BOOTYCANDY at Buddies in Bad Times and Obsidian Theatre Cast Revealed

The cast and creative team for the Canadian premiere of Bootcandy has been announced, kicking off the 48th season for Buddies in Bad Times and 27th season for Obsidian Theatre. Written by award-winning playwright Robert O'Hara and directed by Jay Northcott (seven methods of killing Kylie Jenner), this subversive comedy weaves together scenes, sermons, sketches, and daring meta-theatrics to create a kaleidoscopic portrayal of growing up gay and Black. A Buddies in Bad Times and Obsidian Theatre Company co-production, Bootycandy runs September 30 to October 17. Opening night is October 1. Tickets are on sale now: visit BuddiesInBadTimes.com to learn more.

The durational comedy of parental hypocrisy. A reverend in high heels. A formal lesbian breakup at a tropical destination. Bootycandy shows us a young man's experience of power, permissibility, and privilege from the childhood dinner table to the playwrights' circle to the dark disarray of a stranger's hotel room.

Bootycandy features Christopher Allen (The Master Plan, As You Like It), Helen Belay (The Wonderful, Queen Goneril & King Lear), Kyle Brown (Tyson's Song, Come From Away), Dan Mousseau (The Born-Again Crow, Bremen Town), and Meghan Swaby (Table for Two, Interior Design).

The creative team will play within '70s and '80s sitcoms, memory, and hyperrealism to bring the world of the play to life, with set design by Nick Blais (seven methods of killing Kylie Jenner), costume design by Arianna Moodie (a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun)); lighting design by Darren Shaen (take rimbaud); and sound design by David Ariza (Juno Award-winning producer, artist, and DJ).

Shared director Jay Northcott: 'Our production of Bootycandy is developed as a conversation between Black Canadians as audience and actors, and how to create our experiences on stage. Even though this is an American script, we are using it to understand and question our identity and history as Canadians. There is something beautiful about this script being broken down into ten scenes, each vastly different from the next. We get to play with pace that juxtaposes the scenes before and creates a journey for the audience that will continue to surprise them at every moment. It's half deadly serious, and half total farce, all created with an amazing cast and crew.'

Said Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, Artistic Director, Obsidian Theatre: 'When I first read Bootycandy, I was taken by how surprising and inventive the piece was. I never knew what was coming next. The piece was full of so much humor, pain and also brought up a lot of exciting questions about what it would mean to interpret and program the piece through a Black Canadian lens. We are really looking forward to our first partnership with Buddies and to having Jay Northcott direct another piece for us, after the incredible job they did with seven methods of killing Kylie Jenner.'

BOOTYCANDY

• Buddies in Bad Times and Obsidian Theatre Company
• September 30 to October 17, 2026
• Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander St. Toronto
• Tickets for BOOTYCANDY. $15-$80 + HST.
• Winner of 27th Annual Lambda Literary Award, Best LGBT Drama (2014-15)