LUCIAN, PLATO, AND THE SECRETS OF THE PUSSY at the Toronto Fringe Festival

Come along for the genesis of Lucian, Plato, and the Secrets of the Pussy– an unforgettable campy, queer odyssey that’ll leave you giggling, gagging, and groaning for more! Set to make its highly anticipated Fringe Festival debut at the Michael Young Theatre from July 2nd to 13th, the production features Dora award nominee Jewell Bowry (Flex - Obsidian/Crow’s Theatre) as the delightfully insufferable Plato. 

When Leaina runs off to Lesbos with her Best Friend Megillus, her ex-husband Lucian is left desperate for answers. He turns to the genius Plato to help unravel the intimate and unfathomable mysteries of this new relationship. As Lucian and Plato agonize over the question, “how do they have sex?!”, they are forced to confront their own repressed desires simmering beneath their togas. Interwoven throughout the treacherous journey of these Great Philosophical Minds are pieces of Leaina and Megillus’ new life on Lesbos. As they wander through the lush canopies, sun-drenched shores, and salt-stung winds, they find their love echoed by the voices of the island. 

Grandiose, hilarious, and tender, this rousing new play from Jules Spizzirri and Sydney Scott (Tarragon Theatre playwright in residence) invites audiences on a journey that fuses ancient and modern worlds. The play challenges ancient satirist Lucian’s representation of queer sex depicted in his dialogue “The Lesbians,” and asks, “What would the queer people in this story say for themselves?” Using verbatim accounts from over 20 queer voices, Lucian, Plato, and the Secrets of the Pussy is a vibrant mosaic of intimacy, persistence, and joy.

Generously supported by Community One, The Cannonbury Foundation, and Hart House Theatre, with special thanks to Paprika Theatre Festival, Tarragon Theatre, and It’s Ok* Studios.