Description

Black Theatre in Ontario: A Scene Study Class is a celebration of the powerful positive influence of freedom and how it is manifested through Black theatre and performance in Ontario.

This inquiry-based drama class will be a free opportunity for students in Grades 7-8, of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds, to build understanding, community and drama skills through reading and working on texts by Black playwrights and performers from the province.

Students will develop self-expression and self-confidence in their own ideas through the creative investigation of the theme of freedom.

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Black Theatre in Ontario is a component of Black And Free – a research-creation project by Dr. Naila Keleta-Mae. To learn more click here.

Instructors:

Yvonne Addai

Yvonne Addai is an Ghanaian-Canadian actor, artist educator and Artistic Associate of Saskatchewan’s first Latinx Theatre Ay Caramba!. She is a graduate from the University of Saskatchewan BFA acting program. She has had the opportunity to work on stages in Saskatchewan and now calls Toronto home. Yvonne  had the privilege of participating  in the 2019.2020 Factory Theatre’s Mechanicals program under the Leadership of Nina Lee Aquino and Natasha Mumba. Along with acting, Yvonne is  passionate about theatre education for children. She works with Young People’s Theatre as an artist educator and is currently the Drama School Coordinator. Her hope as an artist educator  is to create a space  for young people, especially those in the BIPOC  communities the opportunity to explore theatre and gain self-advocacy and confidence in their creative ideas and voice. Her selected theatre credits include Meet Chloe ( Carousel Players); The Tempest (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan); An Atlas, A Necktie & Other Concerns  (Toronto Fringe); Monday Night (Highway 55 Production/Live 5); Overhear (Nutrien Fringe Saskatoon); Pride & Prejudice (Persephone Theatre); The Shorts Cuts Festival (Hardly Art Theatre); The Woodcutter and the Lion (Sum Theatre); and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Theatre Naught/Live Five). She is honored to be facilitating this program and is eager to explore the ideas of blackness and freedom.

Jay Northcott

Jay Northcott (They/Them) is a multidisciplinary artist; director, playwright, burlesque dancer, and producer. Jay works to decolonize their art and practice through storytelling, movement, gesture, and joy to create the fundamentals of their work. They continue to grow and make it their mission to uplift projects that put BIPOC Queer artists in the spotlight. Their goals: to make you cry and laugh at the same time, they want to bleed, break, grind, make money, fight and blow some stuff up. Inspired by pop culture, lived experience, and finding truth. They work to develop techniques and experiment with aesthetics to answer the question: Why is theatre still relevant?