About the Play:

Cissy is a collection of three full-length dramas by Dave Deveau. Three powerful, intensely relevant plays on gender and young LGBTQ+ folk. Nelly Boy explores what it means not to fit in and challenges one of the givens of humanity: gender. My Funny Valentine explores the ripple effect hate has on a community by following fictional characters on the fringes of the murder who are forever changed because of it. Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, aimed at Grades 4 to 8, tells the story of Fiona, a nine-year-old who comes out as a boy and wants to be called Fin.

Nelly Boy is biologically a boy, but hardly male, nor female. He's caught in the shadow of teen sisters and grappling with complicated gender expression in a family that can't understand him. An interrogator, in turn, attempts to put the pieces together in order to discover how Nelly was found running naked along the side of a six-lane highway. As their dialogue progresses, Nelly's traumatic history slowly unfolds. Caught in the middle of opposing gender ideals, Nelly is forced to confront hatred and their own perceptions of the world in order to survive. Nelly Boy is a story about a person struggling to find space to exist between the black and white of the world. (Premiered in 2009 at PAL Theatre in Vancouver, Cast: 1 non-binary teen, 2 male)

What people say about Nelly Boy:

"Smart, heartfelt, and sometimes funny." — Georgia Straight

"So raw and intimate you might feel you're eavesdropping… Nelly Boy gets under your skin." — Vancouver Courier

My Funny Valentine tackles the fracturing of opinion in the face of a horrendous act – the 2008 murder of fourteen-year-old Lawrence Latisha King, who was shot twice in the head after asking Brandon McInerney to be their valentine. Helen, who taught the dead student years prior, has become an advocate for changes in how schools navigate “problem” children; Gloria was down the hall in another classroom when the gunshot went off, but will forever be branded as a student who went to “that school”; Hal may have had online conversations with the young student prior to his death, and doesn't want anyone to accuse him of anything unsavoury; Rhonda has just received one of the dead boy's organs; Roger taught the boy, but doesn't believe that his newfound martyrdom is called for; Ray's son had an altercation in a locker room with the boy, something which will never be solved in the wake of his death; Bernard's journalism career is catapulted forward by being the first on the scene, but he's conflicted about prospering from the death. Haunting, moving, and strangely comedic, My Funny Valentine cracks open the greater humanity of a community trying to heal a wound amid the confusing and chaotic implications of King's tragic death. (Premiered in 2011 at PAL Theatre in Vancouver, Cast: 1 male)

What people say about My Funny Valentine:

"The characters in My Funny Valentine were compelling and nuanced. Their distances from the action allowed what could have been a straightforward real-life horror story to unfold like a murder mystery, a whydunit where the answer will never make any sense." — Vancouver Sun

"An exceptionally beautiful piece of work…meticulously scripted characters shot through with contradictions…simply superb." — Vancouver Courier

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls follows the story of 9-year-old Fiona who comes out as a boy and wants to be called Fin. Fin has always had this feeling – knowing something is different but not knowing what it was or how to say it. As Fin cuts his hair short and changes his name, his family works to understand and adjust to Fin's gender identity. Dad is accepting of the change right away, but Mom doesn't quite get it at first. Always from a place of good intentions, we see Fin's family struggle with this change and through the course of the play ultimately begin to accept and embrace Fin for who he is. (Premiered in 2018 at at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto and then toured to Ontario schools, 1 female, 2 mle)

What people say about Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls:

"Often when we talk about differences, empathy and inclusion the conversations can become abstract and intellectual. The show, for me, invoked a much more grounded sense of empathy and understanding of the challenges students and their families face when kids identify their own differences. Beautifully written and performed. We definitely want to bring the show back next fall when our 7's become next years 8's." — Toronto District School Board Principal

"Seriously fantastic! Such relatable characters that made the challenges of being trans or defying gender norms make sense." — Toronto District School Board Teacher

About the Playwright:

Dave Deveau is an award-winning Canadian writer who investigates queer themes that speak to a broad audience. He grew up as a film and television actor before crossing over to writing in his teens. He went on to study theatre and playwriting and had his first professional play produced while still an undergrad. His work has been produced across Canada and the US as well as in Europe.