The 39th Annual Victoria Fringe Festival runs August 20-31, 2025 – and this year, James Bay United Church is proud to be one of its featured venues!

For nearly four decades, the Fringe has brought an explosion of creativity to our city. It’s an unjuried, open-access performing arts festival that celebrates accessibility and affordability for both artists and audiences. Performances pop up in theatres and unconventional spaces all over Victoria, with shows ranging from laugh-out-loud comedies to thoughtful dramas, experimental works, dance, music, and performance art. Artists keep 100% of their ticket revenue, and the festival thrives on supporting both emerging and established voices.

This August, we’ll be hosting two sharp and very different comedies – both presented by Davids!

Ducks by David Ellis Heyman

Set in an Alberta government communications office, this 45-minute play throws you into a crisis that starts with a seemingly harmless invitation – one with an unintentionally embarrassing image that threatens to reignite a controversy the government thought it had left behind. The high-priced communications guru brought in to control the fallout has just 20 minutes to retrieve every invitation… before heading off to his next prestigious job in Ottawa. Heyman, who worked in the Premier’s Office in Alberta, draws on real-life experience in government crises to deliver a witty, fast-paced look at politics, public perception, and the scramble behind the scenes.
View Ducks poster

Useless by Melissa Blank

Directed by David MacPherson, this one-person show is a “wildly inaccurate yet somewhat factual” historical farce about John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln. Expect humour, absurdity, and a playfully twisted take on history – a perfect Fringe blend of the unexpected and the entertaining.
View Useless poster

Showtimes at James Bay United Church

Friday, August 22 — Ducks 7:00 pm · Useless 8:30 pm

Saturday, August 23 — Useless 7:00 pm · Ducks 8:30 pm

Sunday, August 24 — Ducks 2:00 pm · Useless 3:30 pm

Friday, August 29 — Ducks 7:00 pm · Useless 8:30 pm

Saturday, August 30 — Useless 7:00 pm · Ducks 8:30 pm

Sunday, August 31 — Ducks 2:00 pm · Useless 3:30 pm

How to attend

To see any Fringe show, you’ll first need a Fringe Button (your festival pass). The button supports the festival, and once you have it, you can buy tickets for any performance – usually between $10 and $16 – or even attend free shows. You can purchase your Fringe Button online in advance or pick one up at any of the locations listed in the link below.
See full schedule and buy tickets