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shaniqua in abstraction

  • A Crow's Theatre Production in Association with paul watson productions and Obsidian Theatre Company
  • bahia watson
  • Sabryn Rock
  • Apr 9 - Apr 28, 2024
  • Tickets start at $50, Black Out Performance $20
  • 90 minutes with no intermission
  • Studio Theatre
Archived
  • Details
    WORLD PREMIERE

    Following up on her 2022 summer hit MASHUP PON DI ROAD, bahia watson thoughtfully blends razor-sharp humour with a piercing cultural critique in her intrepidly daring one-woman show shaniqua in abstraction.

    After starring in Crow’s Theatre’s Someone Else and The Seagull (co-produced with The Company Theatre) and, most recently, thrilling audiences with her unforgettable turn as Sonya in Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, bahia returns in her Crow’s Theatre playwriting debut. 

    In this searching new work, bahia brings her poet’s heart, vaulting imagination, and disarming humour to shape a kaleidoscopic explosion of experiences and shifting identities that defiantly push back the boundaries defining Black womanhood.

    paul watson productions is a free-spirited, fun-loving, world-building force dedicated to creating art for the people. From the Caribbean vaudevillian fringe hit pomme is french for apple to the island-kissed, travelling-circus comedy MASHUP PON DI ROAD, paul watson productions supports artists who challenge oppressive entities while also valuing the utmost importance of play. 

    Obsidian Theatre Company is an award-winning theatre company passionately dedicated to the exploration, development, and production of the Black voice. As Canada’s leading culturally specific theatre company, it has a threefold mission to produce plays, develop playwrights, and train emerging theatre professionals.

    ABOVE: Promo video for shaniqua in abstraction by Roya DelSol. Featuring bahia watson. Shaniqua Ode composed by Maiko Munroe. 

     

    DIG DEEPER INTO THE SHANIQUAVERSE (Read the press!)
    An interview with director Sabryn Rock in the Toronto Star
     
    "I urge you to come and witness shaniqua in abstraction."
     
    "Captures the joys and frustrations of being a Black woman right here, right now."
     
    "A compelling, complex, and carefully nuanced experience. bahia watson has become one of our country’s finest storytellers.”
     
     DIGITAL PROGRAMME

    DOWNLOAD THE HOUSE PROGRAMME 

     
    AUDIENCE ADVISORY
    shaniqua in abstraction contains real talk. (ie. swear words, depictions of whiteness, slurs, etc.) and an e-cigarette, briefly. Please speak with a staff member for more details.
    PERFORMANCE NOTES 
    Black Out Performance:

    Black Out Performances are evenings dedicated to celebrating Black stories, Black artists, and Black audience members by providing a safe space for them to experience theatre that is for and by the Black community.

    A night to centre and celebrate the Black experience, Black Out performances begin to help us address the racial imbalance on and off the stage in the theatre community.

    In addition to the performance, the night will include post-show revelry in our lobby bar!

    All tickets $20 plus fees and hst. 

     
    “Bahia Watson is outstanding.” Torontonicity
    Subscribe & Save! Purchase a four or six ticket flexible subscription and save up to 30% compared to single tickets!

    This production is supported in part thanks to
    The Slaight Family Creation Residency
    Crow’s Theatre Production Residency Program
    PRESENTING SPONSOR  

    SUPPORTING SPONSORS

    The Meighen Family Foundation

     
  • The Team

    CAST

    • bahia watson - performer

    CREATIVE

    • bahia watson - playwright
    • Sabryn Rock - Director
    • Echo Zhou - Set Designer
    • Kimberly Purtell - Lighting Designer
    • Laura Warren - Video Designer
    • Thomas Ryder Payne - Sound Designer
    • Jaz Fairy J - Choreographer
    • Sabrina Pye - Head of Props & Design Associate
    • Des’ree Gray - Head of Wardrobe & Costume Consultant
    • Loralie Pollard - Stage Manager
    • Katie Saunoris, KSPR - Publicist