“a queer Venus…certainly Toronto’s most exciting body modification project.”
– Mitchel Raphael, Maclean’s columnist, former Fab! Magazine editor
Transsexual Nina Arsenault may be perceived as “fake”, but the 60 cosmetic surgeries that transformed her from an awkward man into a 36D-26-40 bombshell are anything but. The Silicone Diaries is a full, frank, and fierce exploration of the contradictions associated with the quest for beauty, balanced by an intimate and spiritual account of Arsenault’s adventures in plastic surgery.
According to Arsenault, “Beauty is something some women are lucky to be born with. Beauty is supposed to be natural, but if you weren’t lucky enough to be born with it then you’re called superficial for pursuing it.” This is the variable for her exploration, as she seeks to define the perceived difference between “inner and outer beauty, realness and fakeness.”
Along the way, Arsenault proves an engaging raconteur chronicling everything from Playboy Bunny fantasies to black market injections, a Mexican castration, and a “Crying Game-style” collision with rocker Tommy Lee.
Nina Arsenault came to prominence as a columnist for Fab Magazine. Her widely read column The Silicone Diaries documented her transitioning and laid the foundation for her future performance work. The script for the upcoming production of The Silicone Diaries will be published in an anthology of queer plays by Borealis Press.
In 2009, Arsenault sold out Canadian queer festivals, We’re Funny That Way, Buddies’ Sexy Pride and Halifax’s Queer Acts Festival with her hilarious solo, I Was Barbie. Arsenault’s television appearances have included The Jon Dore Show (Comedy Network), Kink (Showcase), Train 48 (Global) and Fashion Television. Across Canada through her many appearances, articles, and performances, Arsenault is garnering both acclaim and exposure as a unique Canadian artist.
Dramaturg Judith Rudakoff and Director Brendan Healy (recipient of the Pauline McGibbon Award and Buddies’ recently appointed Artistic Director) created this outrageous, inspirational, and often hilarious work. Rounding out the creative team are Dora Award-winning designers Trevor Schwellnus (set and lighting) and Richard Feren (sound).
The Silicone Diaries
Venue: Historic Theatre at The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street at Victoria Drive
Dates: February 14 to 19, and 21 to 25, 8 pm
Tickets: On sale from $16. Phone The Cultch box office at 604.251.1363 or purchase tickets online.
Post-show talkbacks on February 15, 16, 21 and 22
Photos courtesy of The Cultch.
