Portage theatre-lover sees the return of Fringe

The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is finally back in person after two years of being online, and that has one man from the Portage area smiling ear-to-ear.

Terry Tully, a man living just east of the Portage la Prairie area, talked with PortageOnline about his love for a festival he has attended for the past decade and beyond.

Tully says that those who are interested but have never been, that this festival has artists from all over the world showcasing their talents.

"It's international, so you have a fair number from Manitoba, but there are people from Japan, there are others from the United States. They're from all over the place."

Tully explains that he treasures going to this festival each year, something he couldn't do for the last two years due to the pandemic.

"I'm involved with the Prairie Players in Portage, and so I love theatre to begin with, and this gives you a chance to see theatre from around the world and a great variety of it. So, there's pretty well anything you want, from musicals to dance to drama to comedy."

The Fringer notes that in the past, he and his wife would go to the festival every day. However, this year, they have a different system. He shares that the couple would typically stay at his wife's brother's house. But for this year's installment, they are commuting from their farm, with two days on and two days off, noting that even though the price of gas is astronomically high, his love for theatre will drive him anywhere.

The festival began on July 13th and will conclude this Sunday, the 24th. Tully encourages those who have never gone, to take in the festival.

"They have new venues and a lot of shows that are by and large very good. We take our chances by going to shows that we've never heard of before, and it usually pays off." 

This year the festival has and will showcase more than 100 shows playing across 24 venues in Manitoba's capital. 

For more information about showtimes and tickets, click here. 

The Winnipeg Fringe Festival 2022-Photo Credit- Leif Norman.