PRIVATE EYES

November 23, 2019

BEtty oliphant theatre

Marking the 50th anniversary of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, widely acknowledged as the first step to decriminalize homosexuality in Canada.

The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario 
In partnership with lemonTree creations

An evening of six short plays by Bilal Baig, RobertChafe, Veronica Dymond, Falen Johnson, Sonny Mills, and Paul Power.

This theatrical production was commissioned in partnership with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario & Newfoundland and Labrador, and was produced by lemonTree creations (Toronto) and Power Productions (Newfoundland and Labrador) with the financial support of Canadian Heritage.

The six works consider the complicated legacy of the 1969 Amendment Act, and highlight that many within the Intergenerational, Queer, Trans, Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, and Disabled communities continue to struggle for their rights.

RUNNING – FALEN JOHNSON (ON)
‍Roni has been running since he can remember but can a young lawyer from his community get him to understand why? 

‍ALL MANNER OF DIRT -ROBERT CHAFE (NL)
‍The validity of one man’s love and desire is tested across the grand stretch of his life, by others and by himself. A love story about time and consequence and power and words and grief and recovery.  

‍CROSS STITCH – VERONICA DYMOND (NL)
‍An evening of needlework turns scandalous when an unexpected visitor drops in on two gal pals. 

‍CHAOS GAYS – SONNY MILLS (ON)
‍Hamilton. Is. On.Fi-re. Please. Help. Us. The City targets queers and sex workers and poor and marginalized people and sides with nazis and land developers! 

‍DRIVE – PAUL DAVID POWER (NL) 
It’s 1991 and, according to Matt, nothing is more exciting than cruising the far east end area of Water Street inSt. John’s NL – known as “the fruit loop”. In Drive, playwright Paul David Power takes an uncensored look at cruising culture, the impact homophobia has on personal social development, life in the closet, body image and the underlying motivations of searching for casual connections. 

‍I WANT THAT FREE MIND - BILAL BAIG (ON)
‍Tucked away from the city and surrounded by trees, a Pakistani immigrant, a black trans woman and a latinx trans man are trying to have sex. But when substance use starts to affect reality, and a strange dog keeps appearing, a sense of danger manifests itself in the air questioning how can we, in vulnerable bodies, ever feel safe?