Program
And we’re back!!
We are so thankful that you are here to enjoy our slice of the wild and wonderful #drag, #clown and #puppetry work that exists all around us.
For us, WTF is all about celebrating our strange, making space for those who see the world differently, and sharing that with people like you.
We hope you have the best time here at WTF and thank you again for choosing to come play with us.
— Alicia & Byron
FUNDING FOR WTF PROVIDED BY:
VENUE SUPPORT FOR WTF PROVIDED BY:
SPECIAL THANKS:
There is no way we could have done anything without the kindness and support of a wide range of people, groups & organizations.
We give a special WTF thanks to:
Dave McKay/Sketchy The Clown
Sonia Vaillant
The Legacy Cabaret/Morgan Joy
Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts
Buskerfest/Mackenzie Muldoon
Toronto Fringe Festival/Laura Paduch/Rachel Kennedy
Objecto/Heather Caplap
Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival/Victoria Laberge
And all our AMAZING Volunteers!!
SHOWS
WINNING: Winning
GORDON NEILL
CREATOR
Gordon started Sweet Action Theatre as a place as a home for the ridiculous. In his spare time he does a finance-style day job. He is the embodiment of the philosophy that play is the antidote to fear of public speaking, and he looks forward to meeting you.
The ZUCCHINI Club
ALEXANDER MANTIA
CREATOR
Alexander decided when he was just 11 years old that he was going to be a puppeteer when he grew up. Now that he's 11 and 1/2 he's making his dreams come true. Alexander is a puppeteer for theatre and film alike, and is thrilled you're seeing his show.
*WORLD PREMIERE
BITTY-BAT on Planet Earth
EMILY JEFFERS
CREATOR
Emily is an actor, clown and producer. She has trained with clown masters like Philippe Gaulier, Aitor Basauri, Deanna Fleysher, Pedro Fabião, and instructors from the Idiot Workshop LA. She has performed as Bitty-Bat at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Toronto Sketchfest, Montreal Sketchfest and the Montreal Clown Festival.
SANTOSH SANTOSH
SRUTIKA SABU
CREATOR
Doctor turned late bloomer theatre kid. Srutika discovered clown last year and has since been trying to make the audience laugh and cry at the same time.
MAHDI MOZAFARI
CO-STAR
Multidisciplinary performer Mahdi Mozafari has been making audiences laugh since 2016. Be it stand-up, clown, burlesque, sketch or improv comedy.
WILLOW EDWARDS
STAGE MANAGER
Willow Edwards has been wandering the magical arts of improv and clowning, finding her creative voice, over the past 11 years on the stages of Vancouver and Toronto. She was also a producer, actor and visual effects artist on the 2024 award winning short film "Three AM" and is currently working on her second short film. Willow is excited to be part of Tosh's journey, and hopes you are, too!
CABARETS
STRANGE MAKER SHOWOFF
JESSE BUCK
HOST
Jesse Buck is a 25 year veteran of the craft and has appeared many times over the years in Toronto. Featured in numerous Toronto Clown Fests, and Red Nose Cabarets. Jesse recently got back from tour with Cirque du Soleil's Kooza. At this point he spends his time trying to get murdered in horror comedies.
HUDSON BAE
BOYLESQUE PUPPETRY
Talented, sumptuous, and sexy, Hudson Bae is a multi-disciplinary artist who explores every aspect of the human psyche. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, they’ll have you feel feelings from their peelings. This boy toy with his own toys will have you begging for more... and he delivers in full.
A self described music theatre major gone rogue, Jessie James is a queer and trans, multi-disciplinary drag artist currently living in Hamilton, ON. Originally getting her start in London, ON, Jessie has been dazzling audiences for 6 years now, bringing a punk, grunge-y flare to everything they do
JESSIE JAMES
DRAG PERFORMER
KENDALL SAVAGE
CLOWN
Kendall Savage is the former Artistic Director and Co founder of the Mtl Clown Festival. Kendall is a multiple award winning clown, musical theatre improv performer and actor for film and television. Represented by Jordan and Associates.
