Libido Productions Stages QUEER BATHROOM STORIES, Now thru June 15

Libido Productions presents QUEER BATHROOM STORIES by Sheila Cavanagh at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. The show runs tonight, May 31 - June 15, 2014, on the eve of WorldPride.

RAYMOND: Who put the stick men and women in charge?"

QUEER BATHROOM STORIES (QBS) is verbatim theatre culled from 100 interviews with LGBTQ North Americans. Much more than the secret sex life of bathrooms, QBS is a brutally honest display of gender politics in public washrooms. Written by York University professor, author and playwright Sheila Cavanagh, QBS has a refined sense of toilet humour! The amateur production won the Patron's Pick Award at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2011 and is based on the award-winning book also by Cavanagh titled Queering Bathrooms.
RONNIE: The woman in the triangle-skirt is old school.

BASIL: The male trademark is a bore.
APPALONEA: The gendered signs lack imagination.

Three actors portray 72 distinct characters, each enacting real-life experiences in the loo. The cast animates the vibrant sexual culture of the toilet, along with the gender panic ensuing within it. The play pokes fun at the antiquated male and female stick-figures while underscoring the way the signs restrict access for trans- and gender variant patrons.

PAULA: It's okay if you are female and feminine and identify with the lady in the triangle skirt.
ROB: Or if you are male and masculine and identify with the stick-man.
MS. GONZALES: But if you mess with the signs you are going to have a problem.

QBS is directed by Megan Watson (Derailed/Summerworks); dramaturged by Judith Rudakoff (York University professor and award-winning dramaturg); scenographic design by Cory Sincennes (designer-in-residence with Surreal Soreal Theatre/Edmonton), cast includes Hallie Burt (writer/actor elizabeth - darcy: an adaptation of pride and prejudice/Toronto Fringe), Tyson James (Arigato, Tokyo/Buddies in Bad Times Theatre) and Chy Ryan Spain (Of a Monstrous Child: A Gaga Musical/EcceHomo). QBS premiers on the eve of WorldPride in Toronto, at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. It is an affiliate WorldPride event and an official Buddies Queer Pride event.

Written by Sheila Cavanagh and directed by Megan Watson, the show stars Hallie Burt, Tyson James and Chy Ryan Spain. Dramaturgy by Judith Rudakoff, scenographic design by Cory Sincennes, Project Manager Charissa Wilcox, production design by Cory Sincennes, and sound design by Verne Good. With Assistant Dramaturg Amy Bowman and Dramaturg Interns Shawna Blain and Lucy Powis.

The show runs in THE CHAMBER, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, playing May 31-June 15, 2014, Previews May 31 & June 1 • Opening Night: June 3 @ 8pm. Schedule: Tuesday - Saturday @ 8pm • Sundays @ 2:30pm. Tickets range from $20-$25 (Special rates for student groups) and can be purchased in person at the Buddies Box Office, by calling 416.975.8555or online at http://buddiesinbadtimes.com. For more info visit http://www.yorku.ca/sheila/index.html.

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