How To Fail As A Popstar

Through storytelling, movement and song, Vivek charts her journey to not quite pop music superstardom, creating a moving theatrical performance that is a reflection on the power of pop culture, dreams, disappointments, self-determination, and finding ones authentic voice.

Her album Part-Time Woman was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize, and her best-selling book I'm Afraid of Men was heralded by Vanity Fair as cultural rocket fuel. She is also the founder of the award-winning publishing imprint VS. Books, which supports emerging BIPOC writers.

A seven-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, Vivek was a Pride Toronto Grand Marshal and has been a brand ambassador for MAC Cosmetics and Pantene.

How To Fail As A Popstar was commissioned and produced by: Canadian Stage

Join us for more! Stay for a talkback with Vivek Shraya following the opening (October 12) and closing night (October 15) performances. 

The opening night talkback will be hosted by Aara Macauley - Artistic Director, Kingston WritersFest 
Aara has been involved with Kingston WritersFest in various capacities​ since 2011​ – from a patron, to archivist to box office coordinator​. In 2014, she​ joined the staff in an administrative role​, becoming Operations Manager in 2017, and, in December 2020, Artistic Director​. For four years she owned and operated a boutique selling primarily local, Canadian, and independently created art, clothing, and jewelry. Aara has been involved in the fundraising, event planning, and promotion committees for various local cabaret, film, and arts festivals. She is a proud member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and served as Chairperson on the Reelout Arts Project Board of Directors​ for 8 years. She currently sits on the City of Kingston Arts Advisory Committee, the Art in Public Places Working Group, chairs the Poet Laureate Working Group, and was a founding member of the steering committee for the Canadian Association of Literary Festivals.​ Aara’s goal is to champion greater access to and awareness of our community’s diversity through the arts.

The closing night talkback will hosted by Jermaine Marshall - Inclusion and Anti-Racism Advisor, Queen's University Human Rights & Equity Office

Jermaine Marshall (he/They) is a proud Jamaican born social justice educator with a passion for enacting change through the fostering of young minds and the implementation of equity based institutional reform.  

After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Law from the University of the West Indies, Jermaine went on to complete their Masters in Social Justice and Equity Studies at Brock University, where he worked coordinating intercultural, anti-racism and gender based violence prevention initiatives and campaigns.  

Jermaine currently works at Queen’s University as the Inclusion and Anti-Racism Advisor and in their spare time they freelance as a queer vocalist and poet whose artistry seeks to create a vibrant soundscape that captures the contours of lived pain and joy within an oppressive society.