Black and Blue Matters
This live presentation will take place at:
Segal Centre, Sylvan Adams Theatre, Montreal, Canada
February 20 – March 6, 2022
NAC, Azrieli Studio1 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Canada
March 15 – March 27, 2022 – 8PM
Black and Blue Matters is a satirical and interactive Hip Hop musical written by Omari Newton and directed by Diane Roberts that deconstructs the justice system, truth, white supremacy, and the nature of post/neo-colonial trauma. It offers an urgent examination of tension between police and marginalized communities, and it confronts anti-Black racism and how it affects all of us.
The performance is a deconstructed jury trial that takes the form of a rap battle between two characters; Sammir Frederique, The Activist, a Black teenager clinging to life after being shot nine times by a police officer, and David Harrison, The Cop, the white police officer who shot him. The audience chooses the fate of the characters, alongside the character of The Judge, Legba, who presides the trial at the Oppressed People’s Court.
Omari Newton wrote Black and Blue Matters as a companion piece to his play Sal Capone: The Lamentable Tragedy of, which Black Theatre Workshop first premiered in 2013.
See the teasers below (WARNING: Strong Language)
Black and Blue Matters Creative Team
Omari Newton – Playwright
Diane Roberts – Director
Cast
Justin Johnson – Sammy
David Kaye – David
Kim Villagante – Legba
Joy Mwandemange – X
Creative Team
Nalo Soyini Bruce – Set & Costume Designer
Troy Slocum – Composer & Sound Designer
Tim Rodrigues – Lighting Designer
Patrick Boivin – Video Designer
Sam I Am Montolla – Choreographer
Lydie Dubuisson – Assistant Director
Amber Hood – Associate Lighting Designer
Courtney Moses – Assistant Designer
Elyse Quesnel – Stage Manager
Katherine Hagemeyer – Stage Manager
Ava Bishop – Apprentice Stage Manager
Black Theatre Workshop wishes to thank the National Arts Centre English Theatre for their partnership in bringing “Black and Blue Matters” to life.
Black Theatre Workshop is Canada’s longest running Black theatre company and is committed to reflecting Black culture and community by developing and providing visibility for Black Canadian artists. Black Theatre Workshop is an award-winning English-speaking theatre company based in Montreal, Quebec.