"Logan (he/they) is a queer environmental theatre maker, performer, puppeteer, educator, musician, writer, sound designer, and creator of exhaustive lists- based in the Mulipjikejk region of Mi’kma’ki (colonially known as Herring Cove, Nova Scotia). They have worked internationally as a puppeteer and are also the Artistic Director of The Unnatural Disaster Theatre Co!"
LOGAN ROBINS
PUPPETEER
RUY NIEVES
CLOWN
A Mexican stage-clown artist who has directed two Non-profit organizations in Mexico, engaging in community theater, opening alternative spaces and approaching art to disadvantaged environments. He has worked in many different productions from classical to contemporary as an actor, director and playwright and participated in different international festivals.
MAC is a multi-disciplinary, trans artist working in draglesque, puppetry, playwrighting and visual arts. Sex, kink, and filthiness act as his main inspirations as he creates bizarre, sexy works. You can also find him working in Buddies in Bad Times box office or in various cabarets around the city. Recent credits include; Unfinished Cabaret (Theatre Gargantua), Amateur Strip Night Judged by Drag Things (Bathhouse and Bodyworks), and FAST. FASHION, created through Paprika Festival 2024.
MAC
DRAG THING
Based on their love of film and video editing, CHROMAKAY uses drag, comedy, dance, and chroma-key magic to break the fourth wall- challenging binaries and expectations!
CHROMAKAY
DRAG BOUFFON
DON’T DRAG ME DOWN
ACE MONSTERA
HOST
Ace Monstera (he/they) is a gender-defying alternative drag king who aims to champion more space and representation for Kings, Things, and disabled performers in the Toronto drag scene. If you're into drama, pop-punk, theatricality, and whimsy with a little sizzle, Ace is the King to get your heart racing and body shaking.
DANK SINATRA
DRAG PERFORMER
Dank Sinatra is a non-binary drag thing, librarian, and Dora-nominated theater artist who has been singing, dancing, and flailing their way into hearts across Turtle Island since 2018. Boasting the same record collection as your Dad, Dank draws on influences from clown to cabaret, burlesque to classic rock, delivering thrills, chills, and live vocal skills with an old school sensibility and a heavy dose of stupidity. Keep up with them on instagram at @danksinatradrag.
MAX MALADA
DRAG PERFORMER
A maniac in monochrome, Max Malada is a multidisciplinary artist from Toronto. He specializes in drag, illustration, and original music. With a background in Pochinko clown, his avant-garde performances combine gothic aesthetics with heartfelt emotions and impish antics.
DYCE 2 WATCH OUT 4
DRAG PERFORMER
Debuted in January of this year and new to the drag king scene, Dyce 2 Watch Out 4 (Dyce) captivates with his electrifying spin on a 90's classic. Character-based performance is his current forte, but Watch Out for what he has next in store!
SANDY JOINT
DRAG PUPPETEER
Sandy Joint the King who's gonna take your heart, while holding a puppet.
STEFAN FETAMEAN
CLOWN DRAG
Uh oh! Did you forget to take your ADHD meds again? Never fear! Stefan Fetamean is here and he’s ready to hold your attention. Get ready to clap, laugh, and say “Oh, he's kinda hot!". Stefan Fetamean is Toronto's most hypermobile dancing stud. This king's groovy moves and devotion to "the bit" will keep you thoroughly entertained. Get ready to experience the theatrical charm, versatility, and gender bending of this wildly weird dragged out dude!
ANDY FETAMEAN
DRAG CLOWN
Hailing from the boggy marshes of Scarborough, Andy Fetamean is a gender-fucking clown creature with a penchant for magic, shenanigans, shiny objects and gyration. Andy is ready to make you go wild whilst also doing what he does best - being slightly unsettling.
KING FREDDIE
DRAG PERFORMER
King Freddie jumped right off the pages of your favourite comic book and onto the stage. This campy, theatrical King will have you laughing, crying, and saying “Long Live the King” before he's even through.
EMILIA WHITE
PERFORMANCE ART DRAG
Emilia White is a Toronto-based interdisciplinary performance artist whose work integrates theatre, puppetry, fibre art, and video. Her performances use humour and absurdity to explore deeper, often unsettling social and cultural issues. Grounded in experimentation, Emilia's practice pushes the traditional boundaries between artist and audience, fostering meaningful dialogue through active participation.
