On Sunday February 24th, 2019 from 1 – 4 p.m.,the DEAF CULTURE CENTRE will host Keep Our Hands Burning Bright, a fundraising event to produce an extraordinary signed music musical, The Black Drum at The Royal Theatre. Keep Our Hands Burning Bright will be a voice interpreted, family-friendly community event that will feature an impressive live performance by Deaf Children in Ballet demonstration by Jeffrey Baker and a theatrical panelists session and more. All proceeds go towards producing the upcoming theatrical play at Soulpepper Theatre Company in June 2019.

Hosted by The Flipside Show’s Brett Shaffer. The event will feature special guests in attendance. Moderating the theatrical panelists session will include notable deaf actors, CJ Jones (Baby Driver, Avatar 2), Daniel Durant (Spring Awakening, Switched at Birth), Catherine Joell MacKinnon (Murdoch Mysteries), Jack Volpe (Seeing Voices) & Corrina Den Dekker.

CJ Jones will also be the event’s special guest entertainer and provide a short showcase.

The DEAF CULTURE CENTRE invites the community to The Royal Theatre to help The Black Drum production come to life. Tickets are available for purchase online only at $40.00 plus tax per person. Attendees can also look forward to a cash bar, 50/50 raffle draw and more as the enjoy the event’s programming.

For tickets, please visit: www.universe.com

DEAF CULTURE CENTRE

The DEAF CULTURE CENTRE is a project of The Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf (CCSD) and provides a forum to celebrate Deaf life through the arts. It opened in the Distillery District in Toronto in 2006, featuring a museum, art gallery, gift shop, archives and multimedia production. Open to the public and rooted in the Deaf community, it provides education, culture, visual and performing arts. The Centre hosts over 15,000 visitors and mentors over 90 students and interns annually and promotes Deaf artists of all ages through art exhibits each year.

THE BLACK DRUM

The Black Drum is an extraordinary signed music musical to elevate the Deaf Community’s “place” in the Canadian arts landscape. A young woman’s life is turned upside down when her tattoos come alive and propel her on a fantastical journey in search of her own inner voice.

Faces, hands, and movements are our poetry. In The Black Drum, by Deaf Canadian playwright, Adam Pottle, Deaf actors tell their story through physical theatre, signed music, projection and dance while motion capture enhances their graceful rhythms. Audiences are invited to experience this pioneering new work unlike any other.

The Black Drum is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts New Chapter Program. For more information about the Canadian Society of the Deaf and DEAF CULTURE CENTRE visit deafculturecentre.ca.

SOULPEPPER THEATRE COMPANY

Located in its multi-venue home, the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto’s Distillery Historic District, Soulpepper is Toronto’s largest not-for-profit theatre company. Founded and guided by artists, Soulpepper has an integrated mission which includes: industry-leading youth and community outreach initiatives; artist training and mentorship programs; and a year-round diverse repertory season which is grounded in the classics and committed to the creation of new works, new forms, and innovative practices. Tickets to Soulpepper productions are available by calling the Young Centre Box Office at 416.866.8666 or by visiting soulpepper.ca.

THE ROYAL THEATRE

Originally built in 1939, The Royal Cinema is a 380-seat historic Art Deco movie house located in the heart of Little Italy. The theatre was known as The Pylon when it first opened in 1939. Over time, it’s become one of Toronto’s most cherished landmarks.