Raymond Helkio Raymond Helkio is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art & Design, whose work has been shown at international film, theatre, and design festivals including Inside Out Film Festival, Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, Design Exchange, Videofag, Art Gallery of Ontario, Glad Day Bookshop, Artscape and Nuit Rose.
Playwright Sky Gilbert’s most recent work Bungalow showing at the Hamilton Fringe Festival is set in Steel Town but it could easily apply to most cities whose rapid growth leads to gentrification which ultimately pits those who have, against those who do not. We are introduced to two different sides of a semi-detached bungalow, neighbours […]
Playwright Philip Cairns recent mounting of Diamonds on Plastic at the Hamilton Fringe Festival is a smart, witty and tightly written romp through the mind of Doris Nightshade, an older woman whose kept relationship one day forces her into the arms of her long-time female friend and confidant.
Perhaps one of the smartest queer (or otherwise) comedy shows I’ve seen in a decade because instead of being dotted by funny moments, it’s a seamless laugh-fest from begging to end… if Saturday Night Live had sex with Kids In The Hall during a musical, Extravaganza Eleganza would be the offspring.
Sharp, thoughtful and to the point writing that paints a vivid portrait of Vivek’s Shraya’s search for safety in our masculine-dominate culture. The personal stories that makeup I’m Afraid of Men are compelling and framed from the perspective of a person whose gender expression ever-shifts against, and with, conventional norms, serving to challenge the status quo as well as each of our roles within it.
“We rally for diversity of appearance but flake on diversity of viewpoint.” -Irshad Manji, Don’t Label Me Pulling from her own experiences as well as that of Bruce Lee, Ben Franklin and Audre Lorde, Irshad Manji dismantles how the labels we use to define others, ultimately define and limit ourselves. Don’t Label Me deconstructs […]
Questions answered by Brock Hessel, Vince Rozario, Kumari Giles, and Mikiki There’s always lots of great finds at the Rhubarb Festival including an instalment of The Bricks and Glitter Cabaret. The Reading Salon asked the organizers about this years event and why should book your ticket now! What is the “A Trouble of Queers: The […]
Whether you believe in UFO’s or not, this show makes a compelling case for life in outer space, but that’s not why you should see it. From the start, Damien dismantles any notion of a fourth wall, speaking directly to the audience, maintaining eye contact throughout the ninety-minute show, shifting the experience, and it was an experience, from voyeuristic to participatory.
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 […]
It’s a chilly night in Brooklyn so I’m walking with a quick step down the tree-lined streets until I arrived at the setting for tonight’s show, a hundred-year-old Victorian mansion. Known as the Beverly Social Club, this mansion was originally built for a doctor but in the 1920s it was home to the Brooklyn Democratic […]
On the surface, Love Song To Lavender Menace is about the struggle for acceptance which is explored through the relationship between Lewis, Glen and their beloved LGBT bookshop, Lavender Menace is underscored by the blooming gay rights movement. While the play is set in Edinburgh, the struggle to take up space in a homophobic […]
This is not dinner theatre, it’s way better, it’s theatre dinner. When I hear the words “dinner theatre”, I immediately think of mediocre food along with a cabaret or some okay’ish performance. Shake & Bake has decidedly tried to not brand itself that way, and for good reason. It isn’t that at all. It’s so […]
Do we marry for love or is it something else? It’s this very question that’s at the core of Daniel’s Husband. This insightful analysis of gay marriage gives compelling reasons why we may, and may not, want any part of it. The story follows Daniel and Mitchell’s seemingly perfect life, except for one thing. Daniel wants […]
Tennessee Williams wrote many notable plays but it’s his earlier works like The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that are produced, so it’s a treat when some of his more brazen characters get a chance to take the stage. Small Craft Warnings, directed by Barnaby Edwards and Marcus […]
The remount of Gertrude & Alice kicked off Buddies In Bad Times Theatre’s 40th season and it was like walking through a Picasso painting, amazing. The smart set is made up of seemingly decorative items that later serve as functioning props for the characters. The set design is genius in that it’s all powered by […]
What started out as a low-tech whimsical romp through a marketer’s backroom quickly turned into a thought-provoking dark comedy. Cluster Fucked is an unpretentious Masterclass on data and how it’s used to track, influence and alter how we operate as individuals and collectively as a culture. Devised as a theatre piece, the play is a […]
From acclaimed Croatian playwright Tena Štivicic and directed by the award-winning Svjetlana Jaklenec, The Two of Us had its North American premiere at this year’s Fringe Festival in Toronto. The story follows two women as they navigate family, friendship and love in a post-war Croatia. On the surface, The Two of Us is an examination of […]
LULU V.7 invites audiences into an absurdly beautiful and wildly twisted world of love, sex, art and death. Surreal scenography, sublime movement choreography and imaginative costuming combine to create a world that was as vibrant as it was dark and foreboding.
