Following its 2019 premiere at the Toronto Queer Theatre Festival, The Hobby Horse Theatre Company presents a newly expanded production of all that remains, written and directed by Josh Downing, and running at the 2023 Toronto Fringe Festival from July 5 to 15 on the Alumnae Theatre Mainstage.
About the play
Working man Joe Ferrer enters a coroner’s office wondering why they’ve been calling him about his daughter. He doesn’t have a daughter. Grief counsellor Angela Franklin has been waiting for the last family to pick up the remains of their loved ones, but isn’t prepared to deal with a man like Joe. Maybe Pandora, the pig-shaped cookie jar, can help them both find healing and hope.
all that remains delicately balances trauma and hope to provide a poignant and hard-fought example of acceptance. “Listen for the love, that’s all that remains”.
Our trans brothers and sisters are the most vulnerable in our family and they need all the love and protection we can offer. Especially with the way things are going in our current world.
— Josh Downing, Playwright/Director
In 2019, playwright Josh Downing read an article about a father who refused to pick up his gay son’s remains after the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL. This was the inspiration for the short play presented in the Toronto Queer Theatre Festival in the fall of 2019. In Downing’s short play, Joe Ferrer is in denial and refuses to pick up the remains of his trans daughter. The grief counsellor, Angela, has her own pain to deal with while trying to mend fractured families.
This rewritten one-act play digs deeper into the lives of these two characters. While Joe refuses to accept that his son died as a woman, Angela tries to pull herself together long enough to help him get to the point he can just say his daughter’s name and begin the healing process. While the subject matter is an emotional journey, the light in this story revolves around a colourful cookie jar in the shape of a pig that Angela uses in her counselling sessions. The cookie jar pig has been named Pandora, the Perfectly Fabulous Protector Of All – and, like the mythological Pandora, just might provide hope for these families.
About The Hobby Horse Theatre Company
The Hobby Horse Theatre Company is the production company of Toronto-based playwright and director Josh Downing, and is part of the LGBTQ2S community. The company recognizes, supports and appreciates the work of the community, and relies on the generosity of supportive allies. Their productions have been featured at the Toronto Queer Theatre Festival (formerly, the Gay Play Day Festival), InspiraTO Festival and New Ideas Festival, among others.
(Image credits: The Hobby Horse Theatre Company)
Event details
Hosted by: The Hobby Horse Theatre Company
Type of event: theatre performance
Written and directed by: Josh Downing
Cast: Natasha Fiorino as Angela Franklin, a family therapist at the coroner’s office; and Shawn Devlin as Joe Ferrer, a working-class father. With voice performances by Tricia Williams and Justin Hay.
Dates & times:
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- Wednesday, July 5 @ 5:00 PM EDT (Preview performance: Special preview rate $10.00)
- Saturday, July 8 @ 8:15 PM EDT
- Sunday, July 9 at 10:15 PM EDT From 7:30 – 9:45 PM EDT, mingle with the cast and crew before the show for The Perfectly Fabulous Silent Auction at The Banknote Bar (474 Adelaide St. E., Toronto, ON M5A 1N6, across from Alumnae Theatre).
- Monday, July 10 @ 4:15 PM EDT
- Thursday, July 13 @ 12:30 PM EDT (Relaxed performance) Relaxed performances have a relaxed attitude to noise and movement, including reducing extreme sound and lighting effects, leaving house lights on at a low level, and allowing patrons to come and go.
- Friday, July 14 @ 2:30 PM EDT
- Saturday, July 15 @ 6:00 PM EDT
Duration: 60 minutes, no intermission
Number of performances: 7
Cost: C$10.00 preview (Wednesday, July 5), $15.00 regular
Location: Alumnae Theatre, 70 Berkeley St., Toronto, ON, M5A 2W6 (corner of Berkeley and Adelaide St. E.)
Trailer: Watch the trailer
Booking link: Book your tickets here
Contact Details: The Hobby Horse Theatre Company, thehobbyhorse.weebly.com, TheHobbyHorseTheatreCo.media@gmail.com
Content warning: Reference to mass shootings and violence against trans people. Some mature language.
Accessibility: Alumnae Theatre’s Berkeley Street entrance and Mainstage theatre are wheelchair accessible. There is a wheelchair accessible restroom on the ground floor. There is a limited number of accessible parking spots available on Berkeley St. across from the theatre. There will be a relaxed performance on Thursday, July 13 (see description in Dates & times).
COVID-19 policy: Masks are recommended. Please do not attend if you have a fever or are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19; have tested positive for COVID-19 within 5 days of attending; or if you have had close contact with anyone suspected or confirmed of having COVID-19.