Southeast Manitoba talent is taking centre stage at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe Festival, with local performers presenting two productions at the Park Theatre.
Members of the Steinbach-based comedy troupe the Sidetrack Bandits open The Knights of Durathor: A Live Radio Play on Wednesday at the Park Theatre.
For Michelle Plett, The Knights of Durathor is an opportunity to bring a locally created story back to the stage while challenging herself and fellow performers with a style of theatre they’ve never attempted before.
The play is based on a script Jeremy Plett originally wrote about a decade ago for Steinbach’s Backyard Theatre Company.
“Jeremy came up with the world of Durathor, Aferia, and Gloran. A decade back, he wrote it for a kids’ group that he was directing at the time,” Michelle Plett says. “I loved the script so much when I saw him put it on stage with that group. And I thought, ‘You know what? I bet if we tweaked it a little bit, we could really make this thing shine for us, for my group of friends.'”
She says the updated production transforms the fantasy adventure into a live radio play.
“Durathor is a fantasy world. It is a fantastical story with all sorts of different things that you would expect to find in a fantasy world. There’s a famine going on. There’s a jewel that’s being hunted for. And within that context, we put that story on as a radio play.”
Although all four performers are members of the Sidetrack Bandits, Michelle Plett says this is not an official troupe production.
“2019 would have been my very first Fringe with my comedy troupe, the Sidetrack Bandits. And we’ve kind of migrated now into doing more local shows,” she says. “I’m so excited to get to do something actually a little different and a little outside of our comfort zones with them.”
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New challenge with live Foley
One of the biggest adjustments has been incorporating live Foley, with sound effects created on stage throughout the performance.
“So sketch comedy would be more up our alley, which is why a 60-minute comedic feature with live Foley on stage… that’s all very new,” Plett says.
Sidetrack Bandits stage director Talin Dyck performs the live sound effects, adding another layer of timing and coordination to the production.
“That’s been what’s made rehearsals equal parts stressful and equal parts fun. The Foley has brought in a totally different element,” Plett says.
While the production is largely scripted, she says the cast’s years of performing improv together still influence the show.
“We improvise to get the script ready, but what you’re going to see on stage is much more of a scripted piece. Of course, there’s always room to play,” she says. “There are always moments of sparkle where maybe the audience doesn’t know we’ve taken it off the rails, but we do.”
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Familiar faces in another Fringe favourite
Sidetrack Bandits member Jeremy Plett is also returning for his fifth season in the Dungeons & Dragons Improv Show, a Fringe tradition now entering its 17th year.
“It’s a long-form improv show, which means that the same story keeps going the entire time. So really, in all reality, it’s a 10-hour improv show,” he says.
Plett says he first became a fan of the production while he was in high school before eventually joining the cast himself.
“Back when I was in high school, I was a big fan of the show,” he says. “It’s just a really fun group of people and a really fun show to put on. There’s such a good fan base for the show as well.”
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Both productions are being staged at Winnipeg’s Park Theatre, allowing audiences to catch them back-to-back.
“Very excited to be at the Park Theatre this year on Osborne,” Michelle Plett says. “You can actually catch a little bit of a double feature. Our show is at 7:30 almost every night at the Park Theatre, and then the D&D improv show is at 9:30 p.m.”
The Knights of Durathor: A Live Radio Play runs July 15, 16, 19, and July 21 to 25. Tickets are available through the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and Park Theatre websites. The production can also be followed on Instagram at @Durathor2026.
Written with files from Corny Rempel.