MIXED(ER) EXPLORES THE INTRICACIES OF MIXED RACE IDENTITY

Local theatre goers are urged to watch out for the world premiere of mixed(er), an Unwrap Theatre production showing this October 2026 at Centre in the Square. Mixed(er) is a coming-of-age comedy centred around the life of Sam, a biracial woman returning home to Kitchener-Waterloo upon completing her undergrad. 

Written by Sam Mercury and Alten Wilmot, the story is chock-full of hometown references, and those who grew up in the Waterloo Region are sure to enjoy the familiar locations, jokes and Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the narrative. 

Mercury and Wilmot met after being paired together during the inaugural Arts Exchange by MT Space in 2020. Mercury knew she wanted to write a play with someone who was also biracial.  

“I wanted someone who I could be very raw and real with, share the good, the bad and the ugly,” Mercury said. 

Wilmot was recommended for the job, and the pair were inspired by the similarities and differences in their experiences growing up biracial in Waterloo Region. 

Much of the first year of developing mixed(er) centred around researching and exploring the intricacies of mixed-race identity. Mercury described the process as very healing, giving her time to reflect on her own relationship with identity. 

“There are lots of reasons why we wrote this play. One of them is to amend that feeling that we have around our identities. I’ve felt pressure to ‘choose’ an identity in one way or another,” Mercury said. 

“The problem is, when you choose, you assimilate—but only to a certain point. In doing the research, the more I found out, the more comfortable I got in speaking definitively about my identity.” 

“I hope that audiences can walk away from the show with a deeper and more layered understanding of racial identity. It’s fluid; there’s no one way to be biracial. It is whatever you make it, and you are worth sharing with the people that you love,” Mercury said. 

Wilmot emphasized the comedic elements of the play, describing how many of the jokes facilitate a more accessible way to talk about the more serious topics of being biracial. 

 “It’s about the more fundamental human experience of feeling like you don’t belong. It’s that dangerous line we all have to toe that sometimes can be very funny but is also very serious, of not knowing who to protect yourself from. Sometimes we overprotect ourselves and shut people out,” Wilmot said. 

“We think that’s a strength of the play; it is tackling a bigger question, something that can maybe be existential, but we really put the work in to make it as entertaining and enjoyable as possible,” Wilmot continued. 

“We want the laughs to stick. It’s kind of like the ‘cheese around the pill’ of talking about race while laughing about it,” Mercury said. 

Another brilliant aspect of mixed(er) is the many references it contains to Kitchener-Waterloo. Wilmot said that St. Jacobs is a relevant location in the production, and Mercury joked about the many local quirks and familiar names in the script. 

“It’s like, if I ever saw Becky Deutschmann, I would freak all the way out. But like, no one from Toronto is going to know who that is. It’s been such a treat to define KW culture for itself; I think it’s overdue,” Mercury said. 

“There’s something for everybody. The wardrobe, the set design, the script itself, and the references. Just prepare to enjoy being a KW local,” Mercury said.  

“Having mixed(er) premier in KW means the world to us as just a couple of kids who grew up in this region.” 

Editor-in-Chief Adrian Quijano served as the public relations manager at MT Space until Aug. 28, 2026.