Edmonton continues to birth artistic masterpieces and Category E is no exception. On until the end of the month, this horror-comedy is produced by Maggie Tree Collective and has garnered many awards including five Sterling Awards for New Play and Independent Production. Written by Edmonton-based playwright Belinda Cornish, the madness that is Category E is as […]
Originally published on theBUZZ Alone Together is a double bill consisting of There she was and Taking Breath which use dance in an examination of human connection. Constructed as a reality that is both chaotic and calming, Alone Together merges two performances that are similar in structure yet different in every other way. Taking A Breath is a […]
Originally published through The BUZZ, April 3, 2018 Written and directed by Sky Gilbert, I Cook, He Does The Dishes is as much about the value of relationship as it is a questioning of how we relate to being in, out of, or enmeshed in it. The play is a modern take on the real-life love […]
If you’re looking for an Ed Mirvish happy fun musical theatre evening, The Monument is not for you. This is going to be a dark evening. A soldier who has raped and killed 25 girls/women in the bedlam of war is given a choice: face execution or become a slave to a woman for the […]
“Black box theater in New York is an amazing experience but very so often productions are not fully committed to their best results for many different reasons, scarce profits, small audiences etc etc. There was never a second in this production in which I doubted or even worse forgot the importance of the job that […]
When twin sisters inherit the house where Poe composed The Raven, their lives take twisted turns that affect the future of mankind. The House on Poe Street by Fengar Gael, directed by Katie McHugh is a sharp, witty escapade through an incredibly wide range of topics including chemistry, poetry, the occult, privilege, and gender bending. […]
The Box Show by Dominique Salerno and directed by Sash Bischoff is a clever, fast-paced one woman show that takes place inside of a box the size of a cupboard. Over the course of the performance, Salerno introduces the audience to 25 hysterical characters that range from over-the-top pop icons to borderline insane interpretations of […]
Andrea Alton is magnificent as her alter ego “Molly ‘Equity’ Dykeman” in Molly’s World, a rainbow romp through the mind of a pill-popping lesbian security guard and part-time poet. If Ellen Degeneres, Rosanne Barr and the Trailer Park Boys had offspring, they might look something like Molly, an in-your-face, tell-it-like-it-is type of gal with a […]
REVIEW: Doric Wilson’s Street Theatre delivers a 90 minute laugh-a-minute spectacle through one of the most historic moments in queer history. Read more.
