Event Details

Incorporated in 2002, the Hamilton Festival Theatre Company (Hamilton Fringe) creates a platform for independent, emerging, and established theatre artists in Hamilton. By incorporating the Canadian Association of Fringe Festival’s guiding principles, their annual summer Fringe Festival is an accessible, inclusive, and engaging theatre experience where: participants are selected on a non-juried basis; 100% of box office revenue is returned to participating artists; Fringe producers have no control over artistic content of productions; and festivals must remain affordable for all audiences and artists to participate. In recent years the company has explored a series of partnerships with a number of arts organizations and in 2012 restructured, emerging with the goal of creating an autonomous identity and hiring permanent staff to contribute to the Festival year-round.

"This application is for “The 20th Anniversary Hamilton Fringe Festival”, taking place July 17 to July 28, 2024, at 11 indoor and outdoor locations across downtown Hamilton. The Festival takes place across 12 stages and features over 60 performance companies offering musicals, dance, comedies, magic shows, dramas, and family entertainment in more than 350 performances. 2024 programming details include:

(1) The Main Series: the heart of Fringe Festival’s theatrical programming, with 28 selected via lottery in a variety of categories (General, Ontario, National, International, CAFF Touring, FringeXChange Artist Initiative, New Play Contest Winner). The HFF has partnered with four performance venues for this series (Theatre Aquarius - Studio Theatre, Mills Hardware, The Players’ Guild of Hamilton, The Westdale);

(2) The Indie Venue Series (or “Bring Your Own Venue”): 18 companies present in a venue or location not included in the above list of Fringe main venues. This series allows participation for companies not drawn in the Fringe lottery, or whose performance is better-suited to an unconventional space. The Indie series is designed to broaden opportunities for artists to participate in the Festival, while minimizing the impact on staffing and organizational capacity;

(3) FringeXChange: an innovative initiative developed in consultation with the Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO), the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI), and McMaster Gender & Social Justice, now entering its third year. FringeXchange is an artistic residency, offering a multi-pronged support and coaching initiative for equity-seeking artists producing in the Hamilton Fringe Festival, the largest theatre Festival in the GHA;

(4) The Fringe Mini Bar Series: a selection of four micro-plays presented in a relaxed and casual “Pub Theatre” atmosphere. With performances of 20 minutes or less, this series provides creators an opportunity to develop new plays, and to experiment with short-form works as performed before a more intimate audience;

(5) Fringe Club Patio & Outdoor Stage: featuring free programming including the Opening Night Kick-Off, ‘Keeping Six’ Open Mic Nights, Shorts Showcase film competition, Spark Teen Creation performance, Closing Night Awards Ceremony, and other free arts programming throughout the festival;

(6) Kids Club & Family Fringe: free arts workshops (lead by local artisans & creators) and activities aimed at kids 2-12. Activities include a local Family Fringe performance by Hamilton artists with a post-show talkback, arts-based workshops, beading workshops, kids crafts, and—of course—a bouncy castle;

(7) Visual Fringe; an inclusive visual arts exhibition; and

(8) New Play Contest: an annual competition for playwrights who want to see their work produced at the Hamilton Fringe Festival."