Oprah Lemorin is an emerging performer, playwright, and director who recently moved to Toronto for new career opportunities. She’s really keen on introducing her talents as a multidisciplinary artist to Toronto’s theatre community. Her style of writing is absurd, witty, blunt, unexpected, and imaginative. She’s excited to take part in Tarragon’s local YPU program and looks forward to developing her writing skills, and exploring and broadening her voice as a playwright.

Jonnie (they/them) is a creator, performer, and decent baker based in Tkaronto. Their work seeks to find the ‘extra’ in the ordinary, the camp and the melodrama found in our everyday comings and goings, and the liberating silliness of a live performance space. They are so excited to be a part of the YPU this year, evolving their perspectives on playwriting, and exploring stories of queer self discovery for the legends that they are.

Donovan Hayden is a Black Canadian theatre creator, activist, and political organizer that tells stories intended to engage, challenge, and activate audiences. He strives to tell stories that center the dynamic lives of Black people and their everyday resistance. Calling both Pittsburgh and Toronto home, he is currently based in Toronto and an organizer at Progress Toronto. His goal is to blend activism and Blackness with theatre to create radical art that leads to liberation for all.

Kelsi James (she/her) is a queer and asexual theatre creator, working alternately as a creator, producer and performer. Kelsi has a degree in Musical Theatre Performance (Sheridan) and a certificate in ASL & Deaf Studies (VCC). The questions that compel Kelsi as a creator are: how do I blend theatre with community gathering? How do I build accessibility and care into the bones of my work? How do I honour the queer ancestors, and how can I empower the next gen queers?

James B. Elloso (he/him) is an emerging writer and director based in St. John’s, Ktaqmkuk, or colonially known as Newfoundland. He received his diploma in stage and screen techniques from Memorial University in the spring of 2022. During the summer, he wrote his first short play, “Buried Treasure,” which premiered at the St. John’s Short Play Festival in the fall. This winter, he is continuing work on the script to turn it into a full-length play titled Children of Tomorrow.

Elizabeth Rodenburg (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist, actor, and writer from Guelph, Ontario. Elizabeth is a recent graduate of the University of Windsor’s BFA in Acting program where they had the pleasure of creating and performing their first complete original work entitled Shapeshifter. She is particularly interested in devising work that explores themes of community, belonging, and identity in a way that is accessible and enjoyable for both artist and audience.

And So The Siren Sings

And So The Siren Sings is an interrogation of asexuality, of mermaid mythology, and of why we hypersexualize the siren to the point of vilification. We dive through lore, we sing and move together, we unlearn our understandings and assumptions of sirens, and we share six different perspectives on Siren Songs — which, in truth, are six different queer perspectives on compulsory sexuality. Through metaphor, and in community, we come together to challenge our understandings of sex and sexuality, and move towards joyous community celebration of queerness and all of our (a)sexualities.

Cast:

Alison Beckwith
Emma Burke-Kleinman
Melissa Mackenzie
Ben Page
Sarah Miller – Assistant dramaturg and stage directions

Children of Tomorrow

Water Lilies

Two art thieves – one a veteran and one completely new to the game – who coincidentally decide to rob the same art gallery on the same day. Emelia is hoping to reconnect with an old lover, while Birdie is trying to make sense of who she is and what she wants. Although they are both very different people with very different motives they’ve ended up here tonight because of a strong need to belong – to connect with others, to have a community, to understand who they are. Set in the late 80s at the height of the AIDS crisis, the play explores themes of identity, alienation, and the capacity everyone has for love and connection.

In Search Of…

Written by Oprah Lemorin
Directed by Coko Galore

EEK! or ‘The Mice Turned Me Trans’ Play

Written by Jonnie Lombard
Directed by Cole Alvis

White Crimes

Written by Donovan Hayden
Directed by Tanisha Taitt

Ajahnis Charley

Mariel Calvo

Kais Padamshi

Shyanne Duquette

The Fickle Light of Spring by Ajahnis Charley

The Fickle Light of Spring examines the hilarity and heartache that happens when Brandon and Z, two halves of a young, gay interracial couple, decide to come out to their traditional immigrant parents.

