Press Release | Wake Brings Congolese Family Story to the Main Stage

Saskatoon, SK – A family gathers to mourn a patriarch, but old wounds, new tensions, and a few carefully guarded secrets refuse to stay buried in Wake, a new play by Rachel Mutombo, which will see its World Premiere at Persephone Theatre September 23 to October 4, 2026.

Mutombo explained Wake is a comedy about the weekend leading up to the funeral of a patriarch, when a family is finally reunited to mourn. It has a revolving door of mourners coming and going, which makes a tricky environment for the Kabongo family, who are carrying old wounds, new ones, and a few secrets.

“I love to write about families, and I love the tension between private and public settings and the ways people can or cannot express themselves depending on which one they’re in,” Mutombo said about where the inspiration for the play came from. “Much of this play comes from me just thinking about those things and letting my imagination flow.”

Wake was selected as Persephone Theatre’s recipient of their inaugural IBPOC New Play Commission, an opportunity Mutombo applied for during a period of transition in her career.

“As I shifted more into playwriting from acting, I sought any and all opportunities I could pursue that would support my development as a playwright,” she said. “Commissions of this size in Canada are quite rare, especially as an open call — as an early-career playwright at the time, I had to at least try.”

She explained when her play was selected, the recognition was both validating and empowering, not just for her, but for other Black women.

“Black women are not programmed nearly as much in this country as our white and male counterparts,” Mutombo said. “This commitment wasn’t just an investment in my idea, but a commitment to producing the play that set things apart. It means a guarantee that my story, and its unique representation, will be included in programming.”

“When so many theatres are reluctant to program shows by Canadian playwrights, or with large casts or predominantly Black casts, this is more important than ever — because Wake has all three.”

Mutombo didn’t set out to be a playwright – in fact she planned to be an actor – but said she was always a writer underneath it all.

“As a kid, I wrote short stories and poems, and it took me years to realize that my love of text and language was actually tied to my acting practice,” she said. “I never got tired of table work, and I’d jump at any chance to workshop a new play. Other artists saw it before I did.”

The turning point, she said, was in 2019 when she worked on School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh.

“It was one of the most profound experiences I’ve had as an actor, feeling so connected to a story about African girls written with so much authenticity, none of us reduced to caricature,” Mutombo said. “That gave me the courage to dive into playwriting, starting from a place of centering my community — highlighting us, putting us onstage in a way I hadn’t seen before.”

From there, she was inspired to tell stories about her own community, inspired by her own background and family.

“The family in the play is Congolese, so there are aspects of my culture and heritage that are shared with these characters,” she said. “I have been to many wakes in the Congolese community, but none quite like the one that unfolds in this play.”

Mutombo said seeing the play make it to the stage is a profound privilege.

“It’s not easy to make theatre happen in a world that feels increasingly disconnected from real human experience,” she said. “Wake is the biggest show I have written so far and it’s not lost on me what an undertaking it is for everyone to make this production happen. I am so grateful for the opportunity to share this piece with the world.”

Ultimately, Wake is a celebration of the chaos, tenderness and absurdity, which can exist within families – especially in moments when everyone is forced to come together.

“It’s a big, messy, funny family story that most people will recognize pieces of themselves in, whether or not they’ve ever been to a wake,” she said.

Despite the play being centered around a wake, Mutombo said she hopes people will enjoy it and find it amusing.

“Like with all my plays, I hope people laugh. I hope they enjoy themselves first and think deeply about their own relationships after,” she said. “Especially those mother-daughter relationships. Also, if you care about your loved ones, you should have a will!”

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