In My Day – A Play Reading

Thursday, June 18 // Doors 6PM Show 6:30PM // In the Cabaret
Tickets $15 + fees

Produced by lemonTree creations, Pandemic Theatre, and Nathan Lachowsky

written by Rick Waines
directed and choreographed by Indrit Kasapi

featuring Carmen Alvis, Nicole Joy-Fraser, Alisha Stranges, Anika Vikatesh, and more

A reading of this powerful and deeply moving play that sheds light on a pivotal chapter in our history. Set during the HIV/AIDS crisis, this poignant piece celebrates the resilience of diverse communities who came together in extraordinary ways. Through vivid storytelling, richly drawn characters and moments of humour and joy, playwright Rick Waines honours the voices of those who lived, loved and endured during an era marked by loss, fear and stigma.

Inspired by a community-based research project at the University of Victoria, In My Day brings to life the true stories of long-term survivors living with HIV and their caregivers from the first 15 years of the HIV pandemic on Coast Salish territory (British Columbia).

About lemonTree Creations
lemonTree creations is an equity-seeking theatre company that brings rarely told stories to the stage. We centre artists making work informed by their lived experience and present them through a queer performance lens. Our creative process includes decolonial and anti-racist strategies in the pursuit of equity for Indigenous and culturally diverse communities. Since our creation in 2008 we have developed, produced and presented several critically acclaimed and award winning productions such as the Dora Award winning BODY POLITIC by Nick Green, the queer classic LILIES; or the revival of the Romantic Drama by Michel Marc Bouchard, and the "treat for the senses" dance piece MSM [men seeking men] which toured nationally.

About PANDEMIC THEATRE
Founded in 2009, Pandemic Theatre is a performing arts collective that operated out of Tkaronto (Toronto) until 2022, and has recently relocated to Coast Salish Territories (Vancouver and Victoria). We create, develop, and produce work from critical and underrepresented perspectives that engage social and political themes. We strive to create spaces where political discourse is not only possible, but also encouraged.

About Rick Waines
Rick lives and works on the stolen and unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən People, known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. Rick’s plays tend to focus on his experiences living with HIV (but not exclusively so) since the mid-80’s. Using autofiction, verbatim material, and the lens HIV provides, he has written plays dealing with death and dying, the criminalization of HIV, and HIV’s historical impacts on the many communities affected. His work has been described as surprisingly funny. Rick is a Jessie Richardson award winner.

Photo by Sarah Race of The Cultch presentation 2022, produced by Zee Zee Theatre, Norman Armour, Rick Waines, directed By Shawn Macdonald. From left to right Cee Peal, Sabrina Symington, Scott Button, Braiden Houle, Alen Dominguez, Patti Allan, Ivy Charles, Kelsey Kanatan Wavey, Jackson Wai Chung Tse, Nick Benz.

Queer Pride 2026

June 5 – 28, 2026

WE’RE BACK DIVAS <3 

It’s Queer Pride 2026 and Buddies and Buddies Nightlife are teaming up to make HERstory with our messiest, most maximalist Pride yet. We’ve got a full month line-up of extremely queer parties, raves, cabarets, concerts, and comedy. 

No matter what flavour you bring, there’s room for you in our alphabet soup ;) 

Join us on the biggest dance floor in the village for the best of queer culture in Toronto and beyond. 

Thank you to our Government Partners Canadian Heritage and Experience Ontario, our Platinum Partner, National Bank, and our Gold Sponsor, Freddie, for making the 2026 Queer Pride Festival possible!