#THEATRE: “FIRST KISS” AT TORONTO FRINGE FESTIVAL 2026

FIRST KISS debuts at The Toronto Fringe Festival 2026

About longing, belonging and some totally awesome 80s tunes.

One Asian girl’s biting commentary on being shut out of John Hughes romantic comedies of the era, FIRST KISS is 16 Candles meets Kim’s Convenience and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

One Woman, Five Characters – Featuring multiple Canadian Screen Awards winner JOSETTE JORGE

Synopsis:

A coming-of-age musical about a Filipinx teen in 1980s suburbia who desperately wants to get her first kiss before she turns 16. She imagines it will be like Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club or any of the popular rom coms of the day. But reality hits as she realizes no one looks like her in the movies, unless being the butt of the joke.

“I grew up not seeing myself on TV and now I work in TV but can’t get a show greenlit about an Asian teen in the 80s. This is a musical about being an outsider and finding your inner belief in yourself.” says Playwright, Nathalie Younglai.

“Ultimately, First Kiss is not really about a kiss. It’s about belonging. It’s about learning that your worth is not determined by whether someone chooses you, but by your ability to choose yourself.” adds Director, Damon Bradley Jang.

Playwright: Nathalie Younglai (CBC’s Coroner, CTV’s Spencer Sisters, Apple TV+’s Jane) *theatre debut

Cast: Josette Jorge (CBC’s Schitt’s Creek, CBC’s Saint-Pierre, Citytv’s Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent)

Director: Damon Bradley Jang (Fringe’s Who Drinks Mocktails on the Beach?!, Theatre Passe Muraille’s S.E.W., Tarragon Theatre’s Cockroach)

*first male BIPOC director in the Stratford Festival’s Birmingham Conservatory

Composer: Nathalie Younglai

Musicians:

On Drums – Joe Bowden (2026 Dora nomination, 2026 winner of East Coast Music Awards jazz album of the year)
On Keyboards – Kierscey Rand Regozo – credits include: K’naan (Musical Director), Jessie Reyez (Keyboard), Nelly Furtado (Keyboard), Damian Marley (Keyboard), Nas (Keyboard) and many more. TV and film credits: Hello (Again) – Web series (composer), One Delicious Christmas – Film (composer)
On Violin – Rachelle Younglai
On Cello – Jiwon Bang
On Harp – Nathalie Younglai
Choreographer: Damon Bradley Jang

Runtime: 50 minutes
Language: English

Performances:

Friday, July 3 at 5:15pm
Sunday, July 5 at 12:45pm *Relaxed performance
Monday, July 6 at 4pm *Closed Captioning and Sign Language
Wednesday, July 8 at 6:30pm
Thursday, July 9 at 8:45pm
Friday, July 10 at 3pm
Saturday, July 11 at 10pm
Venue:
Native Earth’s Aki Studio
585 Dundas Street E, Toronto, Ontario M5A 2B7