2023/24 Season Brochure

2024 ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

BUDDIES BUDDIES BUDDIES BUDDIES BUDDIES BUDDIES About

Established in 1979, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is Toronto’s leading destination for artistically rigorous alternative theatre and a world leader in developing queer voices and stories for the stage. Buddies offers a year-round program that includes a full season of queer theatre, new works festivals, artist residencies, and intergenerational training and education initiatives. In its 44-year history, Buddies has welcomed more than a million people into its home in the heart of Toronto’s queer village and has premiered more than 1,000 new works for the stage, making it the largest and longest-running queer theatre company in the world.

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is situated on the lands of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe, and the Wendat, and the treaty territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. We acknowledge them and any other Nations who care for the land (acknowledged and unacknowledged, recorded and unrecorded) as the past, present, and future caretakers of this land, referred to as Tkaronto (“Where the Trees Meet the Water”; “The Gathering Place”). Buddies is honoured to be a home for queer, trans, and 2-Spirit artists on these storied and sacred lands that have been stewarded by Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years before the arrival of colonial settlers.

WELCOME TO BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES THEATRE’S 45TH SEASON.

For four and a half decades, Buddies has pushed boundaries, challenged norms, and championed queer voices, shaping our cultural landscape and transforming the world we live in.

In this landmark season, I am reminded of the challenges this company has overcome, and of the communities that rallied together and forged new paths with trailblazing courage and artistic brilliance to lead us to this celebratory year. And at the same time, I am invigorated by the risk-taking and innovation of artists boldly creating the future of queer performance.

This season offers stories of transformation and destruction as we continue to build and rebuild the world around us, imagining new possible futures and ways of being. Offstage, our community, educational, and new work development streams push forward conversations and connect queer folks.

I’m thrilled for you to be part of this significant moment in Buddies’ history as we look forward to writing the next chapter of this vital queer space, together.

xo

Daniel Carter Managing Director

Ginnal is sure like never before: he must make it to Foreign. When he meets a Spider who sets him on the journey, Ginnal faces the cost of freedom.

Inspired by experiences of growing up queer in Jamaica and finding home in Canada, speaking of sneaking is a multidisciplinary mash-up of dance, poetry, and pantomime, where the archetypal Jamaican Ginnal and the mythical African Anansi meet.

First created in Buddies’ Emerging Creators Unit, and further developed with the Anitafrika Method for Why Not Theatre’s RISER (where it garnered five Dora nominations, including for outstanding production and outstanding new play), speaking of sneaking returns to the Buddies stage for a full production this fall.

SPEAKING OF SNEAKING

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY DANIEL JELANI ELLIS DIRECTED BY D’BI.YOUNG ANITAFRIKA

A GROUNDWORK REDUX AND BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES THEATRE PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH OBSIDIAN THEATRE

MountainRockyMountain The

BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES THEATRE PRESENTS THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPECIAL

An elderly trans woman is haunted by her cringe-worthy younger self aboard the Rocky Mountain Special, a luxury coach from Calgary to Vancouver that she’s been riding for the last forty years.

A guitar-driven, one woman musical tour-de-force about the quintessential Canadian urge to run from your past, The Rocky Mountain Special is a prayer for healing, a love letter to the lost kids of fragmented diasporas, and a playlist for the road-trip home.

BY TIFFANY THOMAS

A THAT THEATRE COMPANY PRODUCTION, IN ASSOCIATION WITH BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES THEATRE

ANGELS IN

A GAY FANTASIA ON NATIONAL THEMES (PARTS 1 & 2)

BY TONY KUSHNER DIRECTED BY CRAIG PIKE

In a Reagan-era New York City beset by the AIDS crisis, a recently- diagnosed Prior struggles to make sense of his mystical visions and visitations, along the way colliding with friends, lovers, and a Mormon couple whose marriage is on the brink of falling apart.

At once sprawling and intimate, Angels in America weaves together religion, revolution, and queer

(be)longing into an epic, two-part modern masterpiece that speaks to the indomitable human need for change.

That Theatre Company’s Craig Pike helms a new production of Tony Kushner’s seminal plays, Millenium Approaches and Perestroika, revisiting a pivotal moment in our queer histories through a contemporary lens.

WE QUIT THEATRE WE QUIT THEATRE WE QUIT THEATRE

JANUARY 16-21, 2024

BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES THEATRE PRESENTS A WE QUIT THEATRE PERFORMANCE ANTHOLOGY

805-4821

I AM YOUR SPANIEL, OR, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

BY GISLINA PATTERSON

PASSION PLAY

A week of performances by We Quit Theatre and friends. Rituals for the discontented, diversions for the disenchanted, and a carnival for quitters! A conversation between trans best friends and lovers, and a sharing of the things they created, together and apart, in their basement apartments.