Virginia Baeta’s queer metaphorical twist on a murder mystery is a fun and whimsical journey into the gender-bending world of Thomas Sparks, a private dick who is bent on bedding the seductive Iris Carnegie played by the uber-talented Karen Stanion…
Written and performed by Neil Titley, “Introducing Mr Wilde, or Work is the Curse of the Drinking Class” is a smart and often cheeky introduction to the life and death of Oscar Wilde. Introducing Mr. Wilde has literally toured the world including sold out performances for the last three years at the highly competitive Edinburgh […]
Street Children by Pia Scala-Zankel is pure unadulterated street realness. Unsettling at times, Street Children is set during the 1986 on the Hudson Piers in New York City and portrays the lives of the LGBT street youth in a real and honest light. This period in our history was one of the most exciting times for […]
As provocative as it is entertaining, Black Boys is a camp adventure into queer male blackness. Stephen Jackman-Torkoff, Tawiah Ben M’Carthy, and Thomas Olajide make up the three member performance team Saga Colectif which mix together personal stories, beautiful choreography, smart dialogue and potent stage presence into a metatheatrical experience that’ll reinvigorate your love for […]
Hosanna’s Higher Self If Requiem For A Dream, Moulin Rouge and Carrie had a rendezvous their offspring would be a lot like Hosanna. Damien Atkins was riveting in his portrayal of Hosanna, an aging drag queen who models herself after the legendary Elizabeth Taylor. Hosanna’s outrageously sharp tongue lands her in a fight with […]
Blind Date is a raw, intimate and honest portrayal of what it means to put yourself out there. Rebecca Northan creates an experience that moves beyond the traditional notion of theatre. The performance takes the entire audience along with them on a voyeuristic journey into someone else’s life and the date is both familiar […]
PLEASE to join us at the AGO this Wednesday at 7pm for a legendary performance by KEITH COLE, featuring gay porn star Ryan Russell, drag sensation Maria Delmonte with cinematic landscaping by queer filmmaker Raymond Helkio. This commissioned work is part of TORONTO: Tributes + Tributaries which explores the work of Canadian artists active between 1971-1989 through modern day performance art. TWO SHOWS ONLY: Wednesday, October 26, 7pm […]
With graphic design by Raymond Helkio Infinity Yoga + Fitness opened September 6, 2016 in Richmond Hill and carries with it the inspiring lessons from the infinity loop, it’s a perfect synergy of mind and body fit for a queen (or king) by Joanna Sherman. Also this month, Marguerite Arbour debuted HEAVEN SCENT, her latest line of handmade coconut oil based […]
Graphic design for the Dignity Initiative: Raymond Helkio | Recent years have witnessed significant progress in many countries around the world in the realization of the fundamental human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, from securing decriminalization of our sexuality and protection against discrimination to achieving recognition for our relationships and families. But […]
HAPPY PRIDE! Now you can re-live the RAID experience again and again with RAID: The Soundtrack. Written by David Bateman and Raymond Helkio with Stewart Borden and featuring songs by Keith Cole, Johnny Salib and David Bateman. Produced by The Reading Salon. FREE
QueerTransMen.org brings you great up to date info on the issues facing queer trans guys and the guys that dig them. They are looking for a few good bloggers to join them in spreading the word about trans guys and sexual health. And they pay! For more information please email them. Brought to you by the super-fine folks at the Gay Men’s […]
It’s been 35 year’s since the Metropolitan Toronto Police simultaneously raided 4 bathhouses, arresting over 300 men in grotesque display of power intended to humiliate the men they found. These raids were the catalyst for one of the most significant turning points in Canadian LGBT history. Dubbed Operation Soap by police the raids sparked outrage among the […]
Julie Andrews is the Devil is a funny and charming love story about Tabitha, played by a magnificent Andrea Alton, who is a lesbian nun fixated on Julie Andrews from The Sound of Music. When Tabitha goes to Provincetown during Women’s Week she meets her love interest, a guitar wielding lesbian folksinger hot-pot named Marissa, played by […]
Trans-Jester is a fitly, potty-mouthed, politically incorrect, mean spirited show and the most fun I’ve had in years. Behind the succession of cheap-shots and endless poo jokes is a deeper, philosophical commentary about a culture of inclusive political correctness that has started to suck the uniqueness right out of the human race. But who really cares about deeper meanings when you’ve got comedy of […]
