{"id":125651,"date":"2026-07-06T12:46:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T16:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=125651"},"modified":"2026-07-06T12:46:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T16:46:43","slug":"performance-picks-theatre-dance-performance-need-see-month-july-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/07\/06\/performance-picks-theatre-dance-performance-need-see-month-july-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"PERFORMANCE PICKS | Theatre, Dance & Performance You Need To See This Month: July 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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L-R (clockwise): Image for Canadian Stage’s Dream In High Park: Twelfth Night (Photo courtesy of Canadian Stage); The cast of Water For Elephants, Mirvish Productions (Photo: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade); Image for Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody (Photo courtesy of Soulpepper Theatre Company)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This monthly column features Theatre and Dance performances happening this month in and around Toronto and the GTA that you should absolutely check out.<\/p>\n

Toronto Fringe Festival<\/h3>\n

June 30 \u2013 July 12
\nVarious locations across Toronto<\/p>\n

The 38th Annual edition of Ontario\u2019s largest performance festival is featuring 123 shows in 27 venues across the city, with performances by local talents. The program is an eclectic mix of dramatic theatre, clown, dance, storytelling, sketch comedy, musicals, improv, puppets, and stand up. There are six plays created for kids and their families as part of KidsFest, as well as free community programming at the Festival Hub at Soulpepper. There are too many highlights to list, but you can be sure there is something for everyone. Info here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mirvish: Water for Elephants<\/h3>\n

July 7 \u2013 19
\nCAA Ed Mirvish Theatre<\/p>\n

With music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co. and a book by Rick Elice, Water for Elephants is a spectacle-filled musical adaptation of Sara Gruen\u2019s bestselling novel, bringing the traveling circus story to life with acrobats, puppet horses, and a central love story. Receiving seven nominations at the 77th Tony Awards, including Best Musical, this Broadway hit is making its Canadian debut. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Soulpepper: Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody (In Concert)<\/h3>\n

July 9 \u2013 12
\nSoulpepper Theatre<\/p>\n

Inspired by the hit Canadian TV show about queer hockey romance, this new musical parody by writer-composer Dylan MarcAurele is the latest spark in the global Heated Rivalry cultural phenomenon based on the bestselling book by Canadian author Rachel Reid. This show promises to be as hot and steamy as the weather in Toronto last week. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Canadian Stage: Dream In High Park: Twelfth Night<\/h3>\n

July 12 \u2013 September 6<\/p>\n

High Park Ampitheatre<\/p>\n

Dream in High Park, a Toronto summer staple, is back with William Shakespeare\u2019s romantic comedy of mistaken identities, mischievous schemes, and tangled romances. The open-air setting enhances the immersive experience, with the natural surroundings becoming part of the performance. Pack a picnic and some blankets \u2014 the experience will be equally memorable for a family outing or a romantic date night under the stars. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Guild Festival Theatre: Bront\u00eb: The World Without<\/h3>\n

Guild Park and Gardens
\nJuly 16 \u2013 August 2<\/p>\n

Directed by Helen Juvonen, this play by Jordi Mand offers a glimpse into the lives of the three famous Bront\u00eb sisters, presenting an intimate look at their relationships, artistic struggles, the pressure of family responsibilities, and the sisterhood that helped them achieve greatness. The production is presented outdoors in the beautiful Greek Theatre, built using columns, capitals and arches from a historic Bank of Toronto building. Info here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you looking to promote an event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong>
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Theatre, dance, and performance productions opening in Toronto during July 2026 that you need to see.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":125652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42533,41496,4780,42708,59,62,63],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[22923,19577,21100,12857],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/Copy-of-CRITICS-PICKS-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-wGD","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125651"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125651"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125653,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125651\/revisions\/125653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125651"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=125651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}