THEATRE: Zom Fam

Production cancelled due to Covid-19 Pandemic

ZOM-FAM is an intimate solo performance by Kama La Mackerel that combines poetry, storytelling and dance. At once personal and political, ZOM-FAM (meaning “man-woman” in Mauritian Kreol) narrates the story of a gender-creative child growing up in the 80s and 90s on the plantation island of Mauritius. Multiply-voiced and imbued with complex storytelling, ZOM-FAM interweaves narratives that bring together ancestral voices, femme tongues, broken colonial languages and a tender queer subjectivity, all of which are grappling with the legacy of plantation servitude. ⠀

Solo intimiste de Kama La Mackerel, ZOM-FAM, combine poésie, conte et danse. À la fois personnel et politique, ZOM-FAM (qui signifie « homme-femme » en kreol mauricien) est le récit d’un·e enfant transgenre vivant sur une plantation de canne à sucre à l’île Maurice pendant les années 1980-90. Maniant une multitude de voix et imprégnée d’une narration complexe, ZOM-FAM mêle invocations ancestrales, langues maternelles, débris de langages coloniaux et une subjectivité queer et délicate, dans un contexte d’esclavage et d’engagisme.

Shots from the workroom:

Credits in Kama's beautiful words:

"Mathieu Leroux- dramaturge extraordinaire, attentive reader of languages beyond words • Jon Cleveland- magic maker, multi-dimensional creator, technical genius • Nalo Soyini- visionary with fingers of a fairy that turns everything into gold • Evan Stepanian- talented composer, creator of worlds with the ears of sorcerer • Andrew Tay- divine mover & shaker, dedicated community-worker & remarkable choreographer who breathed life back into my dancing body • Michael Fanfan- gifted visionary with a heart of gold • Sophie Gee- mentor with eyes that wash away illusions • Josh Marchesini- superstar assistant, stage manager, production manager who is always willing to take a risk to learn, to grow, to become."

DANCE: Luna - From The Sun To The Moon

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal Production postponed due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

From the Sun to Moon will be the first work presented at Luna, by Vanesa G.R Montoya. This rich and dense contemporary ballet relates the coexistence of multiple realities in this world, producing at one and the same time great difficulties, constant struggle and limitless hope.

Here are some shots of one of the props I designed for the show. Honourable mention and thanks to Simon Beetschen, Technical Director.

FROM THE SUN TO THE MOON CREATIVE TEAM:

• CHOREOGRAPHER VANESA GARCIA-RIBALA MONTOYA

• MUSIC DYAOULÉ PEMBA, MOONLIGHT BENJAMIN, TOTO BISSAINTHE

• COSTUMES VIVIANA GARCIA, NAHIMA KHALFAOUI, VINCENT LA KUACH

• SCENOGRAPHY NALO SOYINI BRUCE

• PROJECTIONS CHOPIN JOSEPH

• LIGHTING MARC PARENT

Pictures of dancers in rehearsal by Sasha Onyshchenko

Pictured dancers above from left to right:

• Célestin Boutin, Vanesa G.R. Montoya

• Tatiana Lerebours

• Anna Ishii

• André Santos

• Hamilton Nieh , André Santos, Etienne Gagnon-Delorme

• André Santos, Hamilton Nieh

Full Cast:

DU SOLEIL À LA LUNE Julia Bergua, Esabelle Chen, Kiara Felder, Emily He, Anna Ishii, Tatiana Lerebours, Sahra Maira, Tetyana Martyanova, Vanesa G.R. Montoya, Yui Sugawara, Eléonore Thomas, Raphaël Bouchard, Célestin Boutin, Giuseppe Canale, Matthew Cluff, Jean-Sébastien Couture, Roddy Doble, Étienne Gagnon-Delorme, Jordan Faye, Jérémy Galdeano, James Lyttle, Melih Mertel, Hamilton Nieh, Esnel Ramos, Stefano Russiello, André Santos, Stephen Satterfield

Julia Bergua, Mai Kono, Yi Li Law, Tatiana Lerebours, Eline Malègue, Tetyana Martyanova, Vanesa G.R. Montoya, Yui Sugawara, Eléonore Thomas, Célestin Boutin, Giuseppe Canale, Matthew Cluff, Jean-Sébastien Couture, Étienne Gagnon-Delorme, Jordan Faye, Graeme Fuhrman, Jérémy Galdeano, Nicholas Jones, James Lyttle, Melih Mertel, Hamilton Nieh, Esnel Ramos, Stefano Russiello, André Santos

THEATRE: The Negroes Are Congregating

A Piece of Mine Arts, with the support of Theatre Passe Muraille Presentation

The Negroes Are Congregating (NAC) unapologetically wrestles with deep-rooted internalized racism through the lens of the Western World and the 'Black experience' that stretches far beyond Canada and the United States, for a pan-African exploration. The laugh-out-loud piece balances comedy with discomfort, pulling audiences beyond the fourth wall, where everyone is invited to cackle, cry and be still together. Artists Uche Ama (Female 1), Christopher Bautista (Male 1) and Christopher Parker (Male 2) perform this contemporary piece delivered through a fusion of spoken word, satire, soulful dialect and musical vocals. Audiences will enter a realm of private truths and leave with an understanding of what it means to be Black, proud, and ready!

Cast:

Christopher Parker • Christopher Bautista • Uche Ama

Creative:

Written and Directed by Natasha Adiyana Morris • Produced and Production Managed by Troy De Four • Dramaturgy by Donna Michelle St Bernard and Lincoln Anthony Blades • Stage Management by Christie Maingot • Production Design/Wardrobe Design by Nalo Soyini Bruce • Lighting Design by Lance Braithwaite • Assistant Production Design/Wardrobe Design by Krystin Leigh Smith • Production Assistance by Tinesha Richards