Theatre Passe Muraille is proud to present BUTCH/FEMME, a tense and intimate new drama from writer/director Emily Paterson, produced by The Green Couch Theatre Company, onstage September 20 – 27, 2025.

Set in the stillness of 1950s rural Ontario, BUTCH/FEMME begins when Jenny’s quiet evening is interrupted by an unexpected visitor — Alice, the woman she thought she’d left behind. Over the course of one charged night, the two women revisit the past, unearth long-buried truths, and confront the invisible threads that still bind them.

Winner of the President’s Award for Outstanding Production at the Hart House Drama Festival (University of Toronto), BUTCH/FEMME is a moving exploration of love, identity, and the courage it takes to face the truth — and each other.

Although BUTCH/FEMME is set in the 1950s, its themes speak directly to present-day realities — particularly the ongoing scarcity of lesbian-centred spaces in Toronto. With queer women’s venues and community spaces increasingly rare, the play invites audiences to reflect on what has been lost, what remains, and how LGBTQ+ stories continue to be shaped by the spaces we create — or are denied.

“BUTCH/FEMME grew out of my frustration with how rarely sapphic stories—especially butch identities—appear on our stages. Setting it in 1950s rural Ontario honours those lineages and reminds us queer people have always been everywhere.” — Emily Paterson, writer/director

SHOW INFORMATION:

Dates: September 20 – 27, 2025, at 7:30 pm and a 2pm matinee on September 21, 2025

Opening night: September 23, 2025, at 7:30 pm

Venue: Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace, 16 Ryerson Ave, Toronto

Running Time: 75 minutes (no intermission)

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can-Afford – $15 | $40 | $65

Tickets available at www.passemuraille.ca

 or by phone at 416-504-7529

ACCESSIBILITY & SPECIAL PERFORMANCES:

 • Mask Mandatory Performance: Wednesday, September 24 at 7:30 pm

 • Audio Description (Closed):

Sunday, September 21 at 2:00 pm

Friday, September 26 at 7:30 pm (with post-show Q&A)

 • Red Circle Community Event: Queer Art in Our Times Panel

Join Artistic Director Marjorie Chan and artist and scholar Moynan King for a post-show discussion on the joys and risks of creating Queer art in these times. Free and open to the public. Refreshments provided.

Sunday September 21 at 3:15 pm

For details on content, themes and suggested audience age, please contact the Theatre Passe Muraille Box Office at info@passemuraille.on.ca.