Tomboy (Chłopczyca)
THE CULTCH PRESENTS
TOMBOY (CHŁOPCZYCA)
BY ANAIS MATEUSZ WEST
CO-PRODUCED BY ANAIS MATEUSZ WEST AND the frank theatre company (VANCOUVER)
MAR 04–08, 2026
VANCITY CULTURE LAB
RUNNING TIME: 2 HRS INCLUDING INTERMISSION
CREATORS’ NOTE
In “My Words to Victor Frankenstein above the Village of Chamounix”, Susan Stryker likens the trans experience to that of Frankenstein’s monster. We are stigmatized by society, we are often abandoned by our makers, and many of us are “constructed” through scientific intervention. However, unlike Frankenstein’s monster, we are self-made. We forge ourselves from a range of influences to imagine gender anew. Tomboy strives to embrace this ethos of selfdetermination. There is no single director of the piece — instead, three gender-non-conforming artists (playwright Anais Mateusz West, dramaturg Joanna Garfinkel and choreographer Oh Augustine) have collectively led this work, in tandem with the cast and creative team. The gestures you witness are a collage, sewn together from our shared memories, dreams and desires. By prioritizing autonomy and collaboration, we unearthed the monstrous parts of the self — violence, trauma, shame — to hopefully transform them. The container of creation as transfiguring as its contents. We’re so grateful to the many queer artists who have contributed their craft, heart, and freaky, weird selves to this play, from workshop to production. In the words of Stryker: “May you discover the enlivening power of darkness within yourself. May it nourish your rage. May your rage inform your actions, and your actions transform you as you struggle to transform your world.” — Mateusz, Joanna and Oh
CREATIVE TEAM
CHOREOGRAPHER / COLLABORATOR OH AUGUSTINE
DRAMATURG / COLLABORATOR JOANNA GARFINKEL
PLAYWRIGHT / COLLABORATOR ANAIS MATEUSZ WEST
PERFORMERS EMILY JANE KING, RAE TAKEI, & CALDER WHITE
UNDERSTUDY CAMILLE LEGG*
LIGHTING DESIGNER ALEXANDRA CAPRARA
COSTUME & SCENIC DESIGNER JAEWOO KANG
SOUND DESIGNER & COMPOSER ROXANNE NESBITT
ASSISTANT COSTUME & SCENIC DESIGNER REED JACKSON
ADDITIONAL SOUND DESIGN SASHA J. LANGFORD
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR JAMIE SWEENEY
STAGE MANAGER JASMIN SANDHU*
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER BRIANNA BERNARD
VOICE COACH TARA CHEYENNE FRIEDENBERG
INTIMACY DIRECTOR LISA GOEBEL*
ACCESS ZINE GRAPHIC DESIGNER ASHLEIGH GIFFEN
ACCESSIBILITY COORDINATOR & CONSULTANT V/VERONIQUE WEST
VOICE ACTORS TERESA BERDYS, JULIA KUZKA, ALEK TOLEDOCISAK, & PIOTR WIECZOREK
AUDIO ENGINEER PIOTR WIECZOREK
CULTURAL & LINGUISTIC CONSULTANTS CHRIS (KRZYSIEK) HANULA, KARO HANULA, JESS LEBEDYNSKI, LIZZIE RAJCHEL, JULIA SIEDLANOWSKA, & PIOTR WIECZOREK COMMUNITY EXHIBITION ARTISTS JASPER BEREHULKE & NIKE CJ KING
FRANK THEATRE PRODUCER KARTER MASUHARA
The participation of these artists is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance•Opera•Theatre Policy (DOT)
The Cultch stage crew, box office, and front of house staff are members of Local 118 of IATSE
Tomboy (Chłopczyca) was developed through Odd Meridian Arts’ CONJURE Residency at MORROW Studio, Sage Theatre’s IGNITE Festival and Rice & Beans Theatre’s DBLSPK Program.
FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, The Hamber Foundation, The Vancouver Foundation, The Parachute Fund, Rice & Beans Theatre, Playwrights Theatre Centre, Odd Meridian Arts, Major Matt Mason Collective, and the Federation of Russian Canadians of BC.
ARTISTS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS
Kit Benz, Alexa Fraser, Kimberly Ho, Camille Legg, Tanya Marquardt, Fay Nass, Joe Perry, Kira Radosevic, Lizzie Rajchel, Franki Reed-Schuyler, Joylyn Secunda, Fil Wiatrak, Matthew Winters and Stephanie Wong.
THANK YOUS
Neworld Theatre and Edie Chunn