By Mel Bender
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The Anatomy of Depression
Author: Raymond Helkio
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Beached Whales
By Stedmond Pardy
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We Atomkinder
By Pascal Beer
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The Sulphur Springs Cure
By Jeffrey Round
By Willian Shakespeare By Gislina Patterson
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Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Crow’s Theatre
Until February 4, 2024
September 01, 1941 – November 29, 1987
Written by Rosemary Sullivan
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Angels In America (Part One & Two)
Written by Tony Kushner
On until December 17, 2023
Buddies In Bad Times Theatre
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DOUBLE BILL: “Monster” + “Here Lies Henry”
Written by Daniel MacIvor
Written by RM Vaughan
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Jono Pye’s Digital Showcase
An immersive journey into the boundless creativity of an artist who defies categorization.
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The Rocky Mountain Special
Tiffany’s beautiful voice could rival that of Jimmy Somerville and enriches the performance with soulful songs accompanied by a guitar, subtly infusing elements of country-rock into the narrative.
In this zine, Brad Pyne details his first sex education class in grade five where they learned about anatomy and the growing pains that accompany adolescence.
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Public Poetry from a Peterborough Porch
The poetry reading was recorded and partially funded by Trent Radio 92.7 FM for a future broadcast.
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Greg’s Cookies
The Imp
123 Danforth Ave, Toronto
October 18-25, 2023
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Lion’s Head Revisited
by Jeffrey Round
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refracting giants
“refracting giants”
Toronto Dance Theatre
Until October 7, 2023
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Speaking Of Sneaking
Buddies In Bad Times Theatre
September 19-October 1, 2023
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Missing From The Village
An investigation of Bruce McArthur by Justin Ling. This review originally appeared on MyGayToronto.com. Graciously edited by Maria Crawford. I have always held the belief that when the news of serial killer Bruce McArthur broke, the media and the public at large made a grave mistake by positioning the crimes as that perpetrated by a […]
A Memoir by Matthew Perry. This review originally appeared on MyGayToronto.com. Graciously edited by Maria Crawford. Who doesn’t love Matthew Perry? He’s a heart-throb, famous and hysterically funny as the character Chandler Bing on the hit TV series Friends. With a Forward by the hysterical Lisa Kudrow, who plays Phoebe Buffay on Friends – Friends, […]
A novel by Zoe Whittall. This review originally appeared on MyGayToronto.com. Graciously edited by Maria Crawford. Zoe Whittall’s (Toronto author of The Best Kind Of People and The Spectacular) latest novel The Fake starts off outlining a young Cammie’s kidnapping but quickly dives into the triangulated relationship that forms between Cammie, Selby and Gibson as their […]
A Memoir by Elliot Page. Note: This review refers to Ellen Page as well as Elliot Page later on in the article. While this constitutes dead-naming, it is done in the spirit in which the book was written and is intended to assist in distinguishing the periods before and after coming out as a trans […]
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Hello Molly!
A memoir by Molly Shannon. I fully expected Molly Shannon’s memoir to Hello Molly! to be funny, and it is, but it doesn’t start out that way. A tragic drunk driving accident leaves Molly without a mother, younger sister and a cousin and it quickly ramps up as Molly navigates a broken family, weight issues […]
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Love & Gaslight
by Vironika Wilde. Vironika Wilde is a is a poet, feminist, award-winning author, nomad, queer, cat fanatic, immigrant, survivor, tree hugger, and activist (her words, not mine). She was also the Featured Artist at the May edition of Poetry Open Mic at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre where she skillfully took the audience on a […]
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Truth Telling
Seven Conversations About Indigenous Life In Canadaby Michelle Good. Whether you consider yourself a colonialist settler, or unsure of what that even means Truth Telling: Seven Conversation About Indigenous Life In Canada by Michelle Good makes for an excellent primer. It’s not new information that our histories with Indigenous communities across Turtle Island, also known […]
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The Art Of Reference.
