Movies of War

Starring Fuad Ahmed, The Surrogate unfolds over one tense night in a hospital. The production stars Sarena Parmar (L), Thom Nyhuus (C), and Fuad Ahmed (R). (Courtesy: Studio Theatre at the Streetcar Crowsnest) Facebook Twitter Reddit Copy current article link A Toronto play is making waves for its exploration of several controversial topics, including privilege, modern family planning, surrogacy, and the ways that legislation impacts 2SLGBTQ+ families Starring actor Fuad Ahmed, The Surrogate is a production following a single night in the lives of a successful young gay couple. Prepared and excited to soon become fathers, Jake and Sameer are expecting their first child via surrogate. However, when their surrogate Marya has an emergency and is taken to the hospital, several legal, ethical, and personal questions arise. “[She] ends up having medical complications in Louisiana where their rights are compromised,” Ahmed told Queer & Now. “So [the show] goes on one harrowing night in the hospital. It’s a bit of a pressure cooker.” Ahmed explained that the couple originally signed surrogacy agreements in Houston, Texas, giving them full rights as parents. But when Marya crosses state lines and ends up in Louisiana they are not considered the parents, rather the surrogate herself is. This is despite not being an egg donor in the process. “It explores who has the right to be a parent, it explores the ethics of surrogacy from every single angle,” Ahmed continued, adding that this show asks difficult questions. Advertisement “Do Queer couples have the right to have children? Can you rent a woman’s body, essentially for this task, to create a family for yourself?” he continued, teasing that the show is a light one. The team behind The Surrogate approached Ahmed with the script in early stages of production, and once he read it, he was hooked. Authentic representation “I was enthralled with the script, I thought the part was incredible” he shared. “As a South Asian actor, you don’t really always get such meaty roles without delving into trauma porn. Like, let me just talk about all the ways it’s so hard to be a brown person’ type of thing.” He says this role felt like a more honest representation, which makes sense. The show was written by internationally acclaimed, New York-based writer, lawyer, and 2SLGBTQ+ rights advocate Mohsin Zaidi, the man behind the award-winning memoir A Dutiful Boy, which tells his story of growing up queer in a devout Muslim home. “He wrote this [show] based on his experience in the gay community, with surrogacy and all the different things,” Ahmed explained, adding that because it’s written by a lawyer, the legalities in the play are explored accurately and through different angles. Advertisement The opportunity also came at an interesting time in the actor’s personal life. During the week of auditions, he and his wife had found out they were expecting their first child. Read More ‘We’ve never had idols to look up to,’ Queer Muslims in Toronto aim to amplify representation with annual show From helplines to support groups, these Toronto services are helping 2SLGBTQ+ youth and parents year-round ‘Family is who you bleed for,’ Queer community left waiting for Ontario government to acknowledge Chosen Family Day “Then it’s really interesting because my character goes through a whole arc of ‘Am I ready to become a father,’ and I was very much in the same headspace at the time of the audition,” he explained, adding that while it was exciting, he was also questioning his preparedness for fatherhood. “It just seemed to be very serendipitous that it was all happening at the same time.” Queer stories on-stage Ahmed himself is not queer, but rather an ally. He shared that with the team behind the show early in the process, but they were confident he was the right person for the role. He and his co-star had a discussion, where Ahmed was reassured that he made the right decision in auditioning. “They’ve definitely had to give me a bit of a crash course in Queer culture. Sometimes I have a bit of a blind spot here and there,” he explained. “They’ve been so lovely, kind of welcoming me into the fold and helping me because I wanted to make sure I did the right job.” Advertisement But then again, even in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, don’t we all have blind spots? Ahmed shared that he also had a discussion with co-star Thom Nyhuus, who plays his character’s husband, Jake. “I spoke to him, and asked like ‘Did I make a mistake? Should I have declined this audition? Should I have let a Queer actor play it?’,” Ahmed explained, adding that Nyhuus said he himself plays straight roles all the time. Thom Nyhuss (L) and Fuad Ahmed (R) in The Surrogate. (Courtesy: Studio Theatre at the Streetcar Crowsnest) “I know representation is super important, but I just hope I portray the role properly,” Ahmed said. Taking audiences on a contemporary exploration of family-making, the show digs into the complex, emotional tension between love, power and responsibility in a production that asks audiences to immerse themselves into a compassionate discussion about queer family and kinship. Advertisement The Surrogate is directed by Crow’s Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director Christopher Manousos. “While heartfelt and often comedic, this play is fundamentally about a group of people doing their best in a high-pressure situation, forced to make immediate decisions that will shape the rest of their lives,” Manousos said in a statement. “Each character struggles to protect themselves and their families while also trying to be good people — two goals that don’t always align.” Ahmed shared that he hopes everyone who comes to see the production feels at the end of the show. “I’m excited for them to just fall into the show with one set of ideas, one set of opinions about the characters, and leave with another,” he added. The Surrogate is on stage at the Streetcar Crowsnest Theatre until March 29. Performances are scheduled Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. You can purchase tickets on the theatre website. 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