Tickets can be purchased online by following the links below, or in person at The Port Theatre Box Office or the outdoor Fringe Festival Hub!

The Fringe Festival Hub is located at Fitzwilliam Gate in Nanaimo’s Old City Quarter

August 12-22nd | Hours: 12-6pm

Shows at the Port Theatre

125 Front Street, Nanaimo

Outdoor Shows in the Old City Quarter

“River: a Metaphor” | performed at Heritage Mews

Joy and Company, Nanaimo

60 mins | 6+

“Merlin Cosmos Live from Club Cludgy” | performed at Gallery Row

Michael B Ross, Vancouver

60 mins | 11+ (please be advised that any minor patrons must be seated outside of the licensed Beverage Garden)

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DIGITAL ONLY SHOWS

Digital Only shows from National/International Artists unable to join us in person for 2021. These offerings will be available to stream ON DEMAND via the PortTheatre.com for the full 10 day duration of the festival.

JUDAS

BeeJay Clinton,

JUDAS is coming! Hot off a successful run at Orlando Fringe, hear this all-new testament about his saviour and (spoiler alert!) lover in a sinful, spirited, and sassy romp that reveals the truth, revs up the sex appeal, and makes the Good Book even better. There will be mystery, there will be murder, there will be loooooove– but most importantly, one of you will betray him! Just kidding, but this is definitely NOT your mother’s Bible story!

Dear Donald/Dear Hillary (Their Secret Correspondence)

Sally Vahle

Faded Shorts

Len Cuthbert

Faded Shorts is a collection of 4 short plays by Len Cuthbert, about the mystery of life and beyond. 

Haram

Chelsey Fawcett

Haram is the journey of one woman’s spiral downward as she tries to become a belly dancing superstar in a fictionalized shisha club. The story celebrates the artistry of belly dance, while also exposing the audience to much darker experiences that the performer endures. The experiences of her exploitation and trafficking range from her being locked in her hotel room, having her passport stolen, evading stalkers, receiving death threats, and suffering sexual abuse. The list of what a dancer will do to be in the limelight continues, and the play questions the intersections of sensuality vs. sexuality in our hyper-sexualization of women in the performing arts.

The show is compiled of real stories from belly dancers all over the world – specifically from dancers working the beltline of clubs between Detroit Michigan and Toronto Ontario. These stories are woven into a fictionalized Canadian location and are performed through the fictional character Candace – who also goes by the stage-name “Laila”. Candace tells the story of how her supportive club owner (Mo) sells his club (“Habibi’s”) to a ring leader of a local mafia branch, who uses the club for money laundering and illegal activity. Candace’s life changes from one of a liberated female entertainer, to that of a dancer fighting for her freedom. The cycle of abuse becomes apparent when the audience discovers that the dancer is held in her hotel room against her will as a de facto slave. This uniquely Canadian story is unlike any other that has graced the stage in the world.

Tango in the Dark

PointeTango

Award-winning dance company, PointeTango, heats up your screen with “Tango in the Dark”, an original hour-long dance film created during the Covid-19 pandemic. PointeTango’s sultry duo will wow you with fantastic lifts, exciting spins and the passion of Argentine tango with a unique twist: tango on pointe! Using original music composed by the Payadora Tango Ensemble, as well as contemporary and traditional themes, your senses will be delighted by an award-winning show that lights the way through the shadows and mysteries of Buenos Aires and tells a story of two dancers moving to the rhythms of the city night. 

The creation of “Tango in the Dark”, began in Buenos Aires, during the autumn of 2019 and continued with film production in Canada in the summer of 2020. The global pandemic led to ongoing and changing restrictions which affected the performance and creation process. PointeTango dancers, Erin Scott-Kafadar and Alexander Richardson spent several months in strict lockdown in Buenos Aires, Argentina before returning to Canada. Despite the restrictions, Erin and Alexander continued to dance and adapted from performing live to creating digital content. Partnering with the talented musical quartet of the Payadora Tango Ensemble meant recording and filming their music in their separate homes. Since its digital world premiere in February 2021, ‘Tango in the Dark’ has premiered in international festivals and enjoyed rave reviews and awards.