Trans Artist Stars In Award-Winning 'Gender Fraud' Play

Bold performance from trans non-binary artist anchors hit production of award-winning play.

Bustle & Beast, in association with Blarney Productions, presents the Toronto Premiere of SCORCH

Written by Stacey Gregg

Directed by Brenley Charkow

Starring Julie "Niuboi" Ferguson

Direct from a sold-out run in Edmonton, Bustle & Beast, along with Blarney Productions are bringing this award-winning production of Irish playwright Stacey Gregg's SCORCH to Toronto audiences at Theatre Passe Muraille, November 15-December 2.

Based on the real-life UK court case of Justine McNally, SCORCH explores the controversial subject of "gender identity fraud" prosecutions by giving voice to the trans and gender variant youth whose lives these prosecutions often leave shattered. While our Ontario government continues to turn back the clock on sex ed, SCORCH is engaging in a vital conversation about gender identity, sexual diversity, and consent, while at the same time examining the devastating effect withholding this information can have on young people. Anchoring the production is a powerful performance by trans non-binary performance artist Julie "Niuboi" Ferguson in the lead role of "Kes."

"SCORCH may be written by a cisgender person, but it presents a transgender story in a truthful and heartfelt way," says Ferguson. "I deeply relate to the character of Kes, and I am excited for audiences to see a dramatic trans character on stage played by a trans performer."

Company Bios:

JULIE "NIUBOI" FERGUSON (performer) is a trans non-binary performance artist, whose work combines movement and visual art to create live performance, video, installation and cabaret. They studied clown under Jan Henderson and they are a lifelong student of both traditional and contemporary movement practices ranging from ballet to improv to voguing to mime. Their created works Glass Washrooms (Theatre), The Milk Bar (Film), Antiquation (Installation), and The Great Canadian Beaver Party (Cabaret) have been presented by Found Festival, The Chinook Series, Mile Zero Dance, Odd Wednesday, and Nextfest. www.niuboi.com

Stacey Gregg (playwright) is a Belfast and London based writer, performer, and director. Stacey's episode of Netflix original series The Innocents is currently shooting, and she's developing three original TV shows. The Abbey Theatre Dublin recently premiered her play Josephine K. Her many plays include Sibboleth, Perve, Cows Go Boom, and Scorch which won a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016.

BRENLEY CHARKOW (director) is a freelance director and dramaturge, and recent graduate of the MFA directing program at the University of Alberta. Directing credits: the Canadian premiere of Tony Kushner's A Bright Room Called Day, Blood: A Scientific Romance (The Maggie Tree), If We Were Birds (Bleviss Laboratory Theatre); Tom at the Farm (Bleviss Laboratory Theatre), The Waves (Patron's Pick, Best of Fringe), Mo and Jess Kill Susie, Almost, Maine (The Hall, Stratford); On The Other Side of the World (Next Stage Festival), Seagulls by Caryl Churchill, and The Maids. Recent assistant directing credits include The Humans (CanStage/Citadel), and Mamma Mia! (The Citadel) Brenley is the Artistic Director of Bustle & Beast and the Associate Artistic Director of Workshop West Playwrights Theatre.

Blarney Productions is an Edmonton indie theatre company. Our work is meticulously crafted and pushes boundaries. It is sometimes dangerous, and always provocative. We are dedicated to producing theatre that challenges our audience, entertains, and goes below the surface. We like feeling uncomfortable; we like to shock; we like to unflinchingly ask why. Blarney was co-founded in 2006 by John Sproule and Wayne Paquette. We have been nominated for 30 Elizabeth Sterling Haynes awards, and have won 9. www.blarneyyeg.com

Bustle & Beast is a Canadian independent theatre company driven by our insatiable curiosity in examining what it means to be human. This means embracing both the ugly with the beautiful. Believing that art and performance spark passionate engagement between our audiences and our artists, we present fearlessly challenging plays that question our perceptions about what we *think* we know, creating unforgettable theatrical experiences. Through the plays we produce, our work elevates and celebrates women's voices in theatre. www.bustleandbeast.com

TICKETS: $25 general; $20 students/seniors/artsworkers; PWYC Sundays

ONLINE: https://ca.patronbase.com/_ArtsBoxOffice/Productions/H/Performances

PHONE: 416-504-7529 (Wed-Fri, 12-6pm)

BOX OFFICE: Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave (Wed-Fri, 3-6pm)