Have you ever wanted to own a Picasso or a Tom Thomson? These are just two of the subjects from paintings by Jono Pye who is jointly showing works along with David Bateman at The Secret Handshake Gallery in Kensington Market. Prices range from $500 to $50 a painting, with postcard sized prints from $5. […]
We’ve had pandemics before this one, and by most accounts there will be another in our lifetime. Statisticians generally agree that, in any year, the probability of experiencing a pandemic ranges from two to four percent. This translates into a “47-57 percent chance of another global pandemic as deadly as COVID in the next 25 […]
Kama La Mackerel is a Montreal-based, Mauritian-Canadian multi-disciplinary artist whose recent one person show at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre pushes back against the boundaries that define gender identity.
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Courtney Act’s Autobiography
Note: Shane Jenek uses the pronouns he/him, his alter ego Courtney Act uses she/her. This review was originally published on My Gay Toronto. Shane Jenek, a cutie pie Aussie whose alter ego Courtney Act, has risen to fame as a drag queen, singer and television personality. Credits include Australian Idol, session two of RuPaul’s Drag […]
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Bergmanesque Double Feature
Ingmar Bergman and Paul Bellini both have a propensity for producing a large volume of cinematic works. While Bergman is considered one of the most influential filmmakers in popular media, Bellini has created his own underground following of intellectuals, groupies, misfits and actors to rival even Ingmar. Case in point, the Bellini Film Festival wraps […]
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Who’s Afraid Of Titus?
“Art is to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” -Cesar A. Cruz Sky regularly pumps out plays that provoke, entertain and challenge the status quo and this is no exception. Who’s Afraid Of Titus? is director Sky Gilbert’s latest play and perhaps one of his most provocative and salacious offerings. Written around the 1590’s, […]
If Joan Rivers and Elton John had offspring it’d probably look a lot like Bianca Del Rio. But behind the gorgeous make-up and costume is the quirky Roy Haylock, a theatre veteran whose latest offering, Unsanitized promises a sensational experience of political incorrectness, mayhem, and peppered with laugh-out-loud moments. Bianca is no stranger to the […]
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I Love You, You Got This
Zine, acrylic on paper January 2022 Available from the front counter at Glad Day Bookshop, Toronto.Free, while supplies last.
Videos, media & castNovember 3-18, 2017The Players Theatre, New York Raymond appears in a nightly cameo as Olivia-Newton Simons, the kale eating fitness host. This fun and sexy exploration of modern-day relationships first debuted in Los Angeles before this sold-out run in off-off-Broadway. Written and directed by Joanne Piano-Mosconi.
When I heard that 49 of my Orlando brothers and sisters died as a result of the one man’s hate fuelled rampage I felt sick because I know it’s caused by a culture that rewards homophobia, sexism and oppression. Sometimes I wonder if we are no longer in the modern era but have gone back in a time machine to […]
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Pulp Lounge
A pop-up piano bar in front of The 519 on Church Street Community Centre. Produced by Raymond Helkio. Featured event during Nuit Rose, WorldPride 2014. ?? STIKY VINY
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RAID: Operation Soap
Written, directed and produced by Raymond Helkio with David Bateman, starring Keith Cole and Johnny Salib, featuring Paul Bellini, Brock Hessel and Amy J. Lester. An unconventional love story about two of the men that were arrested and how their horrific experience changed the course of LGBT history, marking the birth of Pride day. WEDNESDAY, […]
A gender-bending farce of never-ending happy endings. Hamlet In A Hot Tub follows Gertrude and Polonius as they secretly conspire to marry their children, Hamlet and Ophelia. But Ophelia soon discovers that Hamlet and Polonius have been keeping a secret of their own. FULL MOVIE: OFFICIAL TRAILER: StarringPaul Bellini, Brock Hessel, David Bateman, Amy J. […]
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Mouth Congress
They recorded over six hundred songs and never released any of them. Is the world ready for Mouth Congress now? Mouth Congress is the story of Kids in the Hall’s Scott Thompson and Paul Bellini, who started a punk band in the late 80s. Now, three decades later, they have decided to finish what they started with a film as crazy as their band.
