Welcome to the Saskatoon Fringe!
2025 Fringe lottery open now.
Photography credit Nicole Stevenson Photography
Fringe Buskers
Fringe Vendors
Beyond the Fringe
The 2025 Saskatoon Fringe Theatre Lottery is now open!
The 2025 Saskatoon Fringe will host 21 theatre companies across the following categories:
Local/SK-based – 6 slots available
National/Canadian – 6 slots available
International – 6 slots available
Kids Fringe – 3 slots available
The Saskatoon Fringe Lottery applications are open from November 4th – 28th 2024.
If you have any further questions please email drew.mantyka@25thstreettheatre.org
See below for frequently asked questions and other artist info.
Why The Fringe?
Fringing is one of the cheapest ways to self-produce!
The Festival covers a significant portion of the producing costs which can otherwise be $10,000+.
The Fringe takes only a small surcharge on each ticket, and you take home 100% of the profit.
A participant pays approximately $700 for their slot in the Saskatoon Fringe Festival. For this fee, you receive a performance venue with technical staff, box office management, front-of-house management, ticket sales service, and a share of our festival marketing. Participants are expected to cover artist fees, royalty fees, set/costume costs, show-specific marketing, and other production costs.
It’s Better Together:
Producing at the Fringe means joining a community. We all want to see the arts thrive, here you get to meet artists from across the globe and we all get to pool resources and build audience support together. The individuals around you bring a varied wealth of experience that can help you grow as an artist and producer. Every Fringe is an opportunity to find your next inspiration, mentor, or collaborator.
The Benefits Are Huge:
Frequently Asked Questions
Fringe Venues
The 2025 Fringe theatre shows will be hosted across three venues:
The Broadway Theatre – movie theatre, 400+ seats, AC, Wheelchair accessible
The Refinery – black box theatre, 90+ seats, AC
The Cosmo Senior Center – proscenium theatre, 90+ seats, AC, Wheelchair accessible
All of our venues feature gender-neutral washrooms.
Key Dates
Saskatoon Fringe Lottery Opens | November 4th, 2024 |
Fringe Lottery Closes/Application Fees Due | November 28th, 5:00 PM CST |
Lottery Draw | November 29th (artists notified by 3:00PM CST) |
Artist Registration Fees Due | December 3rd, 5:00 PM CST |
Withdrawal Refund Deadline | March 31st, 2025 |
Tech/Dress Rehearsal | July 28th to 30th |
Preview Night | July 30th (optional) |
Festival Dates | July 31st – August 9th |
Artist Fees/Refunds
Once we receive your application, the application fee of $40 (non-refundable) must be paid by e-transfer to execdirector@25thstreettheatre.org by Nov. 28th at 5:00 PM CST to be considered for the 2025 lottery.
Artist Fee | Amount (CAD) | GST (5%) | PST (6%) | Total (CAD) | Due Date |
Application Fee* | $40.00 | – | – | $40.00 | Nov. 28th 5:00 PM CST |
Registration Fee* | $625.00 | $31.25 | $37.50 | $693.75 | Dec. 3rd 5:00 PM CST |
*Fees are waived for those applying to our Diverse Voices Program (DVP).
Should you need to withdraw from the Festival prior to March 31st, 2025, your fee will be refunded (minus an $85.00 administration fee) IF we are able to fill your space with another artist from our Waitlist.
All registration fees are non-refundable after March 31, 2025.
Diverse Voices Program
The Diverse Voices Program aims to foster diversity on Canadian Fringe Festival stages and it seeks to enhance representation and opportunities for those who self-identify as a member of 25th Street’s priority groups which includes: Artists of Colour, Immigrant or Refugee Artists, and Indigenous Artists (First Nations, Metis, and Inuit).
Through the creation of the Diverse Voices Program three of our performance spaces at the 2025 Fringe Festival will be for those who self-identify as a member of 25th Street’s priority groups.
If you are selected to participate in the Diverse Voices Program, the registration fee will be waived, and there is no fee to apply.
Diverse Voices Program participants also receive:
– Six performance slots and one dress rehearsal at one of our featured theatre venues (technical equipment included)
– The services of a technician for their dress rehearsal and show run throughout the Festival
– Administrative support, including one-on-one meetings with the staff members of 25th Street Theatre as needed.
NEW THIS YEAR: In order to ensure equitable access to this in-demand program, the available DVP spots will first be made available to artists who have not participated as a DVP artist at our festival in the past two years (2023 & 2024). Should we be unable to fill the available slots with artists who have not been a part of the DVP program in the past two years, we will then open it up to artists who took part in the DVP program in 2023 or 2024.
PLEASE NOTE: At this time, the Diverse Voices Program is only open to those who are applying in the Local or National category.
Lottery Waitlist
If a show is unsuccessful in the Lottery draw, they will receive a spot on the Lottery Waitlist.
