The Georgia Straight proudly sponsors the Vancouver International Fringe Festival

B.C.’s largest theatre festival, the Vancouver International Fringe Festival, takes place at venues across the city—including Granville Island, the Firehall Arts Centre, Havana, and the Cultch—from September 6 to 16. The 28th annual festival is themed “A Fringe Odyssey: The Outer Limits of Theatre” and will feature more than 754 performances by 97 groups.

Fringe Fest kicks off with an opening night party and showcase on September 4 at 7 p.m. at Granville Island’s Performance Works (1218 Cartwright Street). The annual fundraising event emceed by Vancouver’s David C. Jones will include live and silent auctions, food and beverages, and feature artists Underbelly, Bookworm, Loon, Guernica, God is a Scottish Drag Queen, and Peter ‘n Chris. Other festival special events include Fringe for All on September 6 at 10 p.m., also at Performance Works—a 150-minute showcase where more than 90 Fringe artists will be given two minutes to present a teaser of their show to the audience; as well as the Fringe Awards Night on September 16 at 9:30 p.m.

A few of this year’s festival performers include Fringe favourite Tara Travis in Til Death Do We Part: The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Japan’s Ryuzanji Company in avant-garde Japanese opera Hanafuda Denki: A Tale of Playing Cards, Squidamisu Theatre’ take on Georrge F. Walker’s Suburban Motel, 2011 Georgia Straight Critics’ Choice Award winner Jayson McDonald in Underbelly, and more.

Tickets are $10 for shows Monday to Thursday and $12 for shows Friday to Sunday and can be purchased online or at the Fringe Festival Box Office tent (1398 Cartwright Street).