Theatre Outré winds up their tenth season as well as their tenure at Didi’s Playhaus, June 15-17, with an original auto-fictional play by Lethbridge playwright Liam Monaghan.

The play, Strange/  Familiar is an embellished story about Monaghan’s  experience growing up queer and adopted in Alberta.

 

“This show is about my experiences as a queer and adopted in Southern Alberta. It is about family, both the chosen, like the family at  Theatre Outré and  biological,” said Monaghan, whose play “How To Leave” was one of the first shows staged by Theatre Outré in 2014.

He has also been part of a variety of Theatre Outré shows particularly singing in their cabaret and tribute nights to queer icons like Dolly Parton, Cher and Judy Garland.

 

“ There is a lot of cabaret music in the show,” Monaghan said, noting he grew up  in Lethbridge , lived in Vancouver and  was looking back on his experience while working towards in his MFA at the University of Alberta.

“ I was thinking about  what to write about and thinking of adapting my life into this play,” he said.

“ It’s a very personal play about my experience,” he said. He has been involved with Theatre Outré for a long time, so it means a lot for Theatre Outré  to feature his play as their last in the downtown space upstairs on  Fifth street and 4th avenue south.

 

“It‘s about Liam, who  has just moved in with  his new boyfriend, who gets a letter from his birth mom, saying, his father has passed on and has left him something in his will,” Monaghan summarized.

 The show, starring some familiar local theatre personalities, Monaghan, Kathy Zaborsky and Graham Mothersill spans several genres including comedy, drama and music including some original compositions by Monaghan.

“ and there will be some theatrical surprises,” said Monaghan, whose favourite  Theatre Outer memories are performing in the cabarets.

 

 Opening night, Thursday, June 15 is sold out but there are still tickets available for Friday and the two shows  on Saturday.

 After the Lethbridge run, the show goes to Edmonton for three nights, June 22-24

Just weeks after moving in with his boyfriend, Joseph, Liam receives an unexpected letter from his birth mother. What follows is an extraordinary journey through strange realities and familiar fantasies, as Liam plays out a personal myth in pursuit of the meaning of family. 
 “ I’m really excited to perform it in front of an audience,” he said.

 

 While Strange/Familiar is the last show in the Didi’s Playhaus Space, it is not the end  for the local queer theatre company.

 

“ It gives us the flexibility to  perform in more found spaces and  invest ur money more wisely.,” said directer Brett Dahl, noting the next season will begin in late summer with the official season announcement.

“ Our artistic team is working on it now,” he said, adding  Theatre Outré´ has come a long way in 10 years.

 

“It’s been surprising having a queer theatre company in Southern Alberta.It’s been really exciting,” said Dahl, who has been part of Theatre outré since 2014.

 

“ We’ve been here in Southern Alberta for 10 years, we‘ve performed in Dublin,” he said.

 

“Theatre Outré  has been a place for queer people and for local queer artists,” he said.

“ It’s been wonderful  to see the support from the community,” he continued.

 

The show takes place takes place at Didi’s Playhaus, #210 517a 4
the Ave S. in Lethbridge from June 15- 17, with shows daily at 7:30 p.m, and a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. 
 Tickets are pay-what-you-can and available at www.theatreoutre.ca

— by Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor