From Shakespeare to Dongfish, Nanaimo Fringe Festival offers something for everyone
Nicholas Guerreiro and Annie Konstantinov will perform Consider the Dongfish, at this year’s Fringe Festival. (Liam Prendergast / CHLY 101.7FM)
Fringe Buttons can get you into Fringe Festival Shows for an affordable $5 says Artistic Producer Yvette Dudley (Jesse Woodward / CHLY 101.7FM)
The fringe has returned to the harbour city for 2026.
The Nanaimo Fringe Festival features 18 shows, 97 performances and a variety of new community events, continuing its goal of supporting independent artists while encouraging audiences to experience live theatre in new ways.
This year's festival from August 6th to 16th, includes several new additions, including the Fringe Bar, where attendees can grab a drink and hang out, and Late Night Adult-Only Bedtime Stories, where people can share naughty stories. Weather permitting, a Silent Disco on Wesley Street outside St. Andrew's United Church in the Old City Quarter is also planned. The festival also features a variety of family friendly theatre performances and events, including Quirk the Magician, who will perform on the festival’s final Sunday at the Fringe Outdoor Hub Stage, located at St. Andrew’s United Church.
Artistic Producer Yvette Dudley said supporting artists remains at the heart of the Fringe Festival model. Canadian Fringe Festivals are required to select performers through a lottery system and return ticket revenue directly to the artists.
“In order to be a Fringe and be a member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals, you have to have a lottery draw, which means you literally pull the shows out of a hat and you get what you get. And number two, you have to give your ticket revenue back to the artists. So last year, between artists and technicians and crew, the Nanaimo Fringe Festival paid back $29,000 into the community here. You know, some artists, of course, are across from BC and whatnot, but here in Nanaimo, we had, I think last year, six or seven groups, and this year we have eight groups from Nanaimo.”
Dudley said one of the things she's most excited about this year is making the festival more accessible and affordable for audiences through its Fringe Button events.
“One of the things we offer the community and we started this last year, is something called Button Events. So with your $5 Fringe Button, you can go to 16 different events with just that button. … Buy a $5 button, come down, spend the day, and for a family of four, it's 20 bucks.”
A flyer for Dana Schindel’s Romeo and Juliet, Part 1 – Shakespeare: Say It! (Jesse Woodward / CHLY 101.7FM)
One of the performers taking part this year is Dana Schindel, who is bringing her interactive production, Romeo and Juliet, Part 1 – Shakespeare: Say It! Rather than asking audiences to sit silently and watch, Schindel invites them to become a part of the performance.
“There's people that come to Fringe every year, there's people that have seen every Shakespeare show 20 times, and I thought, 'What would be engaging for both of those audiences, and how could I make it fun? … And so I've given them, uh, lines, like clap or cheer or boo or read this very simple sentence, and together we create this collective telling to really have a community experience in a different way than we usually have.”
Schindel says the production was designed to make Shakespeare approachable for both longtime theatre fans and first time audiences.
“My ultimate goal is people leave feeling good, like they just spent a really good hour of their life and they had fun. … It's really about having a fun experience, being part of a story instead of just watching a story, in a really safe, low-pressure, don't-worry-about-participating kind of way.”
Schindel’s show will run at the St. Andrews United Church on Fitzwilliam street. It will have five performances between August 7th and 15th. Audiences can expect a fun, interactive experience.
“It really is about accessing the playful part of yourself. And again, play or don't play. Sit and watch other people play, or read the lines with me and clap when I ask you to. … Flirt, fall in love, and fu*k off. … Experience Shakespeare like you've never before. Shakespearience, Shakespeare karaoke,” said Schindel.
Another production featured at this year's festival is Consider the Dongfish, a wild science-fiction romp created by Annie Konstantinov and Nicholas Guerreiro. The pair say the show combines comedy, science fiction and romance into a fast paced performance.
“So really, the show, even though it's so much about romantic love, it's also, I think, a testament to our friendship and what makes each other laugh. Something that brings us a lot of joy, and I think that you can see that come out on stage when we perform this piece, because it is so fun for us to do,” said Konstantinov.
When asked to give a 30-second elevator pitch for their production, Guerreiro has the following pitch.
“Sex-changing fish, awkward scientists, bloodthirsty aliens, all of this and more in Consider the Dongfish, a sci-fi romp that contains a set of nested love stories that span the universe. Uh, it's got queer love and space and science. It's lots of fun, and it runs about 40 minutes, so there's at least four jokes, if not more. Probably more. You'll have to see it to find out.”
Guerreiro says they wanted to create a show that entertains first, but that didn't stop a deeper message from finding its way into the story.
“We'd seen a lot of theatre and done a lot of theatre that meant something, and we were not in the mood to do something that had a message. But then the message has kind of crept its way back in kinda accidentally,” said Guerreiro.
When asked what inspired the show, Konstantinov says love was at the forefront of its creation.
“So what we wanted to write was a show that had a message about, you know, what is the fundamental thing that is most important to us? And ultimately, it's love. … I think any good, sci-fi or fantasy has good world building, and I think that we've taken really an absurd idea, which is, ‘Dong fish changes sex to make baby,’ into an entire world that they're in with rules and lore. So I'm very proud of that.”
For anyone thinking about attending the Nanaimo Fringe Festival or just Consider the Dongfish, the pair encourage people to give the Fringe a chance.
“ It makes for a great date night. Heyo. Come see Consider the Dongfish. Bring your date. They might think you're cool or weird. And you can get a beer after, and you can unpack that and be like, ‘What the hell did we just watch? What was that? What did you take me to?’ You know?” said Konstantinov.
“Come to the Nanaimo Fringe Festival or we will vaporize your world,” said Guerreiro.
The theatre performances will take place at the Port Theatre and St. Andrew's United Church. To purchase tickets or learn more about the festival, visit nanaimofringe.com.
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