Fort Myers Fringe

For the third consecutive year, Cypress Lake High School students will take part in the Fort Myers Fringe Festival. The first of their two fringe productions is “Why Won’t Zee Quack?” a children’s show by local playwright Wayne Keller about a nonverbal duck. The other is "Elektra, A Modern Retelling."

The fourth annual Fort Myers Fringe culminates, May 31, 2026, with a special closing performance of “Josephine: A burlesque cabaret dream play,” honoring the life of dancer, singer, actress, spy, and civil rights activist Josephine Baker. We will delve into the performance in a conversation with the show’s co-creator and star Tymisha Harris.

This week, three shows open, four close and four continue their runs at Southwest Florida equity and community theaters, plus the 4th Annual Fort Myers Fringe Festival takes place at the Off Broadway Palm and Florida Repertory Theatre.

The 4th Annual Fort Myers Fringe Festival takes place May 28-31. In the past, the shows included in the festival were chosen by lottery. This year, Fringe founder Bill Taylor picked the shows himself. “All these shows I have seen,” said Taylor. “I can personally guarantee these are fabulous shows.”

The fourth annual Fort Myers Fringe will bring a roster of top nationally and internationally touring independent, experimental, and alternative artists to Southwest Florida for a wide variety of performances including deeply personal storytelling, boundary-pushing comedy, live music, and shows specifically for kids and teens. We will get a preview of the festival with founder and organizer Bill Taylor, who is also the founding Producing Artistic Director for Theatre Conspiracy. We will also highlight Theatre Conspiracy’s upcoming summer offerings, which include a blend of intimate theater and live music events.

Fringe returns to Fort Myers next month. As in the past, this year’s Fringe Fort Myers will feature nine shows. But this year, shows will only be performed in the Foulds Theatre at the Alliance for the Arts and the Off Broadway Palm at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.

The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued its fifth health alert this year, four of which have been due to blue-green algae in the Caloosahatchee River.