'Real Me' School Tour 25-26: Fund actors & stage equipment

HELP US DO THE IMPOSSIBLE

Hi, I'm Hanlon Uafás-Álainn; I wrote and directed the new musical for young audiences, Real Me. Thanks for taking a couple of minutes to learn about Under the Bus Collective's recent production in association with Roseneath Theatre. We are special in that the company is made up almost entirely of trans and queer people.

When we roll into a school we are bringing a whole celebration of trans people and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as well as Disabled representation.

IN THIS CLIMATE IT FEELS IMPOSSIBLE TO BRING A TRANS PLAY TO YOUTH AND FAMILIES ACROSS ONTARIO AND CANADA - LET'S CHANGE THAT!

Real Me premiered at Roseneath Theatre to schools and at Thatz Showbiz to the public. Now we're taking bookings for tour dates in June in Nova Scotia 2025 and April/May in Ontario, 2026. (Please email to book a stop on the tour!)

What is it about?

The story is about Dan who transitions from 'Mom' to 'Papa' and his kids Iris and Blair. Blair accepts Papa immediately - we discover later that teenaged Blair is non-binary, so their acceptance makes sense. Iris is only seven years old and struggles to cope until she comes to realize that she has "the best Papa in the whole world!"

Why is it important?

This play is urgently needed RIGHT NOW - it has been created to directly combat transphobia and increase mental health in trans youth by depicting trans people being celebrated in their families and communities.

By witnessing Iris's journey the audience can confront some of the most common questions and feelings that allies have about transition and work through them together.

By telling this story we help trans kids who may not have a support system yet to feel less alone. Teachers and other adults who attended our sharings of the show as it developed have told us that they learned a lot too!

Funding of the development process

This play's development has been supported by the Toronto Arts Council through multi-year funding, Roseneath Theatre, Lush Cosmetics and the Ontario Arts Council as well as individual donors.

Why do you need donations for the tour?

There are so many hidden costs associated with a theatre tour - from paying our amazing company of (predominantly trans!) actors, music-director, stage managers/technicians, to paying for hotel rooms and renting vehicles to purchasing frames to hold our projection screen to renting sound equipment & lights in order to - well - light up performances at venues & schools across Ontario and (hopefully) beyond.

As you can imagine, we don't want to pass all these costs on to schools so we are to fundraising to keep schools' booking costs reasonable.

And funders when you donate, it shows funding bodies that we have diversified funding, and it encourages them to fund us too - strange but true!

These talented singer/actors are (left-to-right) Sarah Magni - playing 7-year-old Iris, Davrielle - playing Papa, and Emily Nixon - playing teenager Blair.

Below are the fam and Aunt Jane, played by Brie Doyle.

Please donate if you can. We have been developing this play with music for 5 years and we're proud of what we've created!

We are, of course, applying to all levels of government to support the tour, but the grant process is very competitive and sometimes we are only successful at one or two levels - which is why we also need YOU!

Pssst... if you want to help but have no extra $$$...

If you can't donate (believe me we get it) please share the fundraiser and also let your local schools know about the tour!