Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON - The Watah Theatre, proudly announces the second of this year’s tri-annual festival in the 2015/16 KENTE Season; The Audre Lorde Works-In-Progress is a culmination of Raw Works by Artists-in-Residence in the 2nd term at The Watah Theatre and begins with a Sage Secrets Lecture by the acclaimed dancer-choreographer BaKari I Lindsay.
Session two at Watah runs from January to March and is focused on Art Creation, where artists explore the questions What is the relationship between myself and the art that I create? What stories Have I been told? What Stories do I perpetuate? The term culminates in The Audre Lorde Works-In-Progress Festival named in honour of the African-Caribbean-American radical feminist lesbian poet Audre Lorde. Lorde, born February 18, 1934, died November 17, 1992 of breast cancer, inspires us to continually undo the fibres of our conditioned beings. She insists that as Black womxn and Black people we must self-care, as this is a revolutionary act of survival. Watah is rooted in both her ethos and her theories.
As part of Watah’s dedication to professional development and mentorship, each year culminates with a selection of two main stage workshop productions from the previous year’s Artists-in-Residence. We are excited to announce this season’s main stage production of Addicted by Raven Dauda (being presented Feb 23-28, 2016) and Oughtism (being presented March 8-13, 2016) by Faduma Mohamed.
Opening Tuesday February 23rd, Addicted follows Penelope Day, an alcoholic in rehabilitation where magical things happen. Penelope befriends a cocky Irish teen and together they do what they can to sustain their sobriety; including collaborating to end Penelope's five hundred year old family curse, which drives her to question what is real and what is not. Flooded with ancestral visitations, Penelope’s preternatural quest takes her on a healing journey to save her future. Addicted asks What are you addicted to?
Raven Dauda has been a professional actor and storyteller for over twenty years. Notable productions include: Heroes Reborn, Orphan Black, Annedroids, Nikita, What Would Sal Do, Anatomy of Assistance, Bejide, The Firm, Across the River to Motor City, The Natalie Cole Story, 4.48 Psychosis, Intimate Apparel, Tout Comme Elle, and Da Kink In My Hair. Raven has received Dora Awards for her performances in The Penelopiad, and Miss Julie: Freedom Summer, and Dora Nominations for her performances in Doubt: A Parable and The Minotaur. Upcoming projects: Obsidian Theatre’s production of Lisa Codrington’s Up The Garden Path.
The Festival also features a Youth Arts Day on Saturday February 27 with storytelling and games for children as well as a Wholistic Health Day on Saturday March 12 with guest health practitioners. D’BI. & THE 333 can be seen live at Lula Lounge on Monday February 29, midway between week one & week two. Please join us in this year’s Audre Lorde Works-In-Progress Theatre Festival.
February 23rd – 28th 2016 | Doors 6pm, Show 7:00-10:00pm
Part I of The Audre Lorde Works-In-Progress Festival
ADDICTED by Raven Dauda
TICKETS: www.audrelordefest.bpt.me
March 7th - 13th | Doors 6pm, Show 7:00-10:00pm
Part II of The Audre Lorde Works-in-Progress Festival
OUGHTISM by Faduma Mohamed
The Watah Theatre
9 Trinity Street #317
Toronto Ontario M5A 3C4
Admission: $15 ADV | $20 Door
Tickets: www.audrelordefest.brownpapertickets.com
Info: admin@watah.org | 416.868.9282 | watah.org
About The Watah Theatre: The Watah Theatre previously anitafrika dub theatre, is a performing arts company that specializes in the wholistic development and mentorship of primarily Black identified artists and also welcomes artists who are People of Colour, First Nations and or LGBTQQIP2SAA. Founded in 2008 and incorporated in 2014 as a non-profit by d’bi.young anitafrika, the organization cultivates artists as mentor-leaders of integrity. Past Watah Theatre alumni include CBC’s Amanda Parris, Stratford’s Bahia Watson, Manifesto’s Che Kothari and RISE Edutainment’s Randell Adjei.
Photo: d’bi.young anitafrika.
2016-02-09
Toronto: Two plays are part of the Audre Lorde Works-in-Progress Theatre Festival