It's Fringe time in Toronto again!

The 2007 Toronto Fringe Festival runs from July 4 - 15 and attracts performers and theatre companies from around the globe. The shows range from small to large, short to long, funny to tragic and so on and so on. Variety is the name of the game.

If you wanted to, you could be going to theatre 12 hours a day for the next two weeks. Since you probably have other things to do, like sleep and eat, you might want to be a bit more choosey about what you see. So, here at blogTO we're going to go to as many shows as we can and tell you about them so that you can pick and choose what you think you might want to see. Since there are over 140 shows this year, these write ups will be short. They'll be long enough to give you a feel for the show, short enough that you can read them all without spending the whole day on it.

For information about tickets, more information on the shows in the write-ups, show times, ticket prices, and all the details you need for your Fringing experience check out The Fringe website.

And now, without further ado, our first write-ups...

Searching for Degrassi - Factory Studio Theatre - 125 Bathurst Street

This show is nice and short, it clocked in at not much more than half an hour, which is perfect for what it is. The description in the program made me believe that this was a show *for* Degrassi fans, but it's more that Degrassi and it's fandom plays a big role in the lives of the characters. Don't get me wrong, there are some funny nostalgic moments, but this is a show about the two people on stage, not about Degrassi.
I enjoyed the show, and it would be a great prelude to a pint with friends, especially if you want to reminisce about Joey and Snake and Wheels and the gang, because even if they aren't the point of this play, it sure provides a good jumping off point.

The Dream - Factory Theatre Mainspace - 125 Bathurst Street

This modern retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream is a show I would have really enjoyed when I was a teenager. Unfortunately, as an adult, I have to say there was something lacking for me. This show, which followed camp counsellors as they have their emotions toyed with by fairy magic, felt for all the world like a well done high school play. Playing with my Degrassi theme though, I did notice that Jake Epstein, who is in Degrassi: The Next Generation, was in the show. Which means I bet there an awful lot of teenage girls out there who would be swooning to go to this show.

For more information visit the Fringe website.