BALANCE BOARD
(a workshop production followed by a facilitated audience discussion )
Written by Bashir Mohamed
Part of BAM! Black Arts Matter, a multidisciplinary festival dedicated to celebrating and serving Edmonton's Black artists.
Balance Board, by Bashir Mohamed is the story of Charles Daniel, who was an employee of the Canadian Pacific Railway. He launched the first civil rights case in Alberta history against Sherman Grand Theatre where he was denied admission to see King Lear. This story raises questions on racism in Canada and our tendency to forget – or not know about – monumental heroes in history.
Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre and BAM! (Black Arts Matter) celebrate artistic process, and we encourage our audiences to join us on the journey of development new works take. Following the presentation of this work in development audiences are invited to stay for a brief discussion lead by director/dramaturg Mukonzi Musyoki.
Venue
The Backstage Theatre
10330 84 Ave NW, Edmonton
ATB Financial Arts Barns
RUNNING TIME
30 minutes performance with discussion to follow
PERFORMANCE DATES
February 12 at 8:30 pm
February 13 at 7:00pm (**Relaxed performance)
February 15 at 9:00pm
NASRA is a queer, Muslim, Oromo creator based in Amiskwaciy (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 territory. Nasra acts as Director/Founder of Black Arts Matter- Alberta’s interdisciplinary Black Arts festival, and was a former Youth Poet Laureate of Edmonton. NASRA’S heartwork centres the freedom of Black/Indigenous Peoples everywhere.
A Statement from Nasra Adem, curator of BAM! Black Arts Matter
Four years in, Black Arts Matter rethinks our foundation and sustainability as artists and human beings. We are taking a step back to ask ourselves: what are the pillars of a world that honours and protects Black life and creativity? In the staged reading of Balance Board, the story of Charles Daniel and racism in Canada beckons us to look back in order to look forward. With AWAKEN, our workshop series, we hope by centring food, joy, and the body, mind, and spirit, we will conjure the stories, deep questions and solutions to our need for grounding. 2020 is a year of calibration and we thank you for making Black Arts Matter such a celebratory platform worth sustaining.
Meet the Balance Board Team
Bashir Mohamed is an Edmonton based writer that is
primarily interested in Alberta's history. He is currently training to be a Naval Warfare Officer in the Canadian Navy. In his free time, he enjoys cycling and astronomy.
BASHIR MOHAMED
Playwright
Mukonzi Musyoki is a writer, director and a dramaturg. Currently completing his PhD in Performance Studies at the University of Alberta, Mukonzi graduated from Kenyatta University in Kenya in July 2016 with a BA in English, Linguistics and Literature. He later went on to pursue his Masters at the University of Alberta specializing in Theatre. Musyoki has been in Canada for three years and has worked with Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre, the Timms Centre Studio Theatre, the University of Alberta Drama Department and the Citadel Theatre. Mukonzi has also worked as a dramaturg for Ignite Afrika Trust where he continues to participate in the OSNW (Old Stories in New Ways) Project and TIC (Theatrical Interactions for Change) back in Kenya collaborating with local artists from Kisumu. His research focuses on Postcolonial Kenyan Theatre and Performance, Dramaturgy, Urban Discourse and Identity Politics in contemporary East Africa.
MUKONZI MUSYOKI
Director/Dramaturg
Beyata is an Alberta-based artist and scenographer, recently graduated from the UofA's Theatre Design program this past spring. She works both as a designer and assistant/model-builder to other designers in the area.
She's primarily interested in innovative theatre practices such as roving shows, found-space theatre and immersive installations. Recent credits include assistant designing on the Citadel's recent Christmas Carol adaptation and working with the Malachites on their inaugural Winter Shakespeare Festival. Check out her upcoming projects with Vertigo Theatre's Clue and Opera Nuova's Music Man & The Crucible.
BEYATA HACKBORN
Designer
Whether as the musical promoter and booker behind Sweaty Palms, an eclectic curation of local and international talent, or through their solo project Family Injera, an experimental-ambient project with Arabian Guitar roots, Mustafa Rafiq creates opportunities to connect seemingly different genres and audiences.
In their personal projects, Rafiq explores feelings surrounding gender and being part of a diaspora, which fuels their focus to make sonic spaces feel both safe and authentic.
Mustafa’s free-forming solo music project, Family Injera, has performed in festivals such as Big Fun, Sled Island, Pretty Good Not Bad, Black Arts Matter (Edmonton), and The Edmonton Poetry Festival, along with multiple presentations at Mile Zero Dance, RV There Yet? and SubArctic.
They have also collaborated through installations in Nuit Blanche (Edmonton), Mcluhan Arts House and Good Women Dance Society.
MUSTAFA RAFIQ
Actor
Onika is very excited to be in the remounting of Balance Board for the BAM and CANOE 2020 festivals! She had previously been in the Ma and Pa Theatre’s production of Balance Board in the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. Having graduated from the University of Calgary with a combined degree in Law & Society and Drama, during her schooling she had been very involved in acting. She is now continuing to pursue her passion for acting as a career. Onika considers herself extremely blessed to work with such a talented ensemble as she continues her artistic development. She would like to thank her family, friends, and Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre for all of their hard work and support, and she gives them her love and best wishes.
ONIKA HENRY
Actor
Jay Sanni is a literary artist and playwright with a passion for creativity and writing. He has an academic and professional background in creative writing as well as journalism. He has produced a variety of written material that fall within literary (creative fiction) and non-literary (research article) genres. He recently began a creative/ public speaking workshop in order to encourage and teach others to unleash their inner writer.
JAY SANNI
Apprentice Stage Manager
Part of the Chinook Series
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