Today I... is a one woman show that is both humorous and heartfelt. A Gen Z story of a young woman from the Bay grappling with self and sexual identity.
At first it's the usual: Tinder dates, waitressing jobs, pap smears, yoga, astrology, STDs, and parental support...but then Today I... well, it hits different...
Follow along with Gema: a feminist, badass daughter, and hopeless romantic as she finds her queerness, confidence, and her path in life.
The play is written and performed by Lonni Patey and directed by Jenn Deon, with stage management by George Ferguson.
*This play is not appropriate for children
At first it's the usual: Tinder dates, waitressing jobs, pap smears, yoga, astrology, STDs, and parental support...but then Today I... well, it hits different...
Follow along with Gema: a feminist, badass daughter, and hopeless romantic as she finds her queerness, confidence, and her path in life.
The play is written and performed by Lonni Patey and directed by Jenn Deon, with stage management by George Ferguson.
*This play is not appropriate for children
Upcoming performances
Cast and Crew List
- Jenn Deon - Producer and Director
- George Ferguson - Stage Manager
- Leahdawn Helena - Dramaturge
- Lonni Patey - Playwright and Actor
Biographies
Jenn Deon - Producer and Director (she/her)
Jenn is a freelance theatre artist and administrator who has worked in St. John’s since the early 90’s. With PerSIStence, she has directed Robert Chafe's Isle of Demons (2017); Berni Stapleton's The Haunting of Margaret Duley (2019); and Trudy Morgan-Cole's The Mirror (2021). As artistic director with the Shakespeare by the Sea Festival from 1995-2015, she directed many of its productions over the years, including a female-driven production of The Taming of the Shrew (2014) and an all-female production of Much Ado About Nothing (2008). In 2013, Jenn was a recipient of a Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for her community involvement, and in 2018, the Woman of Distinction Award for Arts & Culture from the YWCA St. John's. Jenn was also a nominee for the 2020 and 2022 Human Rights Award from the NL Human Rights Commission. Additionally, Jenn facilitates Respectful Workplace workshops for arts and non-profit organizations. In 2023, Jenn was a national finalist for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur awards in the category of Social Change - Regional Impact.
Jenn is a freelance theatre artist and administrator who has worked in St. John’s since the early 90’s. With PerSIStence, she has directed Robert Chafe's Isle of Demons (2017); Berni Stapleton's The Haunting of Margaret Duley (2019); and Trudy Morgan-Cole's The Mirror (2021). As artistic director with the Shakespeare by the Sea Festival from 1995-2015, she directed many of its productions over the years, including a female-driven production of The Taming of the Shrew (2014) and an all-female production of Much Ado About Nothing (2008). In 2013, Jenn was a recipient of a Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for her community involvement, and in 2018, the Woman of Distinction Award for Arts & Culture from the YWCA St. John's. Jenn was also a nominee for the 2020 and 2022 Human Rights Award from the NL Human Rights Commission. Additionally, Jenn facilitates Respectful Workplace workshops for arts and non-profit organizations. In 2023, Jenn was a national finalist for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur awards in the category of Social Change - Regional Impact.
George Ferguson - Theatre Production Assistant (They/Them)
George is a theatre technician in-training based out of St. John’s. They are currently working towards their BFA at Memorial University’s Grenfell campus and are interested in exploration of social issues and the pursuit of social justice through theatre. They have worked on Orlando (2024) at Grenfell campus and The Prom (2023), RENT (2022) and The Addams Family (2022) at Central Memorial Hugh School in Calgary, Alberta. They have also volunteered with CB Nuit and Atlanticon. In their free time they enjoy birdwatching, reading and making visual art.
George is a theatre technician in-training based out of St. John’s. They are currently working towards their BFA at Memorial University’s Grenfell campus and are interested in exploration of social issues and the pursuit of social justice through theatre. They have worked on Orlando (2024) at Grenfell campus and The Prom (2023), RENT (2022) and The Addams Family (2022) at Central Memorial Hugh School in Calgary, Alberta. They have also volunteered with CB Nuit and Atlanticon. In their free time they enjoy birdwatching, reading and making visual art.
