Perfect for: Theatre lovers, curious audiences, cultural explorers, weekday and weekend getaways, and anyone who enjoys discovering something new.
10 Days. 6 Productions. One Great City.
For ten days each June, Barrie becomes a destination for professional live theatre.
The Barrie Theatre Festival, presented by Tourism Barrie, is a carefully curated celebration of storytelling — bringing together acclaimed touring artists, bold new Canadian work, and performances selected for their artistic excellence and audience appeal.
This is not an open-call fringe. Each production is chosen with intention — to surprise, to entertain, and to create conversation.
The 2026 Festival features nationally touring artists, a Broadway performer whose journey began in Barrie, and original works created in Central Ontario. Each show runs under an hour, allowing you to experience multiple productions in a single visit.

Join us for an afternoon, an evening — or a few days.
Plan a midweek cultural escape or a full weekend immersed in theatre.
Downtown Barrie comes alive during the Festival. Restaurants buzz. Conversations spill onto sidewalks. The theatre becomes a gathering place.

Explore the lineup. Choose your favourites.

And make the Festival part of your June.

Your next favourite story starts here.

Elementary school can be tough: your recorder has a mind of its own, your
cootie-catcher has gone all cryptic, and it turns out the victim of your egg-drop
experiment had a wife and family and they want answers. 80% clown, 40% sketch
comedy, 10% macaroni art, and 22% we haven’t learned to do percentages yet, “Milk
Milk Lemonade” follows the (class) clowns of Mallowmarsh Elementary as they
navigate the snack-time stock exchange, the horrors of health class, and the
rough-and-tumble world of indoor recess to answer the age-old question: I know you
are but what am I? Two actors play nine kids, five teachers, and a plethora of
parents in this fast-paced whirlwind comedy!

Winner of the Second City Award for Best Comedy, and the What the Festival!
Strange Maker Award at the 2025 Toronto Fringe Festival.

For the film buffs and music lovers, You, Me, and the Big Screen is an absolute
must-see! This high-energy 45-minute spectacular brings iconic movie songs to life
in electrifying medleys that will have you tapping your feet and singing along. From
the legendary anthems of Rocky and Top Gun to the irresistible dance floor fever of
Flashdance, the energy never dips. A special cartoon medley awakens your inner
child, celebrating beloved animated classics that span generations and remind us
why we fell in love with movies in the first place. Along the way, expect a dash of
comedy, unexpected twists, and heartfelt moments of nostalgia that connect us all
through music and storytelling. Whether you’re reliving your favorite cinematic
memories or discovering them anew, this show is a masterful tribute to the magic of
film. So grab your popcorn and snacks, and enjoy the show!

It’s Friday afternoon at the Newton Village council office, and three eccentric council
members are desperate to clock out for a long weekend. Their plans are
spectacularly derailed when a panicked townsperson named Jenny arrives with a
wild claim: a giant bear has eaten her brother and is charging toward the village.
Rather than mounting a rescue, the council uses creative gaslighting to avoid doing
their jobs. When the bear actually arrives, the chaos reaches a fever pitch. Village
Idiots is a brilliantly absurd satire on bureaucracy, proving that in Newton Village, the
most dangerous predators are the ones sitting behind the desks.

The dynamite factory in Nobel, and the vital-to-the war-effort east-west train route
towering above downtown Parry Sound, were considered prime targets for sabotage
by foreign spies. It’s 1940 and the first anniversary Canada’s entry into World War II.
A brash Edna Watts is determined to become the president of the Citizens Defense
Committee for Parry Sound/Nobel district. A civilian organization that encourages
citizens to spy on their neighbours and root out enemy spies. To earn the respect
she feels she deserves, Edna hatches a comical and misguided cat and mouse
game to catch the spies and prove she’s worthy of the job. In less than 24 hours she
learns a lot about herself and what is truly important. The story was inspired by an
actual rumour that there were enemy spies in Parry Sound during WW II.

When our lives change, we sometimes ask the universe how do I live? We wrestle
with this question, alone, until we are ready to open ourselves up to community
support. We then ask, how do you live? A simple yet loaded question. Our individual
life experiences can dictate how we respond to this question and even dictate if we
are willing to ask it out loud in the presence of others. The changes in our lives can
invoke a range of emotions. Finding a way to live in a new reality and charting the
unknown may bring feelings of unease. But how do you live through it? Threaded
together through spoken word and physical connection, How Do You Live? explores
the powerful forces that shape our lives from grief to joy, through individual and
group movements. This show is rooted in the belief that storytelling through dance is
a way for us all to connect and heal through life’s changing tides if we can find the
willingness to be seen.