WeQuitTheatre

BY GISLINA PATTERSON AND DASHA PLETT

Last seen in a google doc performing 805-4821 as part of Buddies’ Queer, Far, Wherever You Are series, Winnipeg-based duo We Quit Theatre takes over the Cabaret space with a collection of three works, including a trans coming out story made out of other stories; an errant lecture on Shakespearean text analysis; and a series of improvised erotic revisions of bible stories, immortalized to cassette tape live on stage.

Back for its 45th year, Rhubarb transforms Buddies into a hotbed of experimentation, with artists challenging our notions of what art-making and art-watching can be. As Canada’s longest-running new works festival, Rhubarb is the place to encounter the most adventurous ideas in performance and to catch familiar and unfamiliar artists venturing into uncharted territory.

45TH YEAR

Rhubarb continues to strengthen Buddies’ international ties with the curatorial performance network, fostering exchanges of artists and works between performance festivals around the globe.

MARCH 20-31, 2024

BY RAF ANTONIO

CO-DIRECTED BY RAF ANTONIO & TRICIA HAGORILES

A PENCIL KIT PRODUCTIONS + BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES THEATRE PRODUCTION WITH THE SUPPORT OF CHARLES STREET VIDEO

Soon after Jeremy Río clocks in for his first graveyard shift at an exclusive LA gym, he meets Eugene, a fitness influencer who seems to have the life of Jeremy’s dreams—one that’s double stuffed with money, muscles, and parties galore. What begins as an envious crush quickly morphs into an insatiable hunger that threatens to tear Jeremy’s life apart.

A cinematic theatre piece, WHITE MUSCLE DADDY uses projection art, live camera feed and shadow play to spin a chilling yarn about the politics of queer desire.

WHITE White Muscle

MUSCLE

MUSCLE DADDY

Daddy

THE NEXT STAGE THEATRE FESTIVAL

PRESENTED BY TORONTO FRINGE

OCTOBER 18-29, 2023

Experience the best in performing arts with the 16th Annual Next Stage Theatre Festival from October 18 to 29, 2023. The Toronto Fringe is delighted to be partnering with Buddies in this new chapter of Next Stage with six unique pieces by a dynamic set of artists covering dance, sketch comedy, music, and drama all ready for their next stage.

A THEATRE RUSTICLE PRODUCTION THE TEMPEST

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, ADAPTED BY THE COMPANY

DIRECTED BY ALLYSON MCMACKON

JANUARY 18-28, 2024

Shakespeare meets Theatre Rusticle’s physical poetry once again in The Tempest. Their inimitable style cracks open the bard’s final play, unearthing a story about freedom, love and paths to truth. Told by five performers traversing 15 plus characters, Theatre Rusticle collides head-on with Shakespearean myth, magic, harsh history, and all the ways we make theatre.

Alongside our mainstage and artistic development programming, our home on 12 Alexander Street plays host to the full gamut of queer performance and community events throughout the year: from concerts to clown shows, and poetry readings to pageants. Stop by any day of the week and you’ll find something different. As queer spaces in the community dwindle, Buddies remains an accessible and affordable space for artists and community organizations to host their events.

And of course, Buddies wouldn’t be Buddies without our weekly parties and annual Queer Pride Festival, including the return of the 2-Spirit Cabaret, in partnership with Native Earth Performing Arts. Tallulah’s Cabaret is a place where communities come together to celebrate, to remember, and to create together.

As we mark 45 years of Buddies this season, stay tuned for an anniversary series of one-offs, readings, concerts, and parties in May, celebrating our histories and imagining the possible futures of this theatre and the communities who make it what it is.

CELEBRATION SPACE MAKING FOR

CONNECTING CONNECTING CONNECTING CONNECTING CONNECTING CONNECTING

Throughout the season, our community-engaged programming builds conversation around and beyond the work on our stages, bringing together queer folks to connect, exchange, experiment with artistic expression, and build community.

Our 2023-24 season sees the return of QueerCab, a showcase opportunity for emerging artists, and our emerging company-inresidence – The Disability Collective –continues to build the capacity of their young collective while working with Buddies staff.

A new Rainbow Seniors Project will also provide opportunities for queer elders to develop performance and storytelling skills alongside artist mentors, network with queer youth, and share their stories at our Queer Pride Festival.

As the world’s largest and longestrunning queer theatre, creating development opportunities for the next generation of queer artists and arts workers is an integral part of what we do.

Entering its 14th year, The Buddies Residency program continues to nurture long-term relationships with queer artists and collectives as they develop new works. The Seeding Work incubator program returns for a third season, welcoming artist Bruce Dow.