Toronto queer playwrights Sky Gilbert and Philip Cairnes are just two of the reasons Hamilton Fringe Festival should be on your summer bucket list. On until July 28, the festival provides incredible value by giving theatre lovers access to a massive spectrum of works designed to enlighten, entertain and provoke. Bungalow and Diamonds on Plastic are two such works whose subject matter […]
What I’m learning the hard way is that to eliminate plastic I have to give up shopping in supermarket chains. On the second day of our no-plastic diet, I needed to get paper towels and laundry detergent.
Linking longer eNews articles to your website with a “Read More” tag gives your team valuable statistics about which types of articles generate the most interest. As you notice patterns in what your constituents care about, and what they don’t, try and let go of expectations you have for articles going viral, instead focus on slow, incremental […]
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The Toolbox Killer (podcast)
A mystery-comedy podcast written and directed by Raymond Helkio. Season One featuring Paul Bellini, Hélène Ducharme, David Bateman, Rolyn Chambers, Amy J. Lester and Nate Power. Musical score by Stewart Borden + ‘Wild And Beautiful In Ontario’ (Ep. 1, 2) and ‘The Long Dark Twenties’ (Ep. 3) by Paul Bellini from the album ‘The Northland’s Own’. […]
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Male Call Canada
Marketing & Graphic Design by Raymond Helkio
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Hair of the Dog
Website and various print collateral. Shown here: storefront banners.
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Martin Moran: The Tricky Part
Main photo by Joan Marcus. The Tricky Part written and performed by Martin Moran had its debut Off-Off-Broadway in 2003, and since then has toured through the United States, Canada, South Africa and India. Moran’s memoir of the same title has won numerous honours, including a Barnes and Noble Discover Prize and a Lambda Literary […]
Social media campaign including cover photos, ad carousal, memes and infographic poster.
You really shouldn’t visit New York without trying to catch a Sherry Vine show. More than a drag show, Sherry musical talent and writing put her at the top of the entertainment food chain. Sadly, it’s going to get tougher to see her perform with her upcoming stint in Los Angeles so when we saw […]
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Queer Arts Summit
GRAPHIC DESIGN by Raymond Helkio. A one-day ‘think tank’ summit bringing together leading organizations and individuals involved in the presentation of queer arts, culture and heritage in Canada. The summit includes a series of discussions on the funding, distribution and preservation of queer culture. The day will focus on interactive discussions with a goal to […]
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Eulogy for a Videofag
How do queers mourn the death of someone they love? With brunch of course! If you haven’t heard already, Toronto’s beloved Videofag is closing up shop and so they’ve been holding funeral services (yes, that’s plural) to help our community mourn. I went to the brunch service to deliver the following eulogy in honour of […]
David Bateman is an internationally recognized performance poet, and last year he co-wrote the music and starred in thirteen public presentations of Brock Hessel’s hit Hamlet In A Hot Tub starring Paul Bellini, Amy J. Lester, plus a host of cameo appearances by notable queer Canadian starlets. David is currently working on his seventh book […]
Keith Cole is a queer Canadian performance artist and political activist. An alumnus of York University’s Fine Arts program, Cole has worked in film and video, dance and theatre performance, both as himself and in character as drag queen Pepper Highway. Theatrical works include: the shows Mine, Alma, The Needle Exchange and Dodged Bullets/Missed Opportunities. […]
RuPaul is no stranger to controversy, and her latest comments have exploded all over social media. When asked about allowing biological females on RuPaul’s Drag Race she responded with “That show already exists. It’s called #MissUniverse” and while her comment is humorous, it’s also insensitive to those who are seeking acceptance. We are witnessing an […]
Organizations such as Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York has been providing youth services to at-risk LGBT youth
Originally from Ohio, Shirley U. Jest left her job teaching to move to New York to pursue her true love, performing. I met Shirley at G Lounge where she was doing some numbers at Marti Gould Commings’ Drag Suicide – which incidentally is rumoured to be a trial sport at the upcoming Gay Games. Drag […]
