2020 Commission

Privileged

by Chantria Tram

I am thrilled that Privileged has been selected for the Short List and am excited to be working with Persephone Theatre as this project develops. My hope is that this piece will open up some challenging and necessary conversations in our communities about privilege, the cost of complacency and the courage it takes to stand in solidarity for social justice.

About the Artist

Chantria Tram is a Cambodian-born Toronto-based performer and storyteller with a passion for bringing more diversity to the screen and stage.

Chantria is an award-winning actress and the recipient of multiple artist-in-residencies including ‘Voices of the 1.5 Generation‘, an unprecedented collaborative project between Concordia University and the Khmer (Cambodian) Community in Montreal. Her solo show, ‘Someone Between’ has toured to multiple stages including opening the 2017 Summerworks Performance Festival, Centaur Theatre and the Young Centre for the Performing Arts.

She works in film,TV, and theatre and was most recently in dress rehearsal for the world premiere of ‘3 Women of Swatow’ (Tarragon Theatre) until theatre shutdowns 2020. Currently, she is developing an original television series adapted from her solo show.

Chantria has spoken on several artist panels internationally and has been a delegate at the 2008 Forum for Indigenous Issues at the U.N.
She is member of ACTRA Toronto’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is a board member with Nightwood Theatre. If she is not developing a creative project, you can find her strolling with her maltipoo or grabbing a tasty bubble tea with her husband.

River

by Luke Reece

If a biracial man falls in the forest, and the only witness is the assaulter, what sound do the nearby campers make? River investigates the dirt underneath the fingernails of toxic masculinity, through a wildly unsettling camping trip. Can friendships that were once set in stone, withstand the erosion of time?

About the Artist

In a failed attempt to escape Luke Reece left his hometown of Mississauga under the guise of becoming a Toronto-based artist. He strives to share authentic and engaging stories with audiences through his work as an award-winning producer, playwright, poet and educator. Luke is the Associate Artistic Director at Soulpepper Theatre, and sits on the Board of Directors for the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres as chair of the Labour Relations portfolio. Through Luke’s work as an artistic leader within the national arts community, he advocates for engaging and nuanced storytelling that challenges Canadian audiences. He is one of Toronto’s most decorated slam poets, and has represented the country internationally. In 2020 Luke was featured performing for former Toronto Raptor and NBA Champion Serge Ibaka on his Instagram Talent Show. In 2021 Luke will be included in York University’s inaugural Top 30 Changemakers Under 30 list.

The Betrayal

by Marie Barlizo

The Betrayal is a play that I’ve wanted to write about for a long time, and I’m thrilled to receive development support from Persephone Theatre. I will be diving into the research of pre-colonial history and the Conquest of the Philippines by the Spanish, and will explore my findings through Authentic Movement (a meditative, intuitive, improvisational movement practise involving a mover and a witness) with Tedi Tafel.

The Betrayal is an idea inspired by the story of Birong (Tagalog for Princess) Batunguay, whose brother King Tupas signed the Peace Treaty of Cebu (1565) effectively created Spanish suzerainty over Cebu (a province in the Philippines). The play is about the fate and betrayal of the Philippine people. Batunguay helped her brother to fight the battle against Spain. There isn’t much written about who Batunguay is; she is just a footnote in history. The Betrayal investigates the role of women in 16th century Philippines and how the Spanish conquest impacted them and their future.

About the Artist

Marie Barlizo is a Filipino-Chinese playwright, screenwriter, dramaturg and producer born in the Philippines but grew up in Montreal. She is a graduate of UBC’s Creative Writing MFA Program and the first visible minority to graduate from the National Theatre School’s (NTS) Playwriting Program in 2002. She is the Playwriting Mentor at Black Theatre Workshop’s Artist Mentorship Program, an instructor at NTS and their Artistic Associate for their Playwriting Program. Her play LUCKY was developed at Banff Playwrights’ Retreat and was a hit at the 2019 Next Stage Theatre Festival in Toronto. She is an Artist-in-Residence at Imago Theatre, where she is developing her play The Warrior. Geordie Theatre commissioned her to write The Little Mighty Superhero and it is part of their 2020-2021 2Play Tour which has been live-streamed to more than 10,000 children! Carlos Bulosan Theatre commissioned her to write The Healing in June 2020 and she further developed The Healing for Centaur Theatre’s Catalyst Readings in January 2021.

Painted Elephant

by Peace Akintade

Painted Elephant is a project that incorporates both the African and Indigenous storytelling styles. An intimate experience of both elder’s lives and childhood through stories about the natural world. Both cultures are interwoven with teachings of balance, harmony, and respect. A play created with mixtures of poetry, folklore lullabies, and fable storytelling. Painted Elephant aims to combine  African and Indigenous cultures with theatre and performance art. A world where both communities are sitting together not as two nations, but one audience.

About the Artist

Peace Akintade is an African Canadian Interdisplinary Poet, Public Speaker, and Thespian residing in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. 2020- 2021 Saskatchewan Youth Poet Laurate, Co-coordinator of Write Out Loud, a Saskatoon-based Youth Poetry Community, and board member of the Tonight it’s Poetry Community. Part of the Youth Speaker’s Bureau for the Office of the Treaty Commissioner. One of the 21 Black Playwrights chosen for Obsidian Theatre’s 21 Black Future Project. Her play Madness with Rocks can be found on CBCArts and CBCGem. Her other works can be found in the History Folklore Society, Kindred Cities, CBC, Global News, SaskArts, the Saskatchewan Writers Guild, the Voices of Today Anthology, Birthday Party Anthology, Leaders Post, TOAST, and SaskCulture.

Her poems touch on the impact of slavery in her village, colorism, growing up in Kuwait, Nigeria, and Canada, and relearning her culture in the face of colonization. She dreams of a world where poetry is accessible and interconnected with different art media.