If a spot opens in the Festival due to another show withdrawing, we’ll contact the next show on the Waitlist to fill the spot. If they decline the offered spot or do not pay the fees in a timely manner we will reach out to the next show on the Waitlist.
We will continue to fill any open Lottery spots until the week prior to the start of Festival.
Artist Accommodations
If you’re an out-of-town Artist and need a place to stay during Festival, we can help!
Fringe offers an Artist Billet Program. This Volunteer-led Program matches Artists with host homes suitable to their needs, to give you a welcoming place to stay during your visit.
PLEASE NOTE: Homes are assigned based on a combination of needs and a first-come-first-served basis. We cannot guarantee that we will find a billet for everyone – but we will try our best!
If you believe you may need a host for your trip to the Saskatoon Fringe please don’t wait. Contact drew.mantyka@25thstreettheatre.org at your earliest convenience to receive our billeting form and get on the list.
Marketing Support
As a Fringe artist, you receive the benefit of marketing boosted by the Fringe Festival.
Each year we hire a Media Relations Consultant, Photographers, Videographers, and Social Media Manager. Prior to the Festival, you will receive our Marketing & Show Information form. This form will ask you for contact information to set up media interviews, as well as written and photo content to help us promote your show online and in the Fringe program. The better the quality of your materials, the more successful your marketing will be!
PLEASE REMEMBER: We have an entire Festival and many performers to promote, so you should not expect to rely solely on the Fringe’s marketing tools. We highly recommend that you market your show throughout the Festival as much as possible – hang out and chat with patrons, use social media to your best advantage, invite other artists to your shows, do some hand billing, hang posters, etc. The more you are around marketing your show – the more audiences will want to come see it!
If you’re interested in marketing workshops or tips and trips, please contact drew.mantyka@25thstreettheatre.org.
And don’t forget to ask your fellow artists! The Festival is filled with established artists who have been Fringing for a long time and have come up with best practices over the years.
Festival Time/Artist Services
The Saskatoon Fringe Festival begins setting up Monday, July 28th. This includes getting the venues in order to begin technical rehearsals.
After technical rehearsals are complete, Preview Night will take place on Wednesday, July 30th at the Broadway Theatre to allow the audiences a sneak peek at the selection of shows! Each theatre company will be given 2 minutes to pitch their show.
The 2025 Saskatoon Fringe Feestival is open to the public from Thursday, July 31st – Saturday, August 9th.
If you need support during Festival, Artist Services is the place to go! Artist Services is here to support Festival Artists, including setting up Daily Discount requests, helping you navigate your sales report tools, and answering any questions or concerns you may have. Artist Services is located in the basement of The Emmanuel Anglican Church next to the Refinery Theatre on Dufferin Avenue.
Artist Payout/Ticket Prices
Ticket | Ticket Price/Artist Payout (CAD) | Administrative Surcharge (CAD) | GST (5%) | PST (6%) | Total Patron Cost (CAD) |
General Admission (13+) | $13.00 | $4.00 | $0.85 | $1.02 | $18.87 |
Youth Admission (12 and under) | $12.00 | $2.00 | $0.70 | $0.84 | $15.54 |
10-Show Flex Pass | $12.00/show – $120.00 | $2.00/show – $20.00 | $7.00 | $8.40 | $155.40 |
Comp Tickets
As a not-for-profit registered charity, we rely heavily on support from government funders, sponsors, and volunteers, with additional support from individual donors and concession sales. To cultivate, steward, and increase stakeholder engagement we provide comp tickets.
Each producer will be given a packet of comp tickets (exact # TBD) that they can use at their discretion – you can pass them out to patrons as you network, invite specific folks, etc. These are yours to do whatever you wish.
The Producer agrees to give the Festival access to up to 10% of the ticketed venue capacity. This access includes comps for:
- Media – to review and publicize your show
- Industry – recruiters from regional theatres or other key industry representatives whose presence and access will benefit artists
- Funders – granting bodies
- Sponsors – organizations providing capital support for the Festival
- Volunteers & Billets
- Staff & Board of Directors
Neither the artist, not the Festival, is paid out for any of the comp tickets listed above.
the 2024 Fringe Theatre companies
Photography credit Danger Dynamite
Local
Full Metal Comedy
Live Fully Productions
Rogue Souls Productions
Scribble-Arte
Sweat n’ Gumption
The Little Company That Could
Photography credit Nicole Stevenson
NATIONAL
Bat Rabbit Productions
Jason Circus
Jessica Pigeau
Keith Brown
Pitchin’in Productions
Shawn DeSouza-Coelho
Photography credit Nicole Stevenson
INTERNATIONAL
Chase Padgett
El Diablo of The Cards
Jem Rolls/Big Word
Jennifer Vosters
Rob Gee
The Baggy Pants
Photography credit Danger Dynamite
KIDS FRINGE
Catch Me In The Kitchen
Wonder City Collective