hair, wearing a blue life jacket - and Nikki Bon on the right - a white woman with black wavy shoulder length hair, wearing a red lifejacket. The two are miming a scene in a canoe.
Photo by Scott Cavalheiro.

Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)@gracingthestage· Jul 6

@toronto-fringe.bsky.social show #21: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/... K.Brown's magic shows have become the most reliable #FringeTO entertainment of the 2020's. This is his 4th show here in 5 yrs, & his delivery is down pat. His card tricks, mentalism, & stories re: his travels delight all ages.