Play the Fool Theatre Festival

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Play the Fool Theatre Festival

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Edmonton's festival of clown theatre and physical comedy. We present national, international, and loc Come out to play!

Play the Fool is Edmonton’s festival of clown-theatre and physical comedy. Held each fall on Treaty 6 territory at the home of Edmonton's Fringe Theatre, we bring together seasoned and emerging local, national, and international clown and physical theatre artists for four days of performances that embrace risk, exploration, and play. We present all styles of clowning and physical comedy – red nose, mask, dance comedy, bouffon, character pieces, comedy burlesque, acrobatics, slapstick, puppetry, and those that resist classification.

09/28/2026

Thank you for celebrating 10 YEARS with us!

We laughed, we cried, we laughed until we cried 😂 Huge thanks to everyone that helped us Play the Fool this year - our clowns & performers, volunteers, staff, funders and supporters, and the incredible and wildly supportive audiences! It was such a joy to bring this wacky little festival to the stage, and we are so grateful to all of you.

Thank you ❤️🤡

Shout out to festival partners Edmonton Fringe Theatre , Grindstone Theatre School,

Thank you to for the incredible photos!

The Play the Fool Festival is supported by the Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton.

Hit That Jive Productions is supported by the Province of Alberta through Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

09/27/2026

Join us online for our FREE discussion panel TODAY at 4:30pm MDT.

https://playthefool.ca/

Building the Bit: Creating Cohesive Worlds in Clown & Physical Theatre

A world only works if the audience can find their way into it. This online panel digs into how clown and physical theatre artists build complete, specific worlds, through design, dramaturgy, character, rhythm, and the relationship between performer and audience, so that even the strangest or most absurd logic still feels legible. What are the rules of the world we're building, how do we let an audience play within them, and how do we signal when we're breaking them?

Join Christine Lesiak, Sophie May Healey, and Kate Braidwood and Andrew Phoenix of the Wonderheads for a conversation on the craft behind cohesive worldbuilding.

Moderated by Jake Tkaczyk .

Can't watch it live? Check out the video on our website afterwards!

The Play the Fool Festival is supported by the Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton.

Hit That Jive Productions is supported by the Province of Alberta through Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

09/26/2026

Last night's PtF x MUNT cabaret was pure CHAOS!

A HUGE thank you to MUNT and all the performers! You butter believe it was a riot! (IYKYK)

Tonight's line up:
Q2Q: Clown Shorts - a collection of clown delights by q***r artists and creators, supported by our wonderful friends Edmonton Fringe Theatre & City of Edmonton - Local Government . Show starts at 7pm.

And end the evening with festival favourite The Rookie Cabaret at 9pm!
Supported by Grindstone Theatre School

See you there, fools!

📸 by

The Play the Fool Festival is supported by the Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton.

Hit That Jive Productions is supported by the Province of Alberta through Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

09/16/2026

Do you have your tickets yet for Play the Fool's 10th anniversary?

Join us for a weekend of laughs Sept 25-27 at The Backstage Theatre, Edmonton Fringe Theatre

Tickets available now at: https://playthefool.ca/
All shows are 18+

See you there!

The Play the Fool Festival is supported by the Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton.

Hit That Jive Productions is supported by the Province of Alberta through Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

09/15/2026

Celebrate TEN YEARS of Play the Fool with us Sept 25-27 at The Backstage Theatre!

Tickets on sale now at playthefool.ca
18+

Kick off the festival at our FREE patio and welcome at 8pm on Friday, Sept 25th, featuring roving performers & !

Grab tickets for PtF x MUNT: A Cabaret of Chaos, Q2Q: Clown Shorts, and festival favourite The Rookie Cabaret.

HUGE thank you to our supporters, and everyone else that helps us Play the Fool each year ❤️

Edmonton Fringe Theatre Grindstone Theatre School

The Play the Fool Festival is supported by the Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton.

Hit That Jive Productions is supported by the Province of Alberta through Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

09/14/2026

Festival Schedule!

Join us for this year's wacky and wonderful line-up! We have 3 mainstage shows, a free online panel and a free welcome gathering featuring talented roving performers.

Grab a drink and join us on the Play the Fool Patio to kick off the festival on Friday, Sept 25th at 8pm.

Tickets are on sale NOW!

See you there!

https://playthefool.ca/2026-theatre-festival/

09/13/2026

Kick off the 10th anniversary of Play the Fool at our festival patio opening at 8pm on Friday, Sept 25th at The Backstage Theatre, Edmonton Fringe Theatre!

Featuring entertainment by the incredible Jay Flair and Aytahn Ross!

The festival patio opening is FREE!

You can also grab tickets for our first show - A Cabaret of Chaos - at 9pm: https://playthefool.ca/2026-theatre-festival/

See you soon!

The Play the Fool Festival is supported by the Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton.

Hit That Jive Productions is supported by the Province of Alberta through Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

09/01/2026

Tickets are on sale NOW for the 10th anniversary of Play the Fool!

Join us Sept 25-27 at The Backstage Theatre (Fringe Theatre Adventures) for a weekend of laughs!

Festival details and tickets available at: https://playthefool.ca/

See you soon!

08/20/2026

The clowns are coming....

Save the dates for a weekend of laughter and play.

More details coming soon!

Huge thank you to our festival partner Edmonton Fringe Theatre ! Check out the amazing offerings happening NOW at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival!

Play the Fool is supported by the Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Hit That Jive is supported by the Government of Alberta through Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

Edmonton Arts Council City of Edmonton - Local Government

06/09/2026

Call for Acts – Q2Q: Clown Shorts at Play the Fool Festival!

In collaboration with Fringe Theatre Adventures, Q2Q: Clown Shorts invites submissions from Q***r established and emerging clowns, physical comedians, and comedic character performers for an evening of Q***r Clown! This curated evening of Q***r performance celebrates the risk-taking, virtuosity, and strangeness that make up physical comedy.

We’re looking for polished, surprising, and skillful 12–15 minute acts. All forms of physical comedy are welcome—red nose, bouffon, slapstick, drag, absurdist character pieces, puppetry, dance-theatre hybrids, comedy burlesque, mask, and anything that defies easy categorization. Solo artists and duos are both welcome.

Q2Q: Clown Shorts is a platform for physical theatre/clown work by Q***r artists, either emerging or established, who have a performance-ready set to share! We are only accepting artists based in Edmonton.

Deadline to apply: July 20th
Visit https://playthefool.ca for more details

Huge thank you to Edmonton Fringe Theatre for supporting this project!

Address

10330 84 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB
T6E2G9

Website

http://playthefool.ca/

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