★★★★★
This is an extraordinarily moving story,
well-crafted and compassionately told.
See it now before it sells out.
— CBC


 Directed by Stuart Cox
Designed by Catherine Hume
Media Design by Calvin B. Grant

Based on her bestselling memoir, Alison Wearing's solo show has played to sold-out theatres across Canada, off-Broadway, and from Mexico to Sri Lanka, earning ovations and top honours at virtually every festival in which it has appeared.

Woven through music and imagery, this comic monologue tells the story of growing up with a gay father in the 1980s. These were early days, before the words 'gay' and 'father' had even been put into the same sentence, when no one yet knew if that might, someday, become possible.

Balancing intimacy, history and uproarious humour, this is not just a story of one family's challenge and quest for liberation. It is a moving and celebratory tale of family life: deliciously imperfect, riotously challenging, and full of life’s great lessons in love.

The show’s numerous awards include four Fringe Festival Best of Fest awards, the CBC’s Outstanding Solo Show award, and Best Dramatic Script at NYC's United Solo, the largest festival of solo theatre in the world.

★★★★★ This show is a five-star work of heart.
— CVV Magazine

 
 
 

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★★★★★
Uber-literate Alison Wearing holds the audience in the palm of her hand...Almost every sentence has a ticklish wordplay or phonic treat that makes listening a pleasure.
Combined with her presence on stage, Confessions is great storytelling. Grab your tickets early; they’ll be in hot demand.
— Winnipeg Free Press
★★★★★
Blending an easily digestible mix of storytelling, impressions, physical comedy, and a handful of costume props, Wearing takes you to the most awkward, and sometimes most hilarious,
moments in her unconventional family’s history...
The humanity in this show is overwhelming.
Drag your favourite homophobe along and challenge them not to be moved by this story.
— The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
★★★★★
The show works beautifully on all levels. Wearing is a skilled actress who commands our attention. Her script is tightly written, cleverly constructed and highly literate...
Be forewarned, the word is already out on this show. Line up (or buy advance tickets) early. Do make the effort; you will not be disappointed.
— Times Colonist (Victoria)
★★★★★
I would have sobbed loudly, but I’m too damn manly, so I just grunted and choked...Decades-old angst about sexual orientation might have felt stale, but, from the kid’s perspective, it’s fresh...The show, which Wearing performs expertly, also bursts with humour: how could she not have known her old man was queer when, instead of loot bags at one of her early birthday parties, he gave out homemade cassettes of a Mozart wind quintet?
— Georgia Straight (Vancouver)
A moving, tender joyous show...
Don’t miss it.
— The Slotkin Letter (Toronto)
 
 

Past Performances

Theatre Row: New York, New York

George Ignatieff Theatre: Toronto, Ontario

The Cultch Historic Theatre: Vancouver, British Columbia

WordFest Literary Festival: The Banff Centre: Banff, Alberta

Eden Mills Literary Festival: The Bookshelf: Guelph, Ontario

Stratford Writers Festival: Stratford, Ontario

WordFest Literary Festival: Calgary, Alberta

Galle Literary Festival: Galle, Sri Lanka

Burlington Performing Arts Centre: Burlington, Ontario

Maureen Forrester Recital Hall: Waterloo, Ontario

Northern Arts & Cultural Centre: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Huntsville Festival of the Arts: Huntsville, Ontario

The Cornelia Street Theatre: New York, NY

The Arts & Letters Club: Toronto, Ontario

Vancouver Writers Fest: Vancouver, British Columbia

Red River College Theatre: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Victoria Theatre: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Staircase Theatre: Hamilton, Ontario

Mackenzie Gallery: Regina, Saskatchewan

Kingston Writers Fest: Kingston, Ontario

Lebovic Centre for the Arts: Stouffville, Ontario

Lighthouse Theatre: Port Dover, Ontario

Imperial Theatre: Saint John, New Brunswick

Frye Festival: Moncton, New Brunswick

Bryan Jones Theatre: Lakefield, Ontario, Canada

Nozhem Theatre: Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

The Rio Theatre: Haida Gwaii, British Columbia

Massey Hall: Guelph, Ontario

Gabriola Island Theatre Festival: British Columbia

Harbour City Theatre: Nanaimo, British Columbia

Historic Gayety Theatre: Collingwood, Ontario

The Palace Theatre: London, Ontario

Coffin Ridge Theatre: Owen Sound, Ontario

Fifth Wind Theatre: Cobourg, Ontario

Lakefield Literary Festival: Lakefield, Ontario

the wave.jpg

TaDa! Festival: Centre Wakefield La Pêche: Wakefield, Quebec

El Fauno Feliz: Tepoztlán, Mexico

The Downtown Centre: Victoria, British Columbia

Gordon Best Theatre: Peterborough, Ontario

Factory 163: Stratford, Ontario

Garafraxa Live Theatre: Durham, Ontario

Bayfield Town Hall: Bayfield, Ontario

Rotary Hall: Lion's Head, Ontario

Theatre Aquarius Studio: Hamilton, Ontario

The Black Sheep Inn: Wakefield, Quebec


Production History

The Confessions of a Fairy's Daughter one-woman show was created in Tepoztlán, Mexico, by writer Alison Wearing and director Stuart Cox. It had its premiere in Mexico in March 2011. The show was redesigned and remounted by Catherine Hume before touring in Quebec and Ontario, Canada. Thanks to a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, Alison then devoted one year to expanding the script into a full-length book. When the memoir was published in 2013 by Alfred A. Knopf Canada, Alison did a cross-country tour of the book, together with the show, doing more than 50 performances in 5 months in 15 cities, and garnering 5-star reviews and awards in virtually every festival in which it appeared, including Best Dramatic Script in New York City's United Solo Festival, the largest festival of solo theatre in the world. The show has continued to play in theatres and international festivals across the country and abroad.