Israel Horovitz’s Line is an authentic New York theatre experience in part because at 45 years it’s the longest running show and also because it’s a fine-tuned drama at it’s most absurd. Line takes us into the lives of five people who struggle to be first in line for a completely unknown event. It’s the story of their […]
I Will Look Forward To This Later is the story of author Wyatt Holloway who passes away leaving his family to deal with the aftermath of a tumultuous life fuelled by Bourbon, art and infidelity. James Himelsbach plays Wyatt, the eccentric playboy who is a seamless combination of Ricardo Montalban from Fantasy Island and Henry […]
Seriously, WTF was that?! The Fuerza Bruta experience was like watching the MOMA have sex with The Roxy – for our Canadian friends that’s like the AGO copulating with The Guvernment Nightclub… I’m definitely going back. Fuerza Bruta Daryl Roth Theatre 101 East 15th Street TICKETS
“It’s as moving as it is disturbing”
A clever play about forgiveness, House Rules is a smartly layered story about two Filipino families trying to make sense of the impending deaths of each others ailing parents. Mia Katigbak is hilarious as Vera, the sharp-witted mother of duelling sisters Twee and Momo whose stage presence is rivalled only by JoJo Gonzalez’s deeply moving performance as Ernie, the miserable […]
Golden Boy by Clifford Odets is about Joe Bonaparte whose gives up on his dream of becoming a violinist when he gets seduced into the world of prize fighting. Joe Bonaparte is played by an entertaining Fergus Scully who could rival Billy Elliot for genuine tenderness. His on again off again relationship with Lorna Moon, played by Alexandra Allwine was […]
A native of Italy, Fabio Zito has a history of work that has continually been supported and produced by his home theatre but the topic matter of his latest work proved to be too much and for the first time his script was rejected. Not being discouraged, Fabio went of the hunt for a replacement company […]
DAILY XTRA, MARCH 14, 2016, Chris Dupuis Queer zine redefines family and supports Glad Day in the process MyGayToronto.com, February 29, 2016, Drew Rowsome Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Fuck You: A Zine About Family eBook PDF download Buy Now ($8) Limited addition hardcopy in-store at Glad Day Bookshop or send us an email.
“THE BLINDING POWER OF LOVE, THE ENIGMA OF GENDER, AND THE COMPLICATED MYSTERY OF HOW WE BECOME WHO WE ARE.” INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY. In the 1960s, a well-intentioned doctor convinces the parents of a male infant to raise their son as a girl after a terrible accident. Two decades later, the repercussions of that […]
A PROGRAM GUIDE FOR ONLINE SEXUAL HEALTH OUTREACH IN ONTARIO CREATED BY THE GAY MEN’S SEXUAL HEALTH ALLIANCE (GMSH) Graphic Design: Raymond Helkio Written By: Woodrow Clarence Thank You: Dane Griffiths This guide is designed for workers in Ontario who provide online (sexual health) outreach services to gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). […]
(10) To hear her secret(s) to a happy life (9) Because you love Paris in springtime (8) And German Sing-A-Longs (7) To feel like you’ve toured the world (6) To see D’yan Forest face down, spread eagled (5) Learn how to get laid by a camel (4) You love a good story, especially when it involves sex (3) […]
#CoreAdultsOnly | Directed by Alex Correia, Adults Only is comprised of seven one-act plays by Dean Imperial that illuminate the dark, ironic and awkward world of adulthood. Boosting a cast of thirty incredibly talented actors, Shane Allen’s delivery during The Heart Attack was dead-pan brilliant as was Katie Lawson’s was captivating performance in The […]
When Elizabeth, portrayed by the illustrious Tayler Beth Anderson, discovers that her grandmother has died and left the estate to a ‘mystery’ aunt named ‘Bes’ she is hurt. She locates Bes who comes alive because of a spunky and heartwarming Alice Spvvak whose character attempts to make sense of their increasingly confusing situation. Tea In The Afternoon unfolds into a story about fantasy, […]
Theatre Review by Raymond Helkio, The Reading Salon
The needed change is so profound that we call it impossible, so deep that we call it unthinkable. But the impossible will come and the unthinkable is inevitable. –Feminism Is Not Humanism, P.B. Preciado MDLSX is an 80-minute performance/monologue/ DJ set performed by the award-winning actress Silvia Calderoni and directed by Motus founders, Enrico Casagrande […]
