On Monday, February 24, the Motyer-Fancy Theatre (MFT) held a staged reading of Crake Drama Fellow Jay Whitehead’s new play 333. The performance deeply touched the hearts of the audience and was followed by a standing ovation. 333 is based on the true story of the Toronto bathhouse raids, a turning point for Canadian queer history also known as ‘Operation Soap’ by the police during that time. This story is still very important for young queer people to hear, especially in the troubling times of the present day.
Whitehead’s script follows the events of February 5, 1981, when “Toronto police officers rushed into several of Toronto’s gay bathhouses as part of a coordinated raid,” as Laura H. writes for Canadian Pride Historical Society. Darren, a closeted gay man, decides to go to one of the Toronto bathhouses, where he meets Honey B and Eddy (characters in different stages of accepting their own queerness) in room 333. A few hours later, they are interrupted by the raid. The circumstances that the characters have ended up in teach them (and the audience) the importance of an open mind, learning from your community, resilience, and advocating for the sake of people you care about. The play touches on universal and timeless topics, such as love and respect for the queer community, the importance of chosen family, internalized homophobia, transphobia, and police violence.
During the talk-back after the reading, Whitehead shared that they started working on the script in 2004, when they wrote one of the first scenes for a playwriting class. “People who got us to this place deserve to have their stories heard,” comments Whitehead. Even 40 years after the raids and 20 years after the beginning of the play’s creation, the stories of people detained during the raids and the protesters continue being empowering and activating for the younger generations.
Following the staged reading, Mt. Drama faculty Valmai Goggin and Ian McFarlane, director of the bilingual theatre troupe Tintamarre Alex Fancy, and marketing intern Jacob Farrell had some exciting news regarding the 2025–26 MFT season. Their ‘Season of Resistance and Resilience’ will feature shows “that inspire us to push forward and motivate us to celebrate our true authentic selves,” to quote the press release.
The first play of the 2025–26 season is Numbers, directed by Goggin, which will be premiering at the MFT in October 2025. This play is a one-act comedy about a rivalry in an all-girls boarding school where “Mean Girls meets Game of Thrones.”
To send students off to the winter break, Whitehead is presenting A Very Carole Christmas Carol, a Christmas drag show that “reimagines Dickens’ classic holiday tale.”
The drama department’s resident designer and beloved puppeteer, Ian McFarlane, will oversee a variety show, “Nocturnal Variations: The Puppet Cabaret,” showcasing student-created material performance in February of 2026.
In March 2026, creators of UBU ‘24 and Victor ‘26, Tintamarre, the MFT’s bilingual theatre troupe, directed by Alex Fancy and two student assistant directors, will be staging Exit ‘26, an adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist play No Exit.
To close out the season, upper-year students who meet the requirements for independent studies in directing will have an opportunity to take part in a student director showcase and direct one-act productions.
If you are interested in any of these theatre opportunities as an actor, stage crew, or contributing behind the scenes, you are welcome to contact the Mt. A drama department. Participation is open to any student regardless of their degree and experience.
