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Client: Obsidian Theatre X CBC
Production Company: CBC
Role: Picture Editor
This project was originally has brought to my attention by my friend Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, Artistic Director at Obsidian Theatre Company. An independent Canadian theatre company that has always championed Black voices since its inception. 2021 marked their 21st anniversary and it also marked a shift in the theatre landscape as it sought to address these challenges yet still commemorate their 21st season. As a result, 21 Black Futures was born.
The goal was to create an anthology of 21 filmed monodramas, commissioned from 21 multigenerational Black playwrights across the country, directed by 21 Black directors and performed by 21 Black actors responding to the question, “What is the future of Blackness?”
During the lockdowns of 2020/2021 where people couldn’t go to the theatre, so there needed to be a way to bring the theatre experience to the people. In order to level up and go beyond the live stream experience CBC was brought in as a production partner with the execution of these 21 pieces all shot on the same stage at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. This project brought together various artists & creators from the community and I was super excited to contribute my talents to this great effort and unique moment in history.
The 21 pieces were split among 3 editors (me being one of them). Everything was shot and cut within the month of January 2021. It was fast and furious but all worthwhile in the end. You’ll see the pieces I edited below.
SENSITIVITY
Gabriaela Monk, a 40-something business professional, just got fired from her job at a dating app company. The cause? A racial sensitivity seminar gone terribly wrong. As she considers her situation, Gabriaela recalls conversations with her late mother — who warned her of the folly of educating white people — and relives the interactions with her seminar participants that went straight downhill.
Playwright: Lawrence Hill
Director: Mike Payette
Actor: Sabryn Rock
Editor: Ramón Charles
THE SENDER
Cil Brown loves her work. Her job as a Sender on a global racism-elimination project has resulted in a peaceful, logical and sustainable world. However, she encounters technical difficulties when a Sendee objects to restrictions on the lives of residents of White Supremacist Island.
Playwright: Cheryl Foggo
Director: Leah-Simone Bowen
Actor: Amanda Cordner
Editor: Ramón Charles
BEYERE
In the year 2080 and just hours after receiving a terminal diagnosis, Aodri struggles to discuss an uncertain future with her 10-year-old daughter Bena. Mother and daughter are among the last surviving members of the Ebanu people, a community of African-descended people who resisted transatlantic slavery. Eager to ensure survival of their culture, Aodri instructs Bena in their traditional language using American Sign Language and other gestures.
Playwright: Shauntay Grant
Director: Lisa Karen Cox
Actor: Natasha “Courage” Bacchus
Editor: Ramón Charles
GEORGEENA
A bride motors down a highway in her wedding dress, struggling to make sense of what led her to this moment. Her veil lies crumpled on the back seat. Her cellphone keeps ringing, and the car in her rear view appears to be following her. Could it be Mathiew, her groom?
Playwright: Djanet Sears
Director: Weyni Mengesha
Actor: Virgilia Griffith
Editor: Ramón Charles
YɛN ARA ASAASE NI/THIS IS OUR OWN NATIVE LAND
It is 2080. There is a race war in North America. A vessel carrying 500,000 refugees and led by a rich young Black man sits at Osu, off the coast of Ghana. The young man’s actions bring him face to face with himself, his history and the mothers of his own native land.
Playwright: Tawiah M’Carthy
Director: Dorothy A. Atabong
Actor: Peter Fernandes
Editor: Ramón Charles