REVIEW | The Reading Salon, Raymond Helkio | The two-time Tony Award-winning 39 Steps is a comedic spoof of the classic 1935 film. The brilliantly madcap story follows our dashing hero Richard Hannay as he races to solve the mystery of The 39 Steps, all the while trying to clear his name. Just 439 […]
Written by Elizabeth Verwey and cover design by Raymond Helkio, My Business Ate My Life has over 25 ideas to help you get back on track. Join us for a fun evening with other business owners and make new friends at the lovely Paintbox Bistro. This is a free event. My Business Ate My Life Book Launch Monday January 25, 2016 […]
Pictured above: Larry Gutman, Michael Hardart* and Leonardo Altafini, photo by Bella Muccari. Set in a London hospital, It Runs in the Family by Ray Cooney has esteemed Dr. Mortimore on the brink of delivering the Ponsonby Lecture to an international conference of neurologists; but first, he must fend off a paternity suit, an ex wife, a […]
Ophelia is a comedy about a hot male movie star who gets cast as Ophelia in an all-male production of Hamlet on Broadway but unfortunately, he knows as much about women as he does about acting. Ophelia is part love letter to the entertainment industry and part vicious indictment of traditional gender roles. The […]
Written by Cheryl King and Ashley Lauren Rogers, Gender is a show with an identity crisis of its own. Not sure what to call itself, Gender is billed as a ‘performance project’ which in this case means part play, part sketch comedy and part lecture. The programme was printed backwards possibly on […]
It’s 1988 and Brandon is embarking on his Senior year at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School for Boys. He’s smart, charming and the captain of the football team – a typical St. Joe’s leader. But when a video tape featuring graphic sex acts is found in one of the school’s VCRs his future is threatened. […]
The Great Meeting Room by Raymond Helkio is available in stores now! Glad Day Bookshop 598A Yonge Street, Toronto Bureau of General Service Queer Division The Lesbian Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Centre 208 West 13th Street, New York City OR CLICK HERE TO ORDER ONLINE
Opening Night REVIEW: Adapted from the Directors Notes from Thomas R. Gorden If someone were to ask me “What is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern all about?” I would say “It’s not really about Hamlet or Rosencrantz and Guildenstern”. It could be called “Alfred, Polonius, Player King, Soldier and Horatio Are Alive” which are the characters played by […]
What do Liza Minnelli, Joan Rivers, Bette Midler, Rosie O’Donnell, Kathy Griffin, and Ryan G Hinds have in common? They all love high camp, sequins, show tunes and they’ve each been guests to the historic Don’t Tell Mama, a cabaret piano bar in New York’s theatre district. And now Ryan (Hedwig & the Angry Inch; MacArthur Park Suite, A Disco Ballet, Starry Notions) […]
A light and funny romp through a distorted family’s view on business, sex and sausage making. Proclaiming to be the new ‘Latino gay cisgender glam sex farce’, the Garcias are a wacky Cuban family (think Addams family meets the Kardashians) who operate a successful sausage business as a cover for their real business, an escort service. If you need a reason to […]
I can’t think of a more gut-wrenching scene then watching a mother, lover or friend tend to a loved one who is in palliative care and for anyone that’s had been in the role of care giver, the opening scene was deeply heart breaking as Walter slowly and painfully changes the diapers of Marcos, […]
REVIEW | OCTOBER 15, 2015 | With Bram Stroker’s Dracula turning 100 this year it seems only fitting that we kick-off our Halloween season with an interpretation of Steven Dietz’s Dracula in New York’s West Park Presbyterian Church. The show is produced by Three Day Hangover (T3H), a NYC theatre company that mounts classic plays in bars, most notably the 2013 […]
December 1st, 2015 | Bawdy House Texts launches across New York City. This unapologetic outdoor art installation is a potent reminder of the most significant historical turning points in queer history. Never forget, never again. Curated and designed by Raymond Helkio. LAUNCH DETAILS COMING SOON Email Address First Name Last Name
When my good friend Brock Hessel offered me a ticket I was excited to go and also uncomfortable because I was sure this might be one of those plays where the full experience doesn’t fully register on me until days after. And this is just what happens when days after I see the show news breaks of the Harrisburg […]