Theatre Passe Muraille Will Present The Toronto Premiere Of POLY QUEER LOVE BALLAD

Theatre Passe Muraille is proud to present the Toronto Premiere of POLY QUEER LOVE BALLAD, a breakout hit from the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. A bold and intimate musical experience, POLY QUEER LOVE BALLAD merges slam poetry with catchy pop-folk tunes, while challenging conceptions about polyamory and queerness. The piece was co-created and stars Anais West and Sara Vickruck, two luminaries of the Vancouver performing arts scene, and helmed by acclaimed director Julie McIsaac. Playing November 26 to December 1, 2019 at Theatre Passe Muraille.

In POLY QUEER LOVE BALLAD, Nina, a polyamorous bisexual poet, meets Gabbie, a monogamous lesbian songwriter, at an open mic night. With two microphones, a loop pedal, and an array of instruments, they struggle to reconcile their fierce mutual attraction with their opposing perspectives on love. The piece ultimately offers a new representation of intimacy that isn't confined by genre, medium, or societal obligations.

POLY QUEER LOVE BALLAD premiered at the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival, where it won the George Straight Critics' Choice Award, and earned two Jessie Award Nominations (for Outstanding Original Script and Outstanding Production - Musical - Small Theatre).

"As long as there are stories we haven't heard, I believe there are infinite spaces of wisdom, pleasure, and beauty that we deny ourselves, both as individuals and as a society," says director Julie McIssac. "Working alongside Sara and Anais is a joy; the room scintillates with humour, love, and ideas that are beautifully crunchy, achingly complex."

Anais West (creator / performer) is a queer actor, playwright, and producer based on Unceded Coast Salish Territories (Vancouver). She's the Operations Manager/Associate Producer at the Frank Theatre and a co-producer for Killjoy Theatre. Her plays include Kill Your Lovers (Buddies In Bad Times Theatre's Rhubarb Festival and Fresh Fruit Festival, NYC) and Poly Queer Love Ballad (winner of the Georgia Straight Critics' Choice Award and two Jessie Award nominations).

Sara Vickruck (creator / performer) is an award-winning queer performer, musician, and sound designer based on Unceded Coast Salish Territories (Vancouver). Some of her favourite productions include Fun Home (The Arts Club), Love Bomb (Shameless Hussy Productions), Coriolanus (Bard on the Beach), and Circle Game (The Firehall Arts Centre).

Julie McIsaac (director) is a director, creator, playwright, composer, and sound designer, who lives, works, and creates on the traditional and Unceded Coast Salish Territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Recent opera and stage directorial highlights include: Beauty's Beast (East Van Opera), Little Women (Chemainus), Sis Ne' Bi-Yïz: Mother Bear Speaks (Heart of the City), and Associate Director of Children of God (Urban Ink).

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