The 2025 Artist Lottery Results Are In!

Oh, what a whimsical whirlwind of theatre, laughter, and lucky draws we had on April 9th in the Attic Venue at the charming Black Rabbit Kitchen! With a crowd buzzing like opening night and hearts pounding like drumrolls, the 2025 Nanaimo Fringe Festival Artist Lottery unfolded in true theatrical style.

We are rolling out the red (fringe-trimmed) carpet for our new and returning stars of the stage! From local legends to boundary-breaking newcomers, the draw revealed a dazzling lineup of bold and brilliant creators who will light up downtown Nanaimo from August 7-17, 2025.

Scholarship Spotlight: Big Applause, Please

In keeping with the spirit of Fringe—where everyone has a place and every story deserves a spotlight—we are proudly announcing this years scholarship recipients:

Indigenous Artist/Group Scholarship: Sweet Tooth Burlesque (Nanaimo, BC) - Show: CLUE: The Burlesque Show

Trans Artist/Group Scholarship: Evan Shumka & Ouroboros Theatre (Duncan, BC) - Show: Theoxenia. A heartfelt thanks to the generous anonymous donor making this Fringe dream possible.

Local Talent in the Limelight

From improv antics to burlesque whodunits, here is the roll call of fabulous folks putting Nanaimo flair on the Fringe map:

Diamond Sky Theatre - Between Trains (Nanaimo)

Ask for Improv - SuperLiminal (Nanaimo)

Sweet Tooth Burlesque - CLUE: The Burlesque Play (Nanaimo) - Indigenous Artist/Group Scholarship

Ambitches Performance Co. - The Most Important Job in the World (Nanaimo)

Alick Mac - Boys Club (Nanaimo)

BC Brings the Drama (and Comedy)

Cheeky Dog Productions - Costco Heartbreak (Victoria)

Danika Dinsmore - The Storytellers Smithy: Forging Narratives (Gibsons)

Darren Millar - 100mls or Less: Confessions of a Patdown Expert (Victoria)

Evan Shumka & Ouroboros Theatre - Theoxenia (Duncan, BC) - Trans Artist/Group Scholarship

Across Canada and Beyond

Michael Gourgis, aka The Professor - The Syllabus (California, USA)

Thomas Bates Productions - MARK 1 (Ontario)

Congratulations to all our lottery winners!

The Nanaimo Fringe Festival is an Annual Fringe Theatre Festival presented by Pacific Coast Stage Company on the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw people.