Forget The Box x FringeMTL 2026 Review Lottery
The wait is over! The time is now!
The sun is out, the air is warmer, and in Montreal that can only mean one thing: Fringe season is nearly upon us. Here at Forget The Box(.ca), the anticipation has hit a fever pitch as we assemble our review team and prepare for the creative surge of the festival. We are thrilled to announce that the wait is officially over because the Forget The Box x FringeMTL 2026 Review Lottery is now open for submissions. Starting today, artists and companies can put their names in the hat for a chance at professional coverage during this year's festival.
This project is fueled by our deep love for the Montreal arts community and a belief that independent theatre deserves a professional spotlight. Since our relaunch in 2023, we have worked to become a fierce, unaffiliated voice for the festival, standing our ground to ensure that arts journalism remains honest, fair, and critical. We have spent the last few years refining our style because we know a review, in a festival as large as FringeMTL, can change a show's entire trajectory.
This year we are taking our most ambitious leap yet. We have expanded our team to 10 dedicated reviewers covering 51 productions which is HALF of the entire festival!
A message from Creative Director Andrew Jamieson
Montreal is a city of festivals, running non-stop throughout the year, especially in the warmer months. These span from massive corporate juggernauts run by shills to grassroots programs powered by volunteers. To me, there is no festival that better platforms the ground level, underground, and marginalized voices of the city than FringeMTL. I mean, that’s what it’s meant to do. But as the years carry on, the festival naturally grows, and it’s now far too easy to be lost among the vast lineup of productions. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if you’re not a Fringe Darling, it’s difficult to generate the buzz, to get the attention needed to make the festival a success, both creatively and financially. This is why, when we launched in 2023, I immediately began creating a review program for FringeMTL in full service of the artists involved.
For obvious reasons, there is a change in the literal landscape of this year’s festival, and so Forget The Box’s unprecedented coverage is now more important than ever. The venues are further apart, making it difficult for audiences to stumble from show to show throughout an afternoon or evening. This means those audiences need a trusted voice to help guide them, and that voice is Forget The Box(.ca).
Over the last three years, we’ve reviewed 92 productions. Once we reach the 2026 Frankie Awards, Forget The Box(.ca) will have reviewed 143 FringeMTL shows. I don’t need to wax poetic about our dedication to the independent artists involved in the festival, our coverage speaks for itself. But I do want to personally invite each and every production to enter our lottery, to give us the opportunity to celebrate you and your work.
Good luck to all the 2026 FringeMTL artists, and thank you for sharing your art with the world.
Why the Lottery Matters
With the festival becoming more geographically spread out this year, visibility is more important than ever. Our lottery system acts as a bridge between the Fringe bubble and the general public, ensuring that coverage is not dictated by buzz or status. Whether you are a first time producer, a Fringe veteran, English or French, official FringeMTL or OFF-Fringe, the lottery ensures that everyone qualifies equally for the chance to receive the poster ready pull quotes and professional validation that helps fill seats.
If you are new to the festival or just want to see how we do things, we encourage you to dig through our archives. You can see the honesty, the passion, and the depth of our previous festival coverage by visiting our Festivals page!
READ OUR 2023 - 2025 FRINGEMTL REVIEWS HERE
Important Dates and Deadlines
April 24: Lottery Submissions Open.
May 22 @ 11:59 PM: Submission Deadline.
May 23: Join us on Instagram Live @8PM as we draw the winning productions.
May 25: Winning productions will be officially notified with a scheduled review date.
May 31: Box Office Deadline. All reviewer tickets for winning productions must be secured by this date.
Submit Your Production
If you want Forget The Box(.ca) to be part of your 2026 FringeMTL journey, you must complete the official submission form.
Reminder: we do not accept review requests outside of this lottery process as this is your only way to secure a spot in our 2026 coverage.
We cannot wait to see the work you have been pouring your hearts and souls into. We look forward to catching your shows, and grabbing a drink at Fringe Park!
Good luck to all the artists!
The Forget The Box(.ca) Team