BRATTERY ACID
DRAG PERFORMER
Born and raised in London, and the king of the Haus of Hazard, Brattery Acid is known for bringing high-energy, full concept numbers to every performance. Whether you want edgy and alternative, or sexy and seductive, he serves it all; are you ready to take your very own Acid trip?
UP-AND-COMER CABARET
KENDALL SAVAGE
HOST
Kendall Savage is the former Artistic Director and Co founder of the Mtl Clown Festival. Kendall is a multiple award winning clown, musical theatre improv performer and actor for film and television. Represented by Jordan and Associates.
MONICA KOPEC
CLOWN
After discovering clown a few months ago, Monica has entered the clown scene with the goal of being as absurd as possible, as this brings her great joy and fulfillment. Feline is her first solo clown bit and she hopes that you'll enjoy it!!
RANDY BOOTS
BURLESQUE PUPPETRY
Toronto-based Randy Boots entered his burlesque phase in 2019. Since then, he performed for a variety of audiences across Southern Ontario – as well as two appearances at the Saskatoon International Burlesque Festival. Randy always goes that extra inch to show the world his love of peeling, puns, gimmicks and gags!
THE SENSATIONALS
BOUFFO CLOWN
Shanda Bezic and Michael MacEachern are multidisciplinary artists, best buds, and collectively known as The Sensationals. They have been devising original work since 2017 with a foundation in clown, dance and bouffon. They love the absurd and the unexpected. The Sensationals believe being silly is very serious.
MARK TERRRETT
PUPPETEER
Mark is a puppeteer and filmmaker fresh on the Toronto scene. He was recently seen as Chandler in the "Friends Parody: The One with The Puppets" (Al Green Theatre) and has worked on projects with Puppet Island and Skyship Productions. When not performing, Mark writes, edits and directs video projects.
TAMMY THE BROWN
DRAG PERFORMER
Tammy The Brown is South-western Ontario's Sword-balancing, Dancing, Alien! Combining her Middle-eastern culture with modern pop style, and an extraterrestrial twist! Come take a ride on this Magic Carpet Spaceship!
SNACKBABY THICCUMS
BURLESQUE
Snackbaby Thiccums is new to the Toronto burlesque community but hungry to experience the scene. Her burlesque is a celebration of all things that wiggle and jiggle and explores fat joy and sexuality.
MAYA ICONIQUE
DRAG PERFORMER
My name is Maya. I am a blue non-binary drag creature – the icon. I would be merely a figment of imagination if it weren’t for my internal organs, which ground me with all the different kinds of feelings that an icon like me can experience.
ANIMACY THEATRE COLLECTIVE
MASK CLOWN
Animacy Theatre Collective is a five-time Dora nominated and Dora award-winning collective based in Toronto, focused on the creation of original, experimental and interdisciplinary theatre works. They are consistently drawn to strange, ecological, and feminist stories centering characters who slither across the murky borders of species, gender, and sexuality.
EVENTS
POST ‘DRAG RACE’ DRAG PANEL
PEARLE HARBOUR
MODERATOR
Justin Miller is a queer, Toronto-based writer, performer, producer, designer, and Fool. As his drag alter-ego, tragicomedienne Pearle Harbour, he has been called “one of the most engaging and thoughtful performance artists around” (NOW Magazine). As a playwright, his award-winning original works have been presented from coast-to-coast to rave critical and audience acclaim, including some of the most prestigious stages in Canada. As a screenwriter, he has developed work for NBC-Peacock.
JESSIE JAMES
DRAG QUEEN
A self described music theatre major gone rogue, Jessie James is a queer and trans, multi-disciplinary drag artist currently living in Hamilton, ON. Originally getting her start in London, ON, Jessie has been dazzling audiences for 6 years now, bringing a punk, grunge-y flare to everything they do.
STEFAN FETAMEAN
DRAG KING
Uh oh! Did you forget to take your ADHD meds again? Never fear! Stefan Fetamean is here and he’s ready to hold your attention. Get ready to clap, laugh, and say “Oh, he's kinda hot!". Stefan Fetamean is Toronto's most hypermobile dancing stud. This king's groovy moves and devotion to "the bit" will keep you thoroughly entertained. Get ready to experience the theatrical charm, versatility, and gender bending of this wildly weird dragged out dude!
