Stage/Toronto Fringe 2024

What: Poz
Where: Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace, 16 Ryerson Ave.
When: Sat., July 13 at 6:15 pm
Highlight: Keller’s vulnerable and engrossing writer-actor talents
Rating: NNNN (out of 5)
Why you should go: A sincere tale of self-acceptance

A RAPID TEST in a doctor’s office. Two dots. HIV+.

But it’s 2014, there’s medication and this is not a death sentence … so what does being “poz” look like today?

Mark Keller, writer and actor of this 60-minute show, tells the story of the diagnosis that changed the course of his life. Winner of the Fringe Best New Play contest, this show brims with life, comedy and brutal honesty. Keller delivers a vulnerable performance that engages the audience from beginning to end.

Chronicling his 10-year journey from diagnosis to acceptance, the audience watches Mark as he navigates friendships and relationships under his new circumstances. Actor Alan Shonfield shows incredible versatility in filling as Everyone Else in his story — from doctors to lovers — including in a raw and powerful breakup scene.

From Grindr matches to disclosing status to those he loves most, this show is a masterclass from Keller in engrossing storytelling and self-acceptance.

The show includes interludes of him cycling on stage, depicting his journey from Toronto to Montreal in support of the Friends for Life Bike Rally, supporting those living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto, Kingston and Montreal.

You can donate to his real-life Bike Rally fund here: https://secure.pwatoronto.org/site/TR/BikeRally/General?px=1002627&pg=personal&fr_id=1090