Lonni Patey - Playwright and Actor (she/they)
Lonni Patey (she/they) is an artist based in St.John’s Newfoundland. She holds a BFA in Theatre Arts, and has worked professionally as an actor in theatre and film with select credits including; Lara on Surrealestate (film), and Pantaloona in One Servant Two Masters (Theatre). Lonni is the social media manager for companies in the St.John’s area including; NL Sketch Fest, and Güd Productions. She also holds the title of being the winner of Atlantic Canada’s Biggest Improv Tournament along with her improv partner Luke Rowe. She has since emerged as a playwright and has written for multiple sketch comedy shows, and written and produced her own work since 2021.
Lonni Patey (she/they) is an artist based in St.John’s Newfoundland. She holds a BFA in Theatre Arts, and has worked professionally as an actor in theatre and film with select credits including; Lara on Surrealestate (film), and Pantaloona in One Servant Two Masters (Theatre). Lonni is the social media manager for companies in the St.John’s area including; NL Sketch Fest, and Güd Productions. She also holds the title of being the winner of Atlantic Canada’s Biggest Improv Tournament along with her improv partner Luke Rowe. She has since emerged as a playwright and has written for multiple sketch comedy shows, and written and produced her own work since 2021.
Leahdawn Helena - Dramaturge (She/They/Nekm)
Leahdawn was born and raised on the west coast of Ktaqmkuk (the island of Newfoundland), and is trained as an actor, writer, director, and dramaturge. They hold degrees in both Theatre and Sociocultural Studies from Memorial University Grenfell Campus. Their first full-length screenplay, Ruthless, was selected for a Newfoundland Arts and Letters prize in 2020. In 2021 they directed Petrina Bromley in Elizabeth Hicks’ one-woman short play, Hearty at Eighty, for PerSIStence Theatre. In 2021 they performed in Stephenville Theatre Festival in Meghan Greeley’s To the Girls, as well as the tour production in 2023. Their play, Stolen Sisters, which premiered in 2022, features Order of Canada member Deantha Edmunds, and is historically grounded in the colonial experiences of Beothuk and Mi’kmaw women and girls. Stolen Sisters toured across Newfoundland in 2023, Labrador in January 2024, and New Brunswick in April 2024. Their most recent work, Precariously Placed: Pandemic Monologues From The Edge, was researched and created with support from PerSIStence Theatre and York University. They work as a freelance Dramaturg and as an Indigenous Sociocultural Consultant for the St John’s and Avalon Arts community, working with Artistic Fraud, St John’s Shorts, Persistence Theatre, and the Cupids Legacy Project, among others. L’nuit. Tleiawit Nujio’qonik. (They are L’nu. They have family roots in the Bay St George region.)
Leahdawn was born and raised on the west coast of Ktaqmkuk (the island of Newfoundland), and is trained as an actor, writer, director, and dramaturge. They hold degrees in both Theatre and Sociocultural Studies from Memorial University Grenfell Campus. Their first full-length screenplay, Ruthless, was selected for a Newfoundland Arts and Letters prize in 2020. In 2021 they directed Petrina Bromley in Elizabeth Hicks’ one-woman short play, Hearty at Eighty, for PerSIStence Theatre. In 2021 they performed in Stephenville Theatre Festival in Meghan Greeley’s To the Girls, as well as the tour production in 2023. Their play, Stolen Sisters, which premiered in 2022, features Order of Canada member Deantha Edmunds, and is historically grounded in the colonial experiences of Beothuk and Mi’kmaw women and girls. Stolen Sisters toured across Newfoundland in 2023, Labrador in January 2024, and New Brunswick in April 2024. Their most recent work, Precariously Placed: Pandemic Monologues From The Edge, was researched and created with support from PerSIStence Theatre and York University. They work as a freelance Dramaturg and as an Indigenous Sociocultural Consultant for the St John’s and Avalon Arts community, working with Artistic Fraud, St John’s Shorts, Persistence Theatre, and the Cupids Legacy Project, among others. L’nuit. Tleiawit Nujio’qonik. (They are L’nu. They have family roots in the Bay St George region.)
