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Arts·Commotion

3 shows from the Toronto Fringe Festival that could be the next big thing

Aisling Murphy, theatre reporter for the Globe and Mail, joins Elamin to talk about the new Canadian fringe plays that she thinks could be making their way to bigger stages in the near future. Elamin:

Theatre reporter Aisling Murphy talks about Almost Ever After, Ctrl Alt Delete and Iris (Says Goodbye)

CBC Arts ·
A group of people rehearse a movement in a room with wooden floors, wooden benches and stained glass windows.
The cast of Iris (Says Goodbye). (STEFI KOPP PHOTO)

For many cities around the world, summer marks the return of fringe theatre festivals — and Toronto is no exception.

The 37th Annual Toronto Fringe Festival, which took place July 2-13, 2025, marked a record high for the festival. With 48,655 tickets issued, more than $577,500 in revenue was returned to artists — the most in the festival's history.

One thing that stood out about this year's festival was the sheer quality of the productions, says the Globe and Mail's theatre reporter Aisling Murphy.

Today on Commotion, she joins host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the new fringe shows that she thinks have what it takes to make their way to bigger stages in the near future.

WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube:

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Aisling Murphy produced by Jess Low.

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