ARTISTIC TEAM
Director: Coko Galore
Z (Jia Zhong-Qin) – Minh Ly
Brandon Marks – Daniel Jelani Ellis
Mr. Jia – Richard Tse
Mrs. Jia – Carolyn Fe

How to Drink Mate by Mariel Calvo

How to Drink Mate delves into the traditional cultural practice of yerba mate and how you’re “supposed” to drink it. Part tutorial and part diary, we follow the matrilineal experiences, memories, and stories from one family journeying between Argentina and Canada

ARTISTIC TEAM
Director: Anita La Selva
Peli –Natasha Ramondino
Marta –Paulina Pino-Rubio
Tia Rosa – Augusto Bitter
Alma – Monica Garrido
Misc. Men – Augusto Bitter

Halal by Kais Padamshi

When even home and its people seem as foreign as himself, a young boy questions the role of faith against choice and self-determination. Set in modern-day Kenya, Halal weaves together the heart of family, faith, tradition, love and the will to stand in one’s truth. When challenged by both the world around him and his own kin, where not even faith seems to hold him close amongst all else, young boy questions’ How can one be forsaken for who he is, if all men are created in God’s image? What does this reveal about the creator? How can one claim that which has not claimed them?

ARTISTIC TEAM
Director: Mike Payette
Aboud – Isaac Cunningham
Hakim –Savion Roach
Baba – Paul Smith
Dadi – Ordena Stephens-Thompson

Omisimawiw by Shyanne Duquette

Omisimawiw is based on two strangers meeting on the Edmonton Metro line LRT. Finding out they are sisters this sparks questions in each sister around their identity, and relationship with indigeneity. Both sisters individually reckon with how indigenous identity is interwoven with others’ definitions and examines how youths forage for connections to their cultural identity after having been disconnected and discouraged from doing so.

ARTISTIC TEAM
Director: Dillan Meighan-Chiblow
Jackie, Auntie Jay – Theresa Cutknife
Marina, Chrissy – Cheyenne Scott
Voice-over, stage directions – Dillan Meighan-Chiblow

Jordan M Burns

Rose Goodwin

Jameela McNeil

A Pineberry’s Past by Jordan M. Burns

What would you do if half of you was drowning? Living in a perpetual fog, Mixed, half-white, and half-indigenous, attempts to share the story of their life over a home-cooked meal in their childhood kitchen. A place of joy, family, decay, and silence; Mixed is left gasping for a community of their own. Trying to navigate the present while negotiating the vicious memories of times gone by, Mixed finds themselves putting on a show one last time.”
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright: Jordan M. Burns
Director: Christopher Stanton
Mixed – Herbie Barns

Hermaphroditus by Rose Goodwin

Hermaphroditus is an exploration of queerness, belonging, and visibility. It takes the Greek gods and puts them into our world, focusing on the relationships between the gods and gender. This play is an intimate look at what transness looks in relation to one’s relationships, life’s work, and belonging in the world. Hermaphroditus is found by Charlico and finally finds their place on earth with other queers. As they find themselves, they recognize that trans folks are under attack, leaving the safety of earth to take their rightful seat on Olympus. Will the pantheon have room for another Goddex?
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright: Rose Goodwin
Director: Cole Alvis
Hermaphroditus – Avery-Jean Brenan
Charlico – Jacob MacInnis
Hera – Rachel Cairns
Zeus – Titus Androgynous

Orange Skies by Jameela McNeil

Samira is trying to move on. Engrossed in the frivolous tasks at her joyless housekeeping job, she distracts herself from a lost dream, her mother’s worsening condition, and the boy who stole her heart one hot summer night in 1957. When a new love comes knocking at her door she is plagued by memories of her first love and a night that changed her forever. As she relives the secret affair in her mind, she is confronted with a difficult decision. Rectify the past or continue to run from it?
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright: Jameela McNeil
Director: Natércia Napoleão
Samira – Hillary Warden
Maria – Sarah Nairne
River – Oscar Dirkx

