Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Fresh off tour with sold out shows in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia, Sunny Drake brings his funny and tender look at queer and trans* relationships to the Buddies cabaret stage for a special limited engagement.
No Strings (Attached) is a smart, fast-paced take on dating in the age of social media and technology that blends first-person confessional stories with interactive video and sound. It follows Jimmy, a self-confessed romance addict, as he shares his struggle to find a meaningful relationship in a world obsessed with monogamy and unsure of what to keep from mainstream relationship models and what to re-invent. At once personal and political, Jimmy’s romantic tragedies found in his own jealousy and high expectations, as much as in the larger social forces that impact the ways we love each other.
Toronto audiences will remember Sunny Drake from his 2013 Summerworks show X (Outstanding Performance, Outstanding Design – Now Magazine), and he is know across Canada, Europe, and his native Australia for his critically-acclaimed, design-conscious shows that bring the LGBT experience to mainstream audiences. For this production of No Strings (Attached), Sunny is joined by director Gein Wong – winner of the 2014 Ken MacDougal Award for Directing and the creative force behind such notable projects as Say Their Names, Remember at the AGO and Stonewall 45 at World Pride TO.
The creative team is rounded out by set and costume designer Joe Pagnan, lighting designer Michelle Ramsay, immersive space activation by Jade Lee Hoy, original music by Njo Kong Kie, and stunning interactive video design by Gein Wong, Laura Warren, Alex Williams, and Hisayo Horie
PRAISE FOR NO STRINGS (ATTACHED)
“Charming and disarmingly clever… Drake is one of those rare provocative performers who are uber smart but ultra cosy at heart… one of the most interesting and touching performances I’ve seen in a while.” (Gscene, Brighton UK)
“Beautiful, articulate, well considered and very sophisticated… It’s a genuine exploration. It’s more about connecting and commonality than alienation, and that is its strength. Wonderfully effective low tech trickery and special effects added to the power of the piece…Sunny drake is a progressive queer visionary.” (Samesame.com, Melbourne, Australia)
“You are drawn into his life, his fears, his passions and his internal struggle. His performance is funny, poignant and whimsical” (Spartan Radio, Toronto)
“The acting and script by Drake were superb... Direction by Gein Wong was seamless, using a minimalist set plus projection to their full potential” (The Arthur, Peterborough)
Pink Pluto and Eventual Ashes in association with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre present
NO STRINGS (ATTACHED)
written + performed by SUNNY DRAKE
directed by GEIN WONG
video GEIN WONG, LAURA WARREN, ALEX WILLIAMS, HISAYO HORIE
set + costume design JOE PAGNAN
lighting design MICHELLE RAMSAY
immersive space designer JADE LEE HOY
composer NJO KONG KIE
dramaturgy CATHERINE HERNANDEZ
Previews: March 16
Opening Night: March 17
Closing Night: March 26
ASL Interpretation available
Runs: Weds-Sat 8pm, Sat 2:30pm
Tickets: General Admission $20 / Student, Senior, Arts Worker $15 / Saturday Matinees PWYC
Box Office 416-975-8555 or buddiesinbadtimes.com
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto ON
Photo: Sunny Drake. ©2014.
2016-02-16
Toronto: Buddies in Bad Times presents Sunny Drake in his new show "No Strings (Attached)"