Toronto theatre lovers, mark your calendars. From September 20 to 27, Theatre Passe Muraille’s mainstage welcomes a powerful and intimate new drama, BUTCH/FEMME, written and directed by emerging playwright Emily Paterson. A tender yet taut exploration of love, identity, and the invisible ties that refuse to be severed, this play promises to deepen our appreciation for queer storytelling in Canadian theatre.
Set in 1950s rural Ontario, BUTCH/FEMME unfolds in one charged evening: Jenny’s tranquil routine is shattered by the arrival of Alice—the woman she thought she’d left behind. As the night unspools, the two embark on an emotional excavation of their past, grappling with long-buried truths and the impossibility of letting go entirely. Winner of the Outstanding Production Award at U of T’s Hart House Drama Festival, the play is being presented in Toronto thanks to Theatre Passe Muraille’s commitment to nurturing bold, fresh voices.
Performance details:
- Dates: September 20–27 (with a matinee on Sept 21)
- Venue: Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave, Mainspace
- Ticket Pricing: Pay-What-You-Can—$15, $40, or $65
- Accessibility: Mask-mandatory night on Sept 24; audio-described performance on Sept 21 (with a post-show Q&A on Sept 26); and a Red Circle community panel on queer art on Sept 21 at 3:15 pm.
Paterson crafted BUTCH/FEMME out of frustration with the lack of sapphic narratives—especially those featuring butch identities—on the stage. Her artistic choice to locate the story in 1950s Ontario honors queer history and recognizes that even in conservative spaces, queer people have always existed.
The simplicity of the setting and depth of emotion, paired with a Pay-What-You-Can model, makes BUTCH/FEMME not just accessible, but a reaffirming experience. This is more than a new play—it’s a bold statement about presence, memory, and resilience, features that align perfectly with Passe Muraille’s legacy of powerful, socially grounded theatre.
