Alliance For Canadian Musicals Unveils Toronto Fringe Lineup

Alliance for Canadian Musicals has revealed the programming for its inaugural lineup of eight Canadian musicals, playing at Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Avenue, Toronto, during the 2025 Toronto Fringe Festival, July 2-13, 2025. Executive Producer Derrick Chua says: "The Alliance for Canadian Musicals was formed with the purpose of serving the Canadian musical theatre community. We are thrilled to provide a platform for eight Canadian musicals to be seen by Toronto audiences, in the hope of nurturing musical theatre development and providing these shows and more with future opportunities."

The shows in alphabetical order:

All That She Wrote (90 mins). Book, Music and Lyrics by Annika Tupper. Directed by Ally Chozik. Choregraphed by Mara Turenne.

Currently in development in Makeshift Company's The Spark Project, All That She Wrote is a new musical that drops us into a world obsessed with True Crime, where we examine the meaning of justice, Queer friendship, Twitch live-streaming, retribution, and U-Haul lesbians. All That She Wrote was awarded 1st Runner Up for The Adams Prize for Musical Theatre this year by Toronto Fringe.

Apothecary (90 mins). By Laura Piccinin (Book) and Allison Wither (Music, Lyrics). Directed by Cass Van Wyck.

In a world built for men, women create community. Within the magical walls of a living sanctuary, situated in neither time nor place, Lady and Tilly work tirelessly and secretly to support all women in need as they appear at their door. Imperfect themselves, our protagonists discover what it means to do good in a world of complicated nuance, and to relieve themselves of the burdens placed upon them by time and circumstance. Welcome to the Apothecary.

Ctrl Alt Delete: An Alphabetical Musical (60 mins). Book, Music and Lyrics by Douglas Price. Directed and Choreographed by Stephen Cota.

The English Language is downsizing and can no longer afford to employ 26 letters. Now, for some letters in the alphabet, their sound can be made using other letters (e.g. the sound of F can be made using P-H), so the ultimate question becomes: which letter will be fired? Seven of the at-risk letters (F, K, Q, S, W, X, and Z) are called into a meeting, where, in front of a jury of audience members, they must demonstrate their imperativeness to the English language. If they fail, they could be deleted forever.

Killy Willy (60 mins). Book and Lyrics by Eliza Smith, Music and Lyrics by Mona Fyfe. Directed by Zoe Marin.

In the beginning, there was nothing. A blank void in space without time, without depth, without life. Then came... The Whale. This musical-comedy follows Willy, a captive killer whale yearning for freedom. Through song, dance, and Shakespearean soliloquy, they chart their destiny while wild whales rally to confront their greatest threat: the humans. With a strong desire for mass destruction, orgies, and good old fashion fun, the wild whales place leadership onto an unlikely messiah. Killy Willy is a hilarious, high-energy show diving into oceans, plains, and brains this summer at Toronto Fringe. The music of Killy Willy is inspired by: folk icons, contemporary musical theatre, and the sounds of the ocean.

People Suck: a musical airing of grievances (90 mins). By Peter Cavell and Megan Phillips. Directed by Jessica Sherman.

Jerks, morons, flakes - let's face it: PEOPLE SUCK. This hilarious and all-too-relatable musical theatre song-cycle explores the many, many ways in which humans are just the worst. You'll wish for your optimism back! After two hit productions in Melbourne, Australia, the 2015 Best of Fringe and Ed Mirvish Award winner is coming home to Toronto!

No one is safe from People Suck-ing! The show mercylessley skewers frenemies, bigots, people who can't spell the word "mercilessly", and, in the end, YOU! People Suck is the musical that dares ask the question: WT*A*F is wrong with humanity?!?

Potato Potato (90 mins). Book, Music and Lyrics by Emma Golden. Directed by Talia Bowell. Choreographed by Norman Abraham.

"It's The Totally Cannon Historical Famine! (just don't check yer hist'ry books)"

Potato Potato tells the story of a second politically induced potato famine, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We're met with rivaling families living on Executive Road, a forbidden star-crossed love story, the glamorous spectacle of CostLow, and the deep tethering to the 1845 Irish Potato Famine. As the title of the show Potato Potato implies, it strives to examine the illusion of difference where there is none, the destructive values in which our modern-day political structures thrive and prosper, are the very roots in which history was built upon.

Reborn (60 mins). Book and Lyrics by Nina Maria. Music by Nina Maria and Mike Kondakow.

When an aspiring star lands the role of a lifetime in a cult horror film, she believes it's her first step to stardom. The film, about a showgirl lured by a mysterious stranger - who turns out to be a vampire - seems like the perfect opportunity. But when filming begins, a strange double emerges, one who moves like her, sings like her and slowly starts replacing her. Unbeknownst to her, she signed away her own likeness, and now, an uncanny replica is taking over. Amid the chaos, she finds unexpected solace in a quiet connection with a co-star. As reality blurs, she must fight not only to save her career - but to reclaim her very existence before it's too late.

The Iron Mask (60 mins). Choreography and Book by Adam Martino & Anibal Ortega. Directed and Choreographed by Adam Martino.