Full Description for THE SILICONE DIARIES

Transsexual Nina Arsenault may be perceived as "fake", but the sixty cosmetic surgeries that transformed her from an awkward man into a 36D-26-40 bombshell are anything but.

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presents
THE SILICONE DIARIES
Created and performed by Nina Arsenault
Directed by Brendan Healy
Dramaturgy by Judith Rudakoff
Stage Manager Laura Baxter
Set and Lighting Designer Trevor Schwellnus
Video Designer Nicolas A. Greenland
Sound Designer Richard Feren

NOV 14 - 22, 2009, 8pm | ADDED SHOW NOV 22
8 SHOWS ONLY | BUY YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE | 416-975-8555

Previews Sat, Nov 14 & Sun, Nov 15 at 8pm
Opens Nov 17 and runs till Nov 22, Tues - Sun 8pm

Transsexual Nina Arsenault may be perceived as fake, but the sixty cosmetic surgeries that transformed her from an awkward man into a 36D-26-40 bombshell are anything but. The Silicone Diaries is a full, frank and fierce exploration of the contradictions associated with the quest for beauty, balanced by an intimate and spiritual account of Arsenault's adventures in plastic surgery.

According to Arsenault, Beauty is something some women are lucky to be born with. Beauty is supposed to be natural, but if you weren't lucky enough to be born with it then you're called superficial for pursuing it. This is the variable for her exploration, as she seeks to define the perceived difference between inner and outer beauty, realness and fakeness. Along the way, Arsenault proves an engaging raconteur chronicling everything from Playboy Bunny fantasies to black market injections, a Mexican castration, and a "Crying Game-style" collision with rocker Tommy Lee.

Nina Arsenault came to prominence as a columnist for Fab Magazine. Her widely read column The Silicone Diaries documented her transitioning and laid the foundation for her future performance work. The script for the upcoming production of The Silicone Diaries will be published in an anthology of queer plays by Borealis Press. In 2009, Arsenault sold out Canadian queer festivals, We're Funny That Way, Buddies' Sexy Pride and Halifax's Queer Acts Festival with her hilarious solo, I Was Barbie. Arsenault's television appearances have included The Jon Dore Show (Comedy Network), Kink (Showcase), Train 48 (Global) and Fashion Television. Across Canada through her many appearance, articles and performances, Arsenault is garnering accolades and exposure as a unique Canadian artist. The Silicone Diaries will appear in January 2010 at Nakai Theatre's Pivot Festival in the Yukon.

Dramaturg Judith Rudakoff and Director Brendan Healy (recipient of the Pauline McGibbon Award and Buddies' recently appointed Artistic Director) sculpt this outrageous, inspirational, and often hilarious piece. Rounding out the creative team are Dora Award-winning designers Trevor Schwellnus (Set and Lighting) and Richard Feren (Sound).

The Silicone Diaries is a challenging piece produced in a remarkable season of work by women. Not only does Arsenault's show push past the cultural sound-byte of a woman trapped in a man body, but also engages us in her story as if it were our own.


"a queer Venus & certainly Toronto's most exciting body modification project."
- Mitchel Raphael, Maclean's columnist, former Fab! Magazine editor

Reviews for THE SILICONE DIARIES

• **** (out of 4) - Toronto Star  read full review
• ***** (out of 5) - eye weekly  read full review
• Becoming a woman is only the beginning of this personal transformation - Globe and Mail  read full review

Press Releases for THE SILICONE DIARIES

• Press release for THE SILICONE DIARIES