Fresh off its five star run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Off-Fest nominated “My Dad Wears A Dress” is a comedic, one-woman show written and performed by Maria Telnikoff based on her own experience of growing up with a trans female parent. It follows a girl's journey, from childhood to youth, navigating a world in which all the other dads she knows are men. Filled with hilarious tales from her school days (from toilet mishaps to failed Valentines Day confessions), it shows the difficulties of fitting in as a young person and the fears we feel about being labelled “outside the box”. Brimming with life and sincerity, the play challenges a world of heteronormative values, from the struggles of buying a Fathers’ Day card to the questions raised describing one’s family in a French lesson. Funny and poignant, “My Dad Wears A Dress” is a celebration of difference and acceptance. “My Dad Wears A Dress” is the winner of FUSE Festival’s Best Fringe Show and was long listed for Brighton Fringe’s Award for Excellence. "Telnikoff is a powerhouse - I sobbed from the back row like a baby" (Rob Madge).
***** “Heartwarming, funny and honest” (Centre Stage)
***** “An absolute delight” (British Theatre)
***** ‘Reminded me of Rob Madge’s “My Son’s A Queer But What Can You Do?”’ (Theatre & Tonic)
**** “Sweet, playful and completely charming” (Why Now)
**** "A sweet celebration of non-nuclear families" (Three Weeks)
**** “An absolute gem of a show” (Broadway World)
**** “Smartly using comedy and clowning to criticise the impositions of heteronormativity” (Everything Theatre)
**** “A joyous celebration of childhood sprinkled with meaningful reflections on the binaries perpetuated by society” (Lost in Theatreland)
Running time: 60 minutes
Trigger Warning: Mild allusion to transphobia
Maria Telnikoff (she/they) is an actor, writer and alternative comedian.
Her one woman show “My Dad Wears A Dress” about growing up with a trans female parent is fresh off a five star run at the Edinburgh Fringe where it was Offie Nominated and Long-listed in the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence.
She has collaborated with White Noise Theatre extensively, on a co-authored project “Plant Gays” and their upcoming “Write Night”. Maria is currently also working on “All The Men Are Going To Hate Me”, a one-woman show about one woman’s attempt to write The Great (Female) Novel of the 21st Century.