Boom! by Magda Uculmana-Falcon

A physical altercation in a classroom, between a teacher and a black, female student, goes viral. Friends of the student involved seek justice on her behalf, but then BOOM! Another incident at the school grabs the world’s attention, and thwarts their pursuit. BOOM! is a play about three black, teenage girls, trying to be heard in an institution that won’t listen.
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright: Magda Uculmana-Falcon
Director: Lisa Karen Cox
Cast: Meghan Aguirre, Rosina Ferede, Alyssa Pothier, and Brianna Wright

Sol by Araceli Ferrara

SOL follows the story of a woman trying to rebuild the past. Set in her memory, Sol revisits her fourteen-year-old self during the 1973 coup d’état in Chile, when political tensions threatened the fragile bonds of family. SOL is an exploration of memory and the things we do in order to survive.
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright: Araceli Ferrara
Director: Rosa Labordé
Cast: Katarina Fiallos, Kathy Martinez, Adriana Moraes-Mendoza, Walter Moraes-Mendoza, Xanath Fuentes Natanson, and Dre Rivas

You Better Second Line! by JD Leslie

Welcome to New Orleans! Where death is a celebration and crickets play jazz music to keep souls at rest. Brave and his cricket family welcome you with open arms to the graveyard as tonight is moon’s day; the one time of the month when souls can pass onto the other side. But what happens when a soul can’t be put to rest? What happens when you aren’t ready to move on? And what happens if there ain’t no moon? One thing’s for sure…you better second line!
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright: JD Leslie
Director: Audrey Dwyer
Cast: Meghan Aguirre, Walter Moraes-Mendoza, and Pablo Ogunlesi

Tony Tran

Meara Khanna

Charles Manzo

QUEENS by Tony Tran

Everyday gay Asian man, Ray, finds his dating habits challenged when he accidentally dates his first Asian. QUEENS is a queer comedy about the aspects of racial dating, cultural and sexual identity, and knowing when you’re enough.
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright: Tony Tran
Director: Gloria Mok
Cast: Christopher Cruz, Jonathan Dick, Pearl Ho and Warren Kang

Little Boxes by Meara Khanna

After finding an eviction notice on their door, Nina and Jenelle face losing their home and independence. Desperate measures are called for, even if it means breaking the law. Little Boxes is an exploration of friendship, entrepreneurship, and finding your worth in a world where the least is expected of you.
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright: Meara Khanna
Director: Eva Barrie
Cast: Alex Franks, JD Leslie and Cait MacMullin

Sunny Side Up by Charles Manzo

Sunny Side Up is a Canadian immigrant play about the intricate relationship between a Filipino father and his daughter. Set in Toronto, the play explores themes of familial sacrifice, hope in the face of societal barriers, and the passions we set aside to support our loved ones.
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright: Charles Manzo
Director: Byron Abalos
Cast: Christopher Cruz, Daniella Dela Peña, Sean Williams

Young Playwrights: Tyisha Murphy, Sarah Hilton, Ruby Urlocker (pictured above with Caitie Graham), Sara Durante & Jenn Boulay

Instructors/Directors: Caitie Graham, Paula Wing, Marcia Johnson, Esther Jun

Young Playwrights: Sam Beland, Zavian Buchanan, Julie Phan

Instructors/Directors: Anne Wessels, Caitie Graham, Marcia Johnson, Andrea Donaldson, Paula Wing

I Didn’t Even Know her Name by Zavian Buchanan
Directed by Marcia Johnson

Hope by Emily Phan
Directed by Andrea Donaldson

In The Heart of The Beholder by Sam Beland
Directed by Marcia Johnson

Young Playwrights: Raluca Petria, Jonathan Martins, Nam Nguyen, Courtney Buxey-Hill, Chrstian Lischak
Supported by Tarragon Playwrights-in-Residence: Maria Milisavljevic, Jordan Tannahill, Anna Chatterton, David Yee
Instructors/Directors: Anne Wessels, Caitie Graham, Rashida Shaw, Marcia Johnson, Andrea Donaldson, Paula Wing

Young Playwrights: Julie Zenderoudi, Theo Gallaro, and Erum Khan
Instructors/Directors: