After a successful run in the Guelph Fringe Festival, Toronto audiences are going to have a chance to catch A Baby For Andy at The Deanne Taylor Theatre at 10 Busy Street in Leslieville (Toronto East). It’s the story of Andrew & Sam, a queer couple having to come to terms with a hidden dark secret a few months before their wedding.

Director’s Statement – Jason Downie

As a queer person, telling queer stories is something that is very important to me. Growing up in a small town in a fairly religious household felt very lonely and isolating at times. I never really had the chance to learn about my community or hear stories from others whose experiences were similar to my own. I remember being thirteen or fourteen and seeing my first on screen first between two men and finally thinking I had a place not just within the industry, but in this world. As I get older and continue to explore more of my own identity and now have the chance to tell these stories through my art, I take whatever opportunity I can get. I started writing ‘A Baby For Andy’ shortly after the virtual performances ended for my first play ‘Two-Headed Boy’ which was a look on the emotional effect of religious trauma and conversion therapy. It started as a one off writing prompt for a playwriting challenge I had signed up for. The prompt was “memories” and what came of it could be considered the scene before what we see at the beginning of the play, the prequel if you will. It stuck with me. I knew once I had completed the challenge I wanted to continue it, and see what I could do next. I’ve always had an interest in “conversation plays”, and the challenge that comes with keeping an audience engaged for an extended period of time using only two characters, the questions that come with it. How do you make these characters compelling? What about their stories is important? Why do they need to be told? Love is a complex, messy and beautiful thing, it isn’t always black and white, and I think that’s something that this story shows. I hope that those who watch this production are able to take something home with them long after the story ends. 

 Starring Aaron Rothermund (Andrew) and Soma Lakshminarasimhan

A Baby For Andy – The Deanne Taylor Theatre, 10 Busy Street, Toronto

Performances run:
Friday Sept 2nd, 8PM
Saturday Sept 3rd, 8PM, and
Sunday Sept 4th, 2:30PM & 8:00 PM

Runtime 55 mins. View the full program here.

Tickets are $20, and will be both available online, and at the door.

Presented by Penta Theatre

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.