One day you're gonna be the one driving and a police officer is gonna pull you over. Cause they can. So they will. When that happens, what are you gonna do?

February 26, 2012, Florida. A 17-year-old Black boy wearing a hoodie leaves a 7/11carrying a bag of Skittles and an iced tea. He never makes it home. Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers invites us into one teen’s now-infamous last moments, and his intricate dance to the afterlife.

Written by Makambe K Simamba and presented by b current performing arts, Our Fathers builds a space for the Black community to grieve together and interrogates the relationship between personal tragedy and community anguish. Our Fathers was developed with the support of Alberta Theatre Projects and runs at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre April 11 to 18 2019.

"Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers was created for Black people. Everyone is welcome to witness this work, but know that it exists so that our Black community can connect, grieve and heal." – playwright Makambe K Simamba

"So much of our work in this world is the receiving of grief and trauma, passing it on, rationalizing it, politicizing it. We are not often given the tools to acknowledge, be present for, and move through these feelings. This space is for that. Be in this moment with us." director Donna-Michelle St Bernard

"In our 2018/2019 Reclaiming the Harvest season of b current performing arts, much of our work is challenging ourselves to not focus on educating privileged folks about the importance of stories from the Black and Brown diaspora. Rather, we honour ourselves, we liberate ourselves from this constant struggle to prove our worth. Makambe K Simamba's play is a moment of celebration, a moment of grief, a moment to feel for the Black community, in whatever shape, in whatever clothes, in whatever voice they come with. No policing. No proving. Just rest."  - b current artistic director Catherine Hernandez

Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers

presented by
presented by b current
written by Makambe K Simamba, directed by Donna Michelle St Bernard

Thursday, April 11, 2019 - Thursday, April 18, 2019
Student matinees on April 16 and 17
 2:00PM & 8:00PM 
TICKETS ARE $20 //  SUNDAY IS PWYC
Buddies In Bad Times Theatre
12 Alexander Street Toronto
purchase in person, online or by phone at (416) 975-8555

Join in on the discussion and get $15 tickets! 
We are proud to announce a special community partnership with The Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) for the production of Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers.
The FOLD's Jael Richardson will host a special talkback after our Sat April 13 2pm performance with playwright/performer Makambe K Simamba.


about b current
For over 27 years, b current has produced outside-the-box performance pieces, ideas, workshops, and mainstage productions. We splashed onto the scene in 1991, when ahdri zhina mandiela founded the company, and we brought to Toronto the first ever production of a Dub Theatre script, mandiela’s dark diaspora… in dub. The kinetic artistic energy from this fuelled our pioneer work, feeding and shaping the future of Canadian performance art through culturally-rooted creation. Since inception, b current has developed scores of internationally celebrated artists and their works, with a focus always on engaging the community and creating space for diverse voices to be heard.

about the playwright
Makambe K Simamba is a Zambian theatre artist whose intention is to be of service though telling stories. She recently co-directed inVISIBLE (Too) at the University of Lethbridge. Stage acting credits include A Chitenge Story (Handsome Alice, Betty Mitchell Award Nomination for Outstanding Actress ) Bea (Sage Theatre), SIA (Pyretic Productions) and inVISIBLE (Handsome Alice). Film acting credits include Burn Your Maps (TIFF), Hold the Dark (Netflix), and Young Drunk Punk (CBC). She is a nationally recognized playwright who’s other work includes A Chitenge Story, MUD and The Drum Major Instinct. Her adventures can be found on instagram: @artingwithmakambe.