For the past 25 years Sherry Vine has dominated the scene as an internationally renowned drag artist. In the 90’s Sherry cofounded Theatre Couture which allowed her and her friends to mount off-the-wall camp productions like their notorious remake of the horror classic Carrie. She has lived in Barcelona and Berlin and she has recently […]
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IRISH QUEERS: Green With Pride
In this episode of Closet Case we chat with Gabrielle Cryan from Irish Queers NYC who will be joining hundreds of other NYC queers marching in the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade for the first year ever in an official capacity. Emmaia Gelman, also from Irish Queers NYC wrote – This Thursday, Irish […]
“The love child of Liza Minnelli and Johnny Weir.”–Michael Musto New York based Marti Gould Cummings is a singer and host of some of the cities most notorious drag spectaculars. His career includes off Broadway theatre, national tours, red carpet interviews, a hit single Real Girl and Show Me Your Dick. Marti has been nominated […]
“It’s what I’m trying to do with drag; look at it, learn it and then turn it on it’s ear.” -Elle Emenopé, Closet Case Born in Shorewood, Wisconsin Elle Emenopé (boy name: Elliott Reiland) came to New York and to study at NYU Tisch while he co-founded the “Negative 30 Dance Company”. He’s performed at such venues as […]
LadyQueen is New York City’s only all-female drag revue and the brainchild of Crimson Kitty who is celebrating her ten-year drag-a-versary. We join Crimson and her drag cohorts Sarah Palegic, Miss Malice and Elle McQueen as they take over the historic Stonewall Inn for a night of drama, debauchery and over-the-top theatrics. Crimson, a drag mother to many of the ladies, recently created The Haus Of Kitty and LadyQueen University which […]
We catch up with the legendary Canadian drag performer Mr. Terri Stevens as he gets ready for this Sunday’s Valentines kick-off to the Palm Springs White Party. Terri has been doing drag across Canada for more than twenty five years and was in the cast of The Great Imposters, an infamous drag troupe from Toronto. He currently is head queen at Twisted Element in Calgary, Alberta.
From Toronto’s East End to New York’s East Village we take you on an uncensored journey into the closets and behind the alter egos of our communities most beloved queers. Welcome to Closet Case. This week we visit D’yan Forest, an 81 year old internationally recognized cabaret singer, actress and stand-up comedian. This ‘bisexual Betty […]
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Hamlet In A Hot Tub (Live)
HAMLET IN A HOT TUB OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK This album is from the indie-hit play Hamlet In A Hot Tub which premiered at the 2015 Rhubarb Festival in Toronto. Curated by Raymond Helkio, music by Stewart Borden and featuring the outlandishly deviant vocals of Brock Hessel, David Bateman, Amy J. Lester and Paul Bellini. Enjoy! ?? PRESS FOR […]
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Theatre
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AIDS Committee of Toronto
Social media memes part of a volunteer and donation campaign, 2020.
If the Gladstone Hotel’s Come Up To My Room had an affair with Oprah’s Book of the Month Club their offspring might look a lot like Keith Cole’s latest offering, Performance Club 2…
Join the LGBT Giving Network along with their partners in the LGBTQ & ASO Non-Profit sector for the 5th LGBT+ Philanthropy Summit. The summit is a networking and education event aimed at exploring the role of non-profit leaders in building a culture of philanthropy within their organizations. The conference is geared towards Executive Directors, staff […]
The perfect Christmas gift is waiting for you at Orbital Arts in Kensington Market. When you by a copy of my children’s book The Great Meeting Room you’ll get a free bar of My Gay Soap by Heaven Scent. This organic soap is made from coconut oil and smells as good as it looks. Beautiful […]
Please join me and Rolyn Chambers this Thursday for a SALACIOUS double-fisted book launch. Rolyn is releasing his first book, The Boy Who Brought Down A Bathhouse, a collection of stories about the infamous St. Marc’s Spa. RAID: Operation Soap was the play I produced last year with co-conspirator David Bateman. Operation Soap was the police […]
Fife House Foundation Annual Report designed by Raymond Helkio
Project Seahorse is small group of conservationists are having global impact on our waters. Working in over thirty countries they are celebrating over twenty years of marine conservation, including research, sustainable trade, education and outreach. Designed by Raymond Helkio this anniversary edition of their annual report combines a twenty year timeline, operations map in addition to the gorgeous one-of-kind pictures shot by their staff.
