Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Ghoulish Start to Tarragon Theatre’s New Season By Stephen Weir Mike Payette, Artistic Director of Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, is excited about the launch of their new season with Goblin:Macbeth This new Canadian play brings a mix of joy and laughter to the stage, marking a bold new chapter for Tarragon. It's a fresh style for the theatre, one that encourages audiences to come together and celebrate the power of live performance. Originally from Alberta, Gobln:Macbeth has already seen successful runs in Calgary, and Stratford. Now, it's finally making its way to Toronto. The play, which blends comedy, fantasy, and tragedy, was created by Calgary’s Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak. It takes a playful and irreverent approach to Shakespeare's Macbeth, where three mischievous goblins stumble upon the play and decide to perform it, albeit with a lot of improvisation and audience interaction. If Shakespeare himself could hop in a time machine and get a ticket (they are selling fas...

THREE WAYS INDO CARIBBEAN POEMS "The Tarragon’s Extra Space seats only about 100 patrons. And while they have a much larger theater in their midtown building (near Casa Loma), the size is of extreme importance to anyone contemplating seeing a new play that actually takes place in Guyana (well for part of the show). Don't think you can get away with waiting until the last minute to buy a ticket for this one! The play, "A Poem for Rabia," has its world premiere on October 25th and is already packing the theater during this week's preview performances. The piece, written by Nikki Shaffeeullah in her playwriting debut, runs in the Extra Space from now until November 12. "The play is an epic journey across time, oceans, and tectonic shifts in political history for three Indo-Caribbean women. 'A Poem for Rabia' weaves the stories of three queer women from the same bloodline: Zahra, a disillusioned activist in 2053, navigating a Canada that has just abolish...

Angélique  Quebec's oft-denied history of slavery By Stephen Weir / Caribbean Camera It took twenty years but as the spring stage season draws to a close, the most important Black History play just hit the boards, not with a thud but an explosion.   Ang é lique is the true story of a young domestic slave, who was blamed for setting fire to Montreal and was tortured and hanged for her troubles. The 285-year old saga is not a state secret. However, the fact that there was slavery in Lower Canada (now the province of Quebec), and at least one black woman who fought back is not a well-known fact. Ang é lique  a classic Canadian play written by the late Lorena Gale, is based on the transcripts of the trial in 1724 of Angelique. The current remount produced by Factory and Obsidian Theatre (mounted initially by the Quebec - based   Black Theatre Workshop) draws a line from this relatively unknown event to the province ' s contemporary struggles with racism. ...

Marie-Joseph Angélique will Burn Down The House By Stephen Weir It is not as though the story of how Angélique, a young Montreal domestic slave, set fire to Montreal and was hanged for her trouble is a state secret. However, the fact that there was slavery in Canada, and at least one black woman fought back in 1724, is not a well-known fact. “ The trouble with history is knowing whose version of the facts are real.   While the establishment might see Angélique, as a villain, the Black community will have a different take, " said Luke Reece a Producer at Obsidian Theatre. " Next week we are opening AngÄlique a play that tells her story and gives a vibrant account of Canadian Black history. " Angélique, a classic Canadian play written by the late Lorena Gale, is based on the transcripts of the trial of an enslaved Black woman who was tortured and hanged for the Montreal fire 245 years ago. The current drama (mounted initially by the Quebec based Black Th...