A wide-eyed fawn alone in the forest. A circus elephant who learns to fly using his ears. A powerful ice princess whose parents are lost at sea.

Movie theatres, books and comics are full of little lost orphans who depend on themselves, pluck up the courage for adventure and make a few wisecracking friends along the way.

An orphaned character is the classic shortcut to depicting self-sufficiency, hijinks or the bumpy road to vengeance.

Of course, in reality, not everyone gets a happy ending. And the years don’t play as montages. But, for one hour, experimental art collective APHIDS make a lively new space with adults who’ve lost a parent to share some perfectly pleasant pathos.

Everyday people drape themselves in outfits akin to orphan drag. Once in character they test the fiction, form temporary bonds, act out, and become their own protagonists.

Grilling pop culture, one tissue at a time.