"Money for the arts? Who needs it!? We do." says Dapopo's Garry Williams
In his new play 333, queer P.E.I. based playwright Jay Whitehead returns audiences to a pivotal moment in Queer Canadian History. “The Toronto Bathhouse Raids is a play rooted in queer history, collective memory, and National Pride”, says Whitehead. “Touring this work means bringing it into communities across Atlantic Canada - places where this story needs to be heard.”
Despite support from the Canada Council and Innovation PEI, the production relies on community support to meet the budget. “It is incredibly difficult to get funding for arts projects – now more than ever. We have applied twice unsuccessfully for Provincial grants”, says the show’s director Garry Williams (who originated the role of Honey in the workshop production), “despite confirmed Canada Council funding.”
The play was workshopped in Lethbridge Alberta and toured to the Dublin International Gay Theatre Festival in 2022 where it met with popular and critical acclaim. Now, Whitehead and show director Garry Williams are planning a highly anticipated Maritime tour: Charlottetown, Parrsboro, Sackville, N.B., and Halifax, NS.
Oh, yes, there’s nudity, there’s sex… it sort of comes with territory
“Oh, yes, there’s nudity, there’s sex… it sort of comes with territory”, quips Williams, co-producer with DaPoPo Theatre. “But there is also love, anger, hope, and resilience of a community being attacked and stripped – no pun intended – of their freedom, rights, and dignity.”
The play features three formidable actors at the height of their game who performed these roles in a powerful staged reading series last year. Whitehead appears in the role of Honey, an ageing queen who is politicised by the raids and begins to explore their gender identity. Halifax’s Diego Guerrero plays Eddy, a bathhouse employee and party boy, whose carefree lifestyle is forever changed. In the role of Darren, closeted husband and teacher, is Calgary’s John Tasker.
The fundraising initiative, 333 X 60, is looking for 60 individuals, businesses, households, friend groups, or collectives, to donate $333.- each. “This project is carried by people, not just institutions”, says Whitehead. “Collective action is how queer art has always moved forward.”
