About

Intrepid Theatre, including the Victoria Fringe, is dedicated to creating a safe, fun and creative space for everyone. We are devoted to providing an environment free of discrimination, violence and harassment, where all individuals (volunteers, audience, artists, board and staff) are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities. We are committed to do all we can to make our festivals and events an inclusive environment for everyone. Read our full policies here.

Intrepid Theatre Company was founded in 1986 to produce the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival. Working with other presenters and companies across Canada and around the world, we support, nurture and promote new home-grown work, while bringing remarkable work to Victoria for the first time, and introducing innovative contemporary theatre makers and companies to local audiences and artists. 

We run a year-round season of festivals, shows, events, artist residencies and two downtown venues. OUTstages, our queer theatre festival heats up the dark days of winter every in late January & February. Incoming Festival, our new works festival celebrates contemporary performance in November. The Victoria Fringe Festival is the island’s biggest theatre event, running for 12 days at the end of summer, every August/September. We have a Presenting Series that brings thrilling theatre from across the country and the globe to audiences here in Victoria year-round, and we are always dreaming up new ideas to support artists, to bring some of the most talked about theatre to our city, and to make space for unconventional, boundary-pushing art.

40 years later, our original mandate has been updated to reflect the company’s year-round season, to serve our artistic and strategic plans, and the development of a healthy theatre community in Victoria BC. In brief: To educate and advance the public’s awareness of contemporary theatre and to enhance the exploration of inclusive, progressive live art through: producing festivals and artistic programming; supporting artists at any stage of their career to create and present innovative work; and to foster safe spaces and create opportunities for equity-deserving artists.

A short video from the Community Builder nomination for the 2024 Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. Video by the number.

OUR VISION 

Bold theatre. Fearless artists. Connected communities. 

OUR VALUES 

Creativity: innovative artistic expression 
Curiosity: courageous, authentic exploration 
Community: collaborative relationships grounded in respect, generosity, and joy
Care: intentionally equitable, inclusive, and diverse

Read about how Intrepid Theatre is working to uphold these values and support artists and community in our 2024-2027 Strategic Goals & Priorities.

HISTORY
Founded in 1986 to produce the Victoria Fringe Festival, Intrepid Theatre has grown into a year-round festival and series presenter, venue operator, and the mothership for local independent theatre in our city. The Victoria Fringe celebrates in 40th anniversary in 2026. In 1998, Intrepid Theatre launched Uno Fest – a curated festival of one-person theatre held annually in May, which sunset on its 25th anniversary.  In 2015, we proudly launched OUTstages, BC’s first queer theatre arts festival. Our new works festival, Incoming Festival was launched in 2023, taking the place in our festival calendar previously held by UNO Fest. Other past festivals and series produced by Intrepid Theatre include the Focus on Women Arts Festival (1996-97), Winterlab, an international festival of experimental and interdisciplinary performance, and the You Show (2010-2019), a platform designed to help local emerging artists launch new work. In 2020, new artist residencies were created to support local early-career and emerging artists; the OUTstages Residency Program and conVERGE Residency Program, in collaboration with Puente Theatre.

Intrepid Theatre operates two year-round theatre venues, the Intrepid Studio (45 seats) and Festival Hub. The venues are home to our festivals, presenting activities, and residency programs for local and regional emerging and established artists, as well as serving as rental facilities for local artists and producing companies. In Spring 2026, after 20 years of operations, we have closed the Metro Studio (172 seats) due to substantial increased operating costs and a rent increase.