An extraordinary new dramedy about faith, community, and sex from one of Canada’s most exciting emerging writers, Rachel Mutombo, Factory Theatre is thrilled to present the world premiere of VIERGE. Directed by Natasha Mumba, VIERGE stars Yvonne Addai, JD Leslie, Kudakwashe Rutendo and Shauna Thompson, and onstage from April 8 to April 30, 2023 at Factory Theatre.

Sixteen-year-old Divine doesn’t really fit in anywhere, and her only real friend is Jesus (Christ) — that is until her family joins a new church and through the other girls in her youth group she discovers the world around her is not as it seems. This stunning new work follows four Congolese Canadian teenage girls as they journey to navigate between the pressures of Christianity, virginity and teenage hormones, and is sure to leave audiences tearing up one moment and laughing out loud the next.

“We are so excited to have such an incredible team of artists coming into our space. My new role here at Factory was a big step for me, and getting to work with Natasha, Rachel, and their entire team on this important, hilariously funny and heartbreaking play has been an absolute dream. Every single one of the artists on this production is poised to make a huge mark on Canadian Theatre, so it’s a real treat and coup for all of us here at Factory to have them all together.” – Mel Hague

Rachel Mutombo (writer) is an award-winning actor and writer who has bounced between Toronto and Montreal for most of her life. They are an acting graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada. Some pre-pandemic theatre performance credits include Antigone (Young People’s Theatre) and School Girls; Or the African Mean Girls Play (Obsidian Theatre/Nightwood Theatre). Rachel is also featured in the recurring role of Darby Gruss on Freeform’s The Bold Type.

Natasha Mumba (director) is a Zambian-born, Toronto based multi-disciplined artist, and a graduate of the Acting program at The National Theatre School of Canada. Mumba was also the previous Apprentice Artistic Director at Factory Theatre through the generous support of the Metcalf Foundation. She recently had the pleasure of being a Directing Fellow at Why Not Theatre’s ThisGen program, as well as having the pleasure of developing her skills in dramaturgy at The Pan-African Dramaturgical Lab hosted by South African company Vrystraat. Her directing credits include; Driftwood Trafalgar: Balance; Factory Theatre: Lady Sunrise (Assistant Director); YPT: The Water Gun Song and Cassius; Studio 180: Gone to see a Man about a dog.

DETAILS:

WHEN: Saturday, April 8 to Sunday, April 30, 2023 at 8 pm, with Mondays dark. Sunday matinee performances at 2 pm. Opening night is on April 13, 2023 at 8 pm.

WHERE: Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2R2

TICKETS: Range from $15 – $60, and include a limited number of $0 tickets for every performance. Audiences are invited to select the ticket price option that works best for them to experience theatre at Factory. To purchase tickets, please visit www.factorytheatre.ca.

Content Warning: The play includes depictions of, and conversations about sexual assault and teenage alcohol use.

Photo: Shauna Thompson. © 2023 Dahlia Katz.