The Emerging Creators Unit will return with a new co-hort, providing dedicated artistic and producing mentorship to a small group of emerging artists, with opportunities for a wider community of early-in-craft queer artists to engage at key points during the process.

creative DEVLOPMENT

2023-24 RESIDENCY ARTISTS

Bilal Baig - Jhooti & Kainchee Lagaa

Celia Green - SOWWY

Julie Phan 潘家雯 - Never Walk Alone

Heath V. Salazar - MARIPOSA

2023-24 SEEDING WORK ARTIST

Bruce Dow - A Funny Proposition

OUR COMMUNITY OF DONORS

It’s incredible to think that Buddies has been championing queer art in Toronto and beyond for 45 years, and none of this would be possible without the community of people who support this place. As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we’re continuing to reflect on how we can best support queer artists and communities in an ever-changing theatre and cultural landscape.

By making a donation today, you will play an instrumental role in bringing queer arts and community programming to our city and beyond, and ensuring the future of this vital queer space. You can make a monthly or one-time donation online at buddiesinbadtimes.com/support, or contact aidan@buddiesinbadtimes.com to inquire about other ways to support.

LEGACY CIRCLE

Ed Cabell & Roy Forrester

John Alan Lee

Russell Mathew & Scott Ferguson

Richard McLellan

Adam Morrison & James Owen

Jim Robertson & Jim Scott

VISIONARIES ($5000+)

Aqueduct Foundation

Fabio Mascarin Foundation

The Estate of George Grant

The Estate of Beverly Ann Harris

House of Beida

The Kingfisher Foundation

Pride and Remembrance Foundation

Tippet Foundation

HEROES ($2500+)

Martha LA McCain

LEADERS ($1000+)

Ed Cabell & Roy Forrester

The Estate of Kenneth Dawe

Sinead Flood

Andrew Gillespie

GreenShield Canada

Smokestack Digital

Paul Hartwick

William Hodge & Robert Wylie

Stephen McGregor & Tony De Franco

Jason Oord

Brian Sambourne

Peter Taylor

Belinda Wildenboer

ADVOCATES ($500+)

Cory Boyd

Benjamin Erikson

Student Fundraising from The Bishop

Strachan School

Charlie & Lulu Franklin Foundation

Phil Gazaleh

Tucker Gordon

Alex Hutchison

Richard Isaac

Montana Kimel

David Leeman

Richard McLellan

Lali Mohamed

Michael David Trent

PARTNERS ($250+)

Mark Aikman & Gustavo

Cerquera Benjumea

Cole Alvis - in Honour of René Highway

D. Arcand & A. Karmali

Jean-Paul Bevilacqua

Mark Brodsky

Redbird Therapy Centre

Suzanne Brunelle

Lawrence Campbell

Daniel Carter

Robert G. Coates

Russell Connelly

Alan Dingle

Bryan Eaton

Dennis Findlay

Robin Gordon

Kirsten Hanson

Raymond Helkio

Allen Hernandez

Jaigris Hodson

Dr. Ben Louie

Gilles Marchildon

Kevin Marques

Aidan Morishita-Miki

Pearse Murray

Owen Pallett

Anu Radha Verma

Nik Redman

Andrea Ridgley

Dave Steinberg

Richard Sutton

Lionel Tona

Allison Vanek

Hersh Zeifman

MONTHLY DONORS

Mark Aikman & Gustavo

Cerquera Benjumea

Cole Alvis - in Honour of René Highway

Michel Beauvais

Allen Braude

Mark Brodsky

Ed Cabell & Roy Forrester

Herng Yi Cheng

Russell Connelly

David Couture

Jennifer Duffy

Kent Evans

Barbara Fingerote

Robin Gordon

Tucker Gordon

Allen Hernandez

William Hodge & Robert Wylie

Jaigris Hodson

Andrea Houston

Tom Keogh & Paul McClure

Montana Kimel

Chanti Zoelene

Laliberte

Dr. Ben Louie

Jonathan MacArthur

Cameron MacLeod

Gilles Marchildon

Joseph McLean

Stephen McGregor & Tony De Franco

Richard McLellan

Aidan Morishita-Miki

Bernadette & Gene Morishita-Miki

Thompson Nguyen

Jason Oord

Rui Pires

Ingrid Randoja

Nik Redman

Andrea Ridgley

Mitsuko Sada

Peter Taylor

Lionel Tona

Ayse Turak

Allison Vanek

Anu Radha Verma

Arielle Zamora

LEAD CORPORATE SPONSOR

SPONSORS + PARTNERS

CORPORATE PARTNERS

COMMUNITY + EDUCATION PARTNER

PUBLIC AGENCIES

SEASON PARTNERS

FOUNDATIONS

Illustrations by Mitch Duncan

Graphic Design by Awake Studio