Simple, clean and looks sharp in any bathroom. All natural, handmade body products by Marguerite Arbour are available in select shops around the GTA and online. Design: Raymond Helkio
By police logic we should ban women’s only hours, the scouts and old folks homes. Making a space safe by prohibiting others from taking up too much of it how an unhealthy balance can be restored, even if only temporarily. It’s nice to have allies but since when did we imbue them with this much power over our parade?
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Flying United?
WEB DESIGN NEWS: TriAdventure and Nikibasika merge designs and come out with a mobile friendly, single-site experience. Graphic design and infrastructure support provided courtesy of Raymond Helkio. This summer by training and fundraising for the annual TriAdventure; a 3 day event involving a 3km swim (or 15km run), 15km canoe, and 140km cycle. The money raised is the used for a home and long-term education for orphaned and vulnerable youth in Kasese, Uganda.
This is not a fight over legalities. This is an issue of how we deal with our citizens, especially crusaders who are trying to change the laws for all of our benefit. In Toronto, Sunday shopping was illegal until Paul Magder kept his business open in an act of defiance. Variety stores had to close every night by 10pm until Honest Ed Mirvish came along…
Award-winning author John Miller gets a new website and blog in time for his third release! READ ON: http://johnmiller.ca/
Kick-ass food, serious cocktails, cheeky staff and now a website to match! Hair of the Dog’s mobile friendly upgrade is designed to…
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Josh Thomas
The End Of Please Like Me? Say It Isn’t So! Josh Thomas has worn many hats in the in the making of Please Like Me; producer, director, writer and star but what makes the show so good is how enduringly funny the characters are. Loosely based on his own life the show boldly tackles a number […]
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Susan Bennett
The Sassy Side of Siri She’s a singer, voice actor and public speaker, but you most likely know Susan Bennett as the original voice of Siri, the built-in “intelligent assistant” that made it’s first appearance in the iPhone 4S. Short for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface, Siri uses artificial intelligence to respond to questions in a way […]
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TO’s War On Cyclists
UPDATE (November 8, 2016): The other day I got my Notice of Trial in the mail, it was notarized by the city clerk on my birthday. It could be a coincidence or maybe it’s just the city’s way of saying happy birthday, we love that you live here! The ticket was for $325 which is what […]
(Select) COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO HAVE TAKEN ACTION: Sky Gilbert “The Sad Irony of Black Lives Matter“.
