On stage at Prairie Theatre Exchange, Keith Barker is doing what he does best—telling stories. But in his new solo show Raised by Women, the award-winning actor, director and playwright isn’t playing a character. He’s playing himself. And the role is raw, funny, unfiltered and deeply moving.
A Tribute to the Women Who Raised Him
Premiering April 1 and running until April 13, Raised by Women is Barker’s personal and powerful tribute to the women who raised him in the absence of a father. Part coming-of-age memoir, part comedic confessional, part exploration of masculinity, identity and reconciliation, the show dives headfirst into Barker’s past—delivering a narrative shaped by maternal wisdom, sibling chaos and kitchen-table conversations.
“I was born in Geraldton, Ontario. I grew up in Thunder Bay but also Kenora. Most of my formative years were in Kenora. I did, all of high school there. I have two sisters and a step sister... and I'm the oldest and we're each a year apart. So my sister Bryce and my sister Shannon and myself. And then my step sister Penny.”
His world, he explains, was always steeped in female energy. “I grew up around women... My mom, my mom's friends, my aunties, my sisters, like, I just realized like, everybody that was around me were women. And I—you know, it just felt normal in my life.”
What didn’t feel normal, at least not when compared with other families, was the absence of a father. “It wasn't until I was in other houses with other kids who had dads. I went, oh, weird; that's just a whole different energy from what I experienced in my house.”
The Absence of a Father and the Lessons Learned
The play opens with a line that immediately sets the tone: “The first line of the play is the last thing my father ever said to me was... a lie,” Barker reveals. What follows is not a story about what was missing, but about what was built in its place—resilience, love, humour, and an enduring bond with the women who filled that gap.
“It was my mom who had to correct me and talk to me about those things and have those difficult conversations with me,” he says.
“My mom taught me... to let go of what that thing was,” Barker adds. “All of it is about the lessons my mom taught me... to help me to find peace in that.”
Male Role Models and Finding His Own Path
While Barker did seek out male role models as a child, they were few and fleeting. “I had one male cousin that I hung out with when I was young and... he was the coolest person I ever met... He introduced me to like Metallica and Iron Maiden and ACDC... got me into quads and snow machines.” But that relationship didn’t last. “From that point on, like I was just very close to my mom,” he says. Eventually, he found new male mentors—at a local pool in Kenora—who “taught me so much.”
A Nontraditional Journey to Theatre
Theatre wasn’t always in the cards. “I just—it just wasn't for me,” he says about high school. “I had teachers tell me that university was not going to be for me.” When his friends moved on to post-secondary life, Barker stayed behind in Thunder Bay. Eventually, he decided to move to Toronto to pursue acting. His mom had other ideas.
“My mom's like, no, you're not. You're gonna go find an education first.” So he enrolled in broadcast journalism at Confederation College, figuring, “Well, that's kind of like acting. Like you're in front of a camera, you're talking.”
That led to a gig at CBC, covering curling and even the Grey Cup. “And then I looked and went, OK, so what do I want to do? Actually, I really wanted to—I wanted to do theatre.” He applied to George Brown College and was accepted. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Inspiration for Raised by Women
Years later, the idea for Raised by Women took root when Barker came across a headline: “Nine things every father needs to teach their son.” He clicked.
“All nine of those things, my mom had done.”
Among them: using language beyond “beautiful” to describe women. “My mom taught me that,” he says. “Like, how you dress and how you talk to women... how they are seen.” The article also stressed the importance of emotional literacy—something Barker’s mother modelled. “It was like, when a man gets upset... don’t shut down and go quiet and leave the room. Sit in the room and explain to your son what you’re doing. Talk about your feelings.”
“So what does that mean,” he asks, “when it’s actually a mother that does those nine things that every boy needs to hear from their father?” That question became the play.
Honest Storytelling and Vulnerability on Stage
While Raised by Women is told through stories, it doesn’t follow a strict timeline. “There is a trajectory... Sometimes I go back into the past to tell the story of the future,” Barker explains. “Like, oh, when I was a kid, I did this terrible thing... so now when I'm an adult and I say this thing, I know better.”
The show is filled with laugh-out-loud moments, including a vivid scene where his mom pulls the car over and makes his sister walk after a sibling squabble. “She said, ‘Get out.’ My sister got out, and then we drove away, leaving her alone on the highway. And I was devastated. My mom two seconds later pulled back over. My sister, desperate, gets back to the car. It was a huge lesson in my life” Barker laughs.
There’s also an unforgettable menstrual cycle mix-up. “I’m in the room going, ‘Yeah, we’re all in the same cycle. Like it’s tough, but you know, we’re doing our best.’ And my mom had to sit me down: ‘You can’t be on the cycle ’cause you don’t get a period.’”
Yet amid the humour, there’s deep reflection. On trying to conform to masculine norms, Barker says, “I just never really felt welcome in those spaces.” He tried changing his voice and posture, until his sisters would tease, “‘Oh, it’s this manly man Keith talking now?’ And then I’d realize how ridiculous it was and go back to just talking the way normal Keith talks.”
The Power of Simplicity in Performance
The show was developed with director Matthew Paris Irvine, who encouraged Barker to stay honest. “Anytime it became performative, anytime we got into, like, actor acting stuff, it’s like no. He’s like, ‘That’s too much. Just go back to just connecting with them and telling the story.’”
At the centre of the stage sits a kitchen table—it is a character in its own right. It’s the place where stories are told, coffee is poured, and life happens. “All my aunties, my mom’s friends — they’d sit down... and I would just end up gravitating and sitting there because it was warm, it was friendly.”
The Impact of Live Theatre and Audience Connection
After each performance, there’s a Q&A session—something Barker finds essential. “People share their stories. It’s like, ‘Oh, you talked about your cousin. I had a cousin like that.’”
For young people struggling, Barker offers a simple message: “Nothing is forever… This too shall pass.” His hope is that audiences leave Raised by Women feeling seen, connected—and maybe inspired to make a phone call.
“Whoever raised you — if at the end of the show you say 'I want to pick up the phone. I wanna call them. Just thank them.' I know I have done my job."
Raised by Women is on now until Sunday, April 13th,. For more details click here.