Announcing The Next Stage Theatre Festival At The Toronto Fringe

With its most diverse lineup to date, Toronto's premiere winter arts celebration, Next Stage Theatre Festival, returns January 2020 for its 13th edition. Presented by the Toronto Fringe, the 12 carefully curated shows are a thrilling showcase for bold, independent voices and a broad range of new, innovative plays. The festival will take place at Factory (125 Bathurst Street) from January 8 to 19, 2020.

2020 is the perfect year to talk about 20/20 vision, as the productions in this year's Next Stage Theatre Festival portray this theme in many ways - both personal and political -- as artists present discussions around politics, bodies, genders, abilities, fears, and desires.

Next Stage is proud to present an inspiring selection of plays, proving the true span of contemporary theatrical work. Shows range from clown performances and reimagined burlesque, to stage readings, musicals and more. Additionally, a majority of the presentations feature talkbacks following performances as a way to foster, exchange and promote even more discussion.

Next Stage continues to be an industry leader in accessibility initiatives. The festival includes access measures such as ASL Interpreted Performances, Audio Described Performances, Relaxed Performances and a suite of customer service initiatives that put the patron's dignity and agency at the centre of the experience. As with the summer's Fringe Festival, Next Stage offers priority and accessible seating, welcomes service animals, and offers complimentary tickets to personal support workers.

Highlights include a number of performances that prove theatre can be both serious and humorous. A breakout hit of the 2019 Toronto Fringe, the all-Filipina, all-fun comedy show Tita Jokes, written and performed by Tita Collective, returns with new sketches, new songs and a new sixth performer. In their reimagined clown piece Morro and Jasp: Save The Date, Amy Lee and Heather Marie Annis examine the strength of sisterhood when their duo is upset by a romantic partner. In addition, disabled artist Ophira Calof presents her solo show Literally Titanium, which blends music, comedy and storytelling to explore the relationship between her body and mind as they navigate a world that wasn't built for them.

In Pearle Harbour's Agit-Pop! the drag tragicomedienne Pearle Harbour presents a cabaret spectacular developed over five years, in an ever-changing collection of Pearle's favourite and most heart-wrenchingly hilarious short acts. Written by Kevin Shea and directed by Jill Harper, Consumption Patterns offers a rich satire of contemporary exploitation and reveals a world at war with itself, offering a bracing glimpse of what's to come.

Next Stage is also proud to present Bilal Baig's powerful Kitne Saare Laloo Yahan Pey Hain, a truthful drama that unapologetically puts queer and trans bodies at the centre of the storytelling, in a truthful drama about a young trans woman that runs away from Bangladesh with only one suitcase and a secret.

Tallboyz - Live: A one-night only show in support of the Toronto Fringe SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2020 AT 7:30PM

Catch the stars of the hit CBC comedy series that #StartedAtTheFringe live on stage! Tallboyz Guled Abdi, Vance Banzo, Tim Blair, and Franco Nguyen bring their absurdist but relatable sketch comedy to Next Stage for a side-splitting one-night-only performance. With a hilarious and upbeat demeanor, the Tallboyz take on friendship, politics, bro culture, and everyday life.

The Next Stage Theatre Festival is the curated, boutique festival produced every winter by the Toronto Fringe. The festival is a platform for artists to take groundbreaking work to the next level and is a gathering place for discerning culture lovers in the city.

Advance tickets and passes are available as of November 25, 2019. Tickets can be purchased online at www.fringetoronto.com or by phone at 416-966-1062. Tickets are $18 for all Mainspace shows, and $15 for the U-R-U Staged Reading. Tickets purchased online or over the phone are subject to a $3 order fee. Tickets for the Tallboyz Fundraiser are $25, $45 or $95

The Next Stage Theatre Festival wants everyone to be able to access outstanding theatre. We are pleased to announce a new partnership with weshowup.io, a Vancouver-based digital platform that allows audiences to pay for experiences when the value is highest - at the end. A limited number of Next Stage tickets will be available on weshowup.io. Patrons will be able to pay a lower base price up front, and then top up their spend after the show to the level they desire after experiencing the performance. More information will be released in the coming weeks.

Learn more about We Show Up here: https://weshowup.io/

For the 2020 Next Stage Festival Schedule visit https://fringetoronto.com/next-stage/about

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