Josh Downing’s ‘All That Remains’ is running at the Toronto Fringe Festival July 5-15

All That Remains is a one-act play taking the audience on an emotional journey and digging deeper into the complicated lives of a father and his trans-daughter

TORONTO, July 5, 2023 – The Hobby Horse Theatre Company is proudly to presenting this newly expanded production of “all that remains” written and directed by Josh Downing at the 2023 Toronto Fringe Festival July 5 -15 in the Alumnae Theatre Mainspace (located at 70 Berkeley St. near King and Parliament). 

Working man Joe Ferrer enters a coroner’s office wondering why they’ve been calling him about his daughter. Except, he doesn’t have a daughter. Grief counsellor Angela Franklin has been waiting for the last family to pick up the remains of their loved ones but isn’t prepared to deal with a man like Joe. Maybe Pandora, the pig-shaped cookie jar can help them both find healing and hope. After all, love is all that remains.

In 2019, playwright Josh Downing read an article about a father that refused to pick up his gay son’s remains after the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. This was the inspiration for the short play presented in the Toronto Queer Theatre Festival fall of 2019.

In Downing’s short play, Joe Ferrer was in denial and refused to pick up the remains of his trans daughter. The grief counsellor, Angela, has her own pain to deal with while trying to mend fractured families.

This rewritten one-act play digs deeper into the lives of these two people. While Joe refuses to accept that his son died as a woman, Angela tries to pull herself together long enough to help him get to the point he can just say his daughter’s name and begin the healing process. While the subject matter is an emotional journey, the light in this
story revolves around a colourful cookie-jar that Angela uses in her counselling sessions. The cookie jar in the shape of a colourful pig has been named Pandora the Perfectly Fabulous Protector Of All and like the mythological Pandora, just might provide hope for these families.

“Our trans brothers and sisters are the most vulnerable in our family and they need all
the love and protection we can offer. Especially with the way things are going in our current world. I won’t lie, this play is emotional, but we need to tell and hear these stories. I’m working with actors I know and trust,” said Josh Downing – Playwright/Director. “Natasha is back to play Angela after initially bringing this
character to life in the short version. Stephen and I worked together in Toronto Fringe 2018 as he gave life to the troubled writer, Jim Abernathy, a gay man being evicted from his home in my play, ‘Tears of a Bullet’.

“My other experience with Fringe was the production of my play, ‘the elephant circle‘ in the Hamilton Fringe festival in 2018,” added Downing.

In addition to the Fringe festivals, Josh has worked with various theatre festivals since 2015 including Gay Play Day, HamilTEN Festival, New Ideas Festival, Toronto Queer Theatre Festival and Out Fest! Josh also directed, performed, and wrote plays for InspiraTO 10 Minute Play Festival and continues to support the festival with mentorship and dramaturgy for the Playwright Academy training.

Meanwhile, Natasha Fiorino, who plays Angela Franklin in the play is a Theatre and Television/Film Actor
as well as an Improviser and Voice-Over Artist. She says she is thrilled to be back on stage since the Pandemic and excited to experience her first Toronto Fringe Festival. She is equally honoured to reprise her role as Angela Franklin in All That Remains (TQTF 2019).

Natasha would like to thank Josh for writing such an important and powerful piece, but also for being a wonderful director and human.

This show is dedicated to the 49 innocent people who tragically lost their lives at the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016.

“Do not ask what love can make or do. Look at the colours of the world” – Rumi

Stephen Flett who plays Joe Ferrer is an award-winning actor who has appeared in too many shows spanning far too many years. He studied at Queen’s University and in England. His frequent (24) Fringe forays include Josh Downing’s Tears of a Bullet”(happy to be back). “God of Carnage”, “Lesson in Gabby”, “Shakespeare’s Rugby Wars”, “Pseudolus”, “Weirder Thou Art” and most recently “The December Man” Elsewhere: “Someone
Who’ll Watch Over Me”, “Moonshine”, “Shining City”, “Big Maggie”, and “The Night Joe Dolan’s Car Broke Down”(Toronto Irish Players); “Into the Woods” (StageWorks); “Tarantara! Tarantara!”, “Gaslight”, “The Best Man”, Tarantara Tarantara”, (Stage Centre); “Quiet Courage”, “Chorus of Approval”, and “Flea in her Ear” (Amicus). Recently: “Cole” (Stage Centre).

Supporting this production are Karen Ren, Stage Manager, Kat Welsh, Publicity and Media Co-ordinator.

all that remains is written by Josh Downing and presented by The Hobby Horse Theatre Co.in association with The Toronto Fringe Festival.

For tickets and more information: https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/all-remains

Showtimes are: Wednesday July 5th at 5:00pm*, Saturday 8th at 8:15pm, Sunday 9th at 10:15pm**, Monday 10th at 4:15pm, Thursday 13th at 12:30pm, Friday 14th at 2:30pm, Saturday 15th at 6:00pm.

*Special preview rate ONLY $10!

** Mingle with the cast and crew and join us for The Perfectly Fabulous Silent Auction at The Banknote Bar (across from the Alumnae Theatre) from 7:30-9:45pm before the show. 

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