Fringe Theatre Presents: Tough Guy

Tough Guy follows a group of friends as they navigate the aftermath of a shooting at Aria, a queer nightclub. They’re all nursing wounds, visible and invisible, and are thrown into further turmoil when their friend Emerson, a rising star in the independent film scene, comes back home to film a documentary about the shooting.

How do we go on when the unthinkable happens? What does it mean to point a camera at a catastrophe? How does queerness endure, time and time again?

Winner of the 2025 Westbury Family Fringe Theatre Award and the 2025 Alberta Playwriting Competition, Tough Guy is at once an excavation of a tragedy and a celebration of the tenacity of queer joy. It’s gripping, visceral, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, always unapologetic.

Accessible Performances:
Tuesday, November 4 8PM: CART Captioned Performance
Wednesday, November 5 8PM: CART Captioned/Relaxed Performance

Tickets: $26. Offer What You Will pricing available.

Age Rating: Parental Guidance (14+) – the yellow light – parental discretion advised

This show contains: adult language, adult content, death, drugs/alcohol, homophobic and transphobic violence, gun violence, violence

CAST
Mel Bahniuk
Michelle Diaz
Jasmine Hopfe
Marguerite Lawler
Autumn Strom

CREATIVE TEAM
Playwright/Producer – Hayley Moorhouse
Director – Brett Dahl
Dramaturg – Evan Medd
Stage Manager – Jess Haight
Production Manager – Liv Bunge
Set/Lighting Designer – Lieke den Bakker
Sound Designer – Kena León
Projection Designer – Ian Jackson