In 1935, celebrated photographer and surrealist artist Dora Maar meets Pablo Picasso in a Paris café, igniting a charged collision of art and desire. Though Dora stands firmly on her own artistic path, their bond soon draws her into Picasso’s overpowering orbit. Across a decade marked by World War II and the occupation of France, she slowly sets aside her own work to sustain his brilliance. As their relationship fractures, Dora confronts the cost of becoming a muse—questioning what remains of her identity and what Picasso would be without her presence. Dora Maar: the wicked one is a theatrical exploration of love, obsession, artistic sacrifice, and the haunting search for self in the shadow of genius.
DORA MAAR: the wicked one is a one-woman play, written by Beth Graham and Daniela Vlaskalic, directed by Blake Brooker and featuring Daniela Vlaskalic as the surrealist photographer and painter, Dora Maar. The play is based on true events.
DORA MAAR: the wicked one
By Daniela Vlaskalic and Beth Graham
June 21st - 25rd 2026
In Hypothetical Baby, Rachel Cairns mixes data and drama to present an autobiographical work that dares to publicly talk about abortion the way we do privately — with neurotic vulnerability, unflinching honesty, and frank irreverence.
This darkly hilarious one-person show grapples with the personal and societal factors that shape our reproductive lives and the intricate relationship between choice, change, and loss. Cairns—named “one of the country’s most original actors” by The Globe & Mail and recognized with the publications Critic’s Pick—offers up a searingly honest, laugh-out-loud, and nuanced exploration of the practical and existential considerations involved in deciding whether to be, or not to be, a parent.
Hypothetical Baby
Written and Performed by Rachel Cairns
September 2nd - 13th 2026
The Limited Engagement Series is sponsored by: TBA
Meet the Team
Daniela Vlaskalic, Dora Maar
Daniela is thrilled to be returning to Here For Now Theatre. Other HFN credits include Stick Around (2025), Ale Wives (2022). Daniela has worked across Canada, selected credits include: Stratford Festival, RMTC, Theatre Calgary, ATP, Citadel Theatre, Grand Theatre, Canadian Stage, NAC, Tarragon, Theatre Aquarius, Drayton Entertainment and many more. Film/TV credits include: Murdoch Mysteries (CBC), Private Eyes (Global) and The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (Muse Productions). As a playwright, Daniela’s plays include, The Fox (world premiere Here For Now 2023), Sleight of Mind. Plays with co-writer Beth Graham include: Dora Maar: the wicked one, Comrades, Mules, and the multiple award-winning The Drowning Girls.
Rachel Cairns, Hypothetical Baby
Rachel Cairns is a Toronto-based creator currently developing both the memoir and film adaptations of her critically acclaimed play Hypothetical Baby, in partnership with ECW Press and with support from Telefilm. She is the creator and host of Aborsh, a Planned Parenthood Choice Award–winning podcast exploring abortion in Canada through conversations with experts, activists, and people across the country. Rachel teaches at George Brown’s School of Media and Performing Arts and directs audiobooks for Penguin Random House. She is also a recent alum of the Broadbent Institute’s Emerging Leaders Program a national fellowship for emerging progressive leaders.
Full creative team and cast will be announced soon…