MAC
DRAG THING
MAC is a multi-disciplinary, trans artist working in draglesque, puppetry, playwrighting and visual arts. Sex, kink, and filthiness act as his main inspirations as he creates bizarre, sexy works. You can also find him working in Buddies in Bad Times box office or in various cabarets around the city. Recent credits include; Unfinished Cabaret (Theatre Gargantua), Amateur Strip Night Judged by Drag Things (Bathhouse and Bodyworks), and FAST. FASHION, created through Paprika Festival 2024.
INTRO TO SHADOW PUPPETRY
PUPPETMONGERS
FACILITAORS
Puppetmongers was founded by Ann and David Powell and has performed in Canada, the US, as well as the UK, France, Belgium, Germany and Iran. They continue to run the Puppetry Exploratory Laboratory, the Puppetry Hive, and Fresh Ideas in Puppetry.
As senior artists, the performing arts community often approaches us as advisers mentors, designers and builders, and Puppetmongers has become an invaluable resource to educators and community groups locally and nationally. Read more about Puppetmongers at www.puppetmongers.com.
STAFF
WTF TEAM
MONICA BRADFORD- LEA MARKETING/OUTREACH
Monica is a marketing specialist and project manager with 10+ years experience at organizations including Canada’s National Arts Centre and Tarragon Theatre.
She’s also a playwright, actor, producer, and co-founder of award-winning theatre company Spicy Day. Monica creates works that unite audiences in laughter, and provoke conversation about society. Follow her work on Instagram: @spicy_day, @bethanne_horse.
EMILY JEFFERS
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Emily Jeffers produces the shows TIGHT FIVE and You’ve Been Warned: A Bouffon Cabaret and facilitates workshops to support the professional development of clowns in the community.
She is also an actor and clown, known for characters like Sheonardo DiCaprio and Bitty-Bat. She has performed at Edinburgh Fringe, Toronto Sketchfest, Toronto Fringe, Montreal Sketchfest and the Montreal Clown Festival.
LAUREN WELCHNER
PATRON EXPERIENCE
Lauren is an experienced Events Manager and co-founder of Popscotch Events, a women-run local events company that has been featured on Global News, City News, 98.1 CHFI Radio, and in the Toronto Star.
Outside of events, Lauren’s theatre work with Spicy Day, which she has co-created, performed, and produced, has won ‘Best Of Fringe’ in the Toronto Fringe Festival, been awarded ‘Critic’s Pick’ by Mooney On Theatre, and been nominated for a Prix Rideau Award for ‘Outstanding New Work’.
Lucas is a newly Toronto-based actor, singer, and clown and is currently an MA candidate in theatre, dance, and performance studies at York University researching the intersections of clown and drag.
Lucas also performs as his drag queen persona, Pinkity-Twinkity (a queen by profession, clown by nature).
[Placement at WTF was facilitated by the Theatre Department at the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design.]
LUCAS IRVING
FESTIVAL INTERN
ALICIA DISTEFANO
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Alicia has been active in Toronto’s clown community since 2010 after obtaining a Master of Arts degree in Theatre and Performance studies from York University. She is the artistic director of Pajama Cat Productions and has been the force behind Red Nose Cabaret since its creation in 2017.
In addition, Alicia has over ten years experience working as an event administrator and community engagement coordinator. She is passionate about various forms of clown and comedy, as well as providing opportunities for artists to showcase their talent and reach new audiences.
BYRON LAVIOLETTE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Byron is a director with over twenty years experience working in the arts, the agency, the academy and the arcade.
Theatrically, he is the resident director of Pucking Fuppets with Adam Francis Proulx and has worked with the Summerworks Festival’s Audience Choice Winner Pearle Harbour and the 2014 Canadian Comedy Award and 2012 Dora Mavor Moore Award- winning clown duo Morro and Jasp.
Byron also holds a PhD in Interactive Theatre and Pervasive Transmedia Fiction from the Theatre and Performance Studies Department at York University.
