Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Freda and Jem are two women who fell in love, had kids, and built a family together. When they decide to split up, their family discovers that their love for each other doesn’t have to end at divorce – but it will have to change. A heartwarming story about family making and family breaking.
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre opens its 36th season with a tender narrative about queer family life by playwright Lois Fine. Freda and Jem’s Best of the Week offers a reflective look at the moments that surround the end of a relationship. Exploring the effect of divorce on both partners and their children, this piece is a universal story about a family’s struggle to love and be loved.
Written by Toronto author and queer activist Lois Fine and directed by acclaimed Canadian theatre maker Judith Thompson, Freda and Jem’s Best of the Week features some of Toronto’s most talented performers including Diane Flacks, Kathryn Haggis, Sadie Epstein-Fine, and Stephen Joffe, with live music by Lorraine Segato of Parachute Club.
AN INTIMATE EXPLORATION OF FAMILY LIFE IN 2014:
Freda and Jem’s Best of the Week provides an optimistic alternative to the finality of many divorce stories and deepens conversation about modern family units.
Drawing insight from her experience as a butch lesbian and mother who has gone through divorce, multi-talented playwright Lois Fine brings a refreshingly honest look at separation to the Buddies stage. Her script reflects the struggles of an increasing number of queer couples who, a decade after achieving marriage equality, are now faced with issues of divorce and child rearing.
SHARING EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN WITH LGBT PARENTS:
In Freda and Jem’s Best of the Week, author Lois Fine examines the perspectives of children with LGBT parents,
“I wanted to write a play that focuses on queer families - and highlight some of the issues the kids are facing, especially in a divorce situation” Fine sates, “Everyone always wants to say, "the kids are all right", and while ultimately, they are all right, what about the painful side of divorce – is it compounded by being a queer family? In some ways yes, in some ways not. I want to illuminate some of those areas - it isn't always tidy.”
Her efforts to unpack these ideas are strengthened by the on-stage presence of her daughter, Sadie Epstein-Fine. At 22, Epstein-Fine represents a growing cohort of children of LGBT families whose stories are just being brought to light. As the child of two prominent LGBT activists at the forefront of the queer parenting movement (Fine and Rachel Epstein), Epstein-Fine’s experience has helped shape public understanding of the realities of children with queer parents for over a decade.
AN EXCITING COLLABORATION BETWEEN SOME OF CANADA’S MOST DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS:
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is thrilled to welcome the impressive cast of Freda and Jem’s Best of the Week to its stage. Emmy, Gemini, and Dora nominated writer/performer Diane Flacks returns to the Buddies stage where she most recently performed her show about pregnancy, Bare With Me. Flacks is also the author of What They Don't Tell You About Pregnancy and New Motherhood and was the parenting columnist in the Globe and Mail for over three years. Buddies mainstay Kathryn Haggis, plays the role of Jem, and returns to the company’s stage where she is best known for her work in Dyke City. Emerging director and choreographer Sadie Epstein-Fine and National Theatre School graduate and playwright Stephen Joffe round out this inter-generational cast.
Freda and Jem’s Best of the Week playwright Lois Fine is a widely-published poet, playwright, and essayist, well known for her social justice work in Toronto. The show is directed by renowned playwright Judith Thompson — an internationally acclaimed artist, Thompson has twice been awarded the Governor General's Award for drama, as well as the Order of Canada. Thompson and Fine have worked together in the past; the two collaborated on body & soul, a play about 13 women over the age of 45 telling stories about their lives, from 2008-2010. The show was produced at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, the Tarragon Extra Space, and the Firehall Theatre in Vancouver as part of the Cultural Olympiad.
Renowned lesbian singer-song writer Lorraine Segato provides live music to score this poignant story. Segato is the co-founder and lead singer of the highly successful Toronto-based band, Parachute Club, and has released two critically praised solo recordings, Luminous City and Phoenix, has produced several music scores, and has been highly influential in the Toronto music scene.
NEW WAYS TO BUY TICKETS AT BUDDIES:
New for 2014/15 - Buddies has introduced two new ways for audiences to see more at Buddies for less:
•Buddies Rewards - A free customer loyalty program that rewards return ticket buyers with discounts and free tickets to shows in Buddies' Mainstage Season. Info at buddiesinbadtimes.com/rewards.
•Buy Early and Save - A limited amount of specially-priced $25 tickets are available for all performances of Freda and Jem's Best of the Week for people who book before September 12. Info at buddiesinbadtimes.com/tickets
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presents
FREDA AND JEM’S BEST OF THE WEEK
written by Lois Fine
directed by Judith Thompson
performed by Diane Flacks, Kathryn Haggis, Sadie Epstein-Fine, & Stephen Joffe
live music by Lorraine Segato
Previews September 13, 14, 16 & 17 | Opening Night September 18 | Closes October 5
Runs Tues-Sat 8pm, Sun 2:30pm.
Tickets $20 - $25 until September 12 | Regular Price PWYC - $37
Box Office 416-975-8555 or buddiesinbadtimes.com
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto ON
Photo: Kathryn Haggis. ©2014 Tanja-Tiziana.
2014-08-11
Toronto: Buddies in Bad Times presents "Freda and Jam's Best of the Week" September 13-October 5