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The Remington’s Steal
It’s no secret that strippers who hustle stand to make a lot of money. The same goes for the waitstaff, bartenders and anyone else who relies on tips to make a living. The trouble only surfaces when the balance of hustle to customer gets out of whack which has become the case for poor old […]
“The love that dare not speak its name has become the love that won’t shut up.” –from TOLLER, Sky Gilbert Sky Gilbert is a queer writer, actor, director, filmmaker, academic, and drag performer. Born in Norwich, Connecticut, he studied theatre at York University and at the University of Toronto, before co-founding of Buddies in Bad […]
The Reading Salon had two films screening at the Kolkata Short Film Festival in India and “…When The Bullying Ends” got a Jury’s Special Mention Award! The documentary (film trailer below) looks at the life of Enza Anderson who continues to make international headlines for her work as an anti-bullying and queer rights activist. Yet behind the headlines is […]
When I heard that 49 of my Orlando brothers and sisters died as a result of the one man’s hate fuelled rampage I felt sick because I know it’s caused by a culture that rewards homophobia, sexism and oppression. Sometimes I wonder if we are no longer in the modern era but have gone back in a time machine to […]
Photo by Ben Powless: Hamlet In A Hot Tub at Nuit Rose Closing Ceremonies, Pride Toronto (2015). (1) You won’t learn a thing if you do it perfectly. There’s a difference between making a mistake in public and intentionally making a public mistake. We adapted the original production of Hamlet In A Hot Tub (HIAHT) so we could perform […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Sear against the grain of the meat, you get a better sear. When presenting meat with sauce, put sauce on the seared parts, but leave the cut parts un-sauced so you can see the doneness. No mise cups (small plastic cups) of sugar in the kitchen, they get mixed up with salt too […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Always bring a pen to exam day (nudge nudge Erik) Roses are now bred with no/reduced thorns, but these roses have very little scent. You have to use roses from the Middle East / Turkey to smell the real scent of a rose, and to properly infuse a rose taste into food. Seedless watermelons […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS LAMB is the meat from a one year old sheep or younger. MUTTON is the meat from a sheep over one year. Lamb neck is an inexpensive under-rated cut of meat, and can be made into a succulent stew. Cooking meat leaving the bone in gives you more flavour. Have a mise cup […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS One pork tenderloin yields 4 servings Lard is simply rendered pig fat Don’t use the expression “sweating like a pig”…pigs don’t sweat. Add a few drops of vinegar to your sugar/water syrop to prevent it from crystallizing. Cutlery is always stored and cleaned face down – no touching the parts that go into […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Pepper your steak after grilling, charred pepper become bitter tasting. When sharpening your knife on a stone, angle the blade so the back is a penny’s thickness off the stone. The ‘best’ stew if made from the shin, or the tail. These are very well worked muscles, so they have lots of collagen, […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS The more a muscle is used, the darker it is (more myoglobin). Hence game meat (duck, geese, pheasant), which actually moves quite a bit has more darker meat than the less motile chicken/turkey. When serving quail, 1 for an appetizer, 3 for main course. Quadrillage (horizontal cross-scoring of the duck breast skin), creates […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Briefly fry your spices before using, it brings out their flavour significantly. Removing the wishbone when quartering a chicken makes it much easier to carve the breast. When plating sautéed chicken, don’t cover the nicely browned skin with sauce. Never boil meat, simmer it. Simmering water is at 195, boiling water is at […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Shuck your oyster with the round side down, this way when you finally get it open the juice stays in the “cup”. When soaking your mussels before cooking, throw in a spoonful of flour, they actually absorb/eat it and become much more plump. The ideal lobster weight is 2-3 pounds. Below one pound […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS ROUND fish yield 2 fillets, FLAT fish yield 4 fillets (smaller of course). FLAT fish are born with their eyes on both sides, but one of the eyes migrates over to the other side, so they end up on the same side. When ‘battering’ (i.e. flour-eggs-breadcrumbs), put your seasoning (salt, pepper, etc) on the […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS The two broad fish categories are ROUND (muscly, fatty: = because they swim far in heavy currents: trout, salmon, tuna), and FLAT (lean, thin, both eyes on one side: because they live at the bottom where there is less current and don’t swim far: sole, flounder, halibut). Add salt to egg whites, and […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Add salt to fries immediately after frying – the heat melds the salt flavour. Also, potatoes suck up a lot salt, so put more than usual. When you want potato slices to stick together in a dish (e.g. in scalloped potatoes), don’t wash them after cutting, the starch will keep them together Rubbing […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Always dry your salad ingredients prior to tossing, or the dressing won’t grip and will run off the leaf onto the plate. The water will also dilute the carefully balanced vinaigrette. The word vinegar = sour wine (vin aigre). Most vinegar is made by fermenting wine. You should be able to eat a […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS If your salmon has thick white lines in it, it is farmed (which almost all salmon is). Those white lines are Omega-6 fat, not the much-desired Omega-3 which are found in the wild salmon. Use pink salt in your paté or it turns a pale grey Bacteria need a certain water percentage to […]