Stage Door News
Stage Door News
b current is pleased to announce diaspora Dub, a radical, reimagined throwback of the company’s inaugural production 25 years ago. b current takes their cue in this return to their roots from legendary poet and theatre artist ahdri zhina mandiela’s original work, dark diaspora….in dub. The series of performances is popping up throughout Toronto October 1, 7 and 9, 2016.
Using a vivid combination of curated imagery, public intervention/performance, dub poetry and masquerades diaspora Dub celebrates Black Art, History and Politics. The event features 15 poets, actors, designers, directors and visual artists from the Black diaspora, providing an immersive and interactive audience experience. Leading the artistic charge behind diaspora dub are the legendary poet and theatre artist ahdri zhina mandiela and photography artist Michael Chambers, who return to ask audiences where they were in the early 90s, when dark diaspora emerged.
“diaspora Dub is picking up where we left off 25 years ago. It retains the rhythmic, dramatic choral repetitions of dub poetry and choreographed movement we saw in dark diaspora...in dub and continues to express and celebrate the power of Black women.” notes b current artistic director Jajube Mandiela. “This return to our origin allows us to examine how far we’ve come in the past 25 years and continue the conversations about Black history, culture, women and art that b current has always held as a central tenet.”
This event brings with it the return of creator and performer ahdri zhina mandiela. She’s joined by a troupe of talented Canadian performers, including her daughter and b current artistic director Jajube Mandiela, with choreography by Kevin Ormsby.
Extending over decades of social, political, economic events and emotion influencing the psychological makeup of the black psyche, the central character reminisces about her past in the Caribbean and then turns to present day life in Canada. The event will pay visual homage to the movers and shakers of Toronto’s Black diasporas over the 25 years of b current’s history.
About b current
Originally founded 25 years ago by ahdri zhina mandiela as a place for Black artists to create, nurture, and present their new works, b current has grown to support artists from all diasporas. The groups professional training program has graduated scores of nationally and internationally acclaimed artists such as Weyni Mengesha, d’bi young, Joseph Jomo Pierre, and trey anthony.
The biennial rock.paper.sistahz Festival continues to be a springboard for numerous award-winning new works. Core initiatives include the bcHub - a training program to foster and cultivate emerging and seasoned artists in career development and community arts through experiential/hands-on work afterRock Plays, a series for culturally diverse playwrights to platform their work as co-producers.
The 2014 b current production of Brotherhood: The Hip Hopera by Sebastien Heins will go on a national tour in January/February 2017.
For more information please visit: http://bcurrent.ca/
@bcurrentLIVE #diasporaDub
Performance 1:
Saturday, October 1, 10:00 PM
Nuit Blanche @ Scadding Court Community Centre
With support from Theatre Passe Muraille
FREE
Performance 2:
Friday, October 7, 8:00 PM
Friday Night Live @ Royal Ontario Museum
Tickets: http://www.rom.on.ca/en/whats-on/fnlrom-thanks-canada
Performance 3:
Sunday, October 9, 4:00 PM
RUTAS Panamericas Festival @ Daniels Spectrum
Presented by Aluna Theatre
Tickets: http://rutas.ca/schedule/
2016-09-19
Toronto: b current presents "Diaspora Dub" on October 1, 7 and 9