LUKUMI: A Dub Opera by d’bi.young anitafrika
WORLD PREMIERE
by d’bi.young anitafrika
directed by Eugene Williams
musical direction by Waleed Abdulhamid
choreographed by L’Antionette Stines
Sept 22 – Oct 14, 2017 in the Tarragon Theatre Extraspace
Opens Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Tickets: http://bit.do/lukumi
The Watah Theatre presents:
Lukumi formerly entitled Bleeders, is an Afro-futurist Dub -Opera set in post--apocalypse Turtle Island in 2167, 150 years after WWIII and 100 years after the Period of Explosions (PoE). The PoE saw the widespread meltdown of nuclear power plants – due to global environmental degradation – making the surface of the earth virtually uninhabitable. A group of freedom fighters called the Ohosi Mino live underground in intricate cave systems where they are viciously hunted by The One World Army. Having access to ancient knowledges, the Ahosi Mino must send a Lukumi on a vision quest, descending through eight layers of earth, to find humanity's redemption or to die trying.
Now Magazine: 3 N’s and Critics Pick http://bit.do/nowreview
My Entertainment World: ...historical monument...cautionary tale http://bit.do/myentertainmentreview
Mooney on Theatre: ...an exceptionally powerful piece of theatre. http://bit.do/Mooneyreview
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ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT d’bi.young anitafrika
Anitafrika, one of only 200 artists to receive a Canada Council New Chapter project grant, is once again experimenting with the boundaries dub theatre. The winner of three Dora awards for Blood.claat and Mami Wata & the PussyWitch Hunt, her other awards include: Golden Beret, KM Hunter Theatre, Mayor’s Arts, Vital People, Canadian Poet of Honor, Toronto Leadership Lab Fellow and YWCA Woman of Distinction in the Arts. She is an internationally celebrated African-Jamaican dubpoet, playwright- performer, arts-educator, and Artistic Director of Canada’s Watah Theatre, whose trans-disciplinary work – dubpoetry, theatre, music, dance, writing, storytelling – explores themes of identity, gender, sexuality, divinity, the erotic, race, class and the human experience. Anitafrika is the creator of the human development framework – The Anitafrika Sorplusi Method – which has been utilized by The Stephen Lewis Foundation, The Banff Centre, U of T, MaRS, Women’s College Hospital and other institutions globally. She is the published author of 7 books, 7 plays and 7 dub albums.
CAST AND CREW
written and co-composed by d’bi.young anitafrika
directed by Eugene Williams
musical direction & co-composed by Waleed Abdulhamid
choreography by L’Antionette Stines
set & costumes by Rachel Forbes
lighting by Michelle Ramsay
starring Aisha Bentham, Savannah Clark, Sedina Fiati, Uche Kenzie, Webster McDonald, Najla Nubyanluv, Sashoya Shoya Oya, Julene Robinson and d’bi.young anitafrika in the title role of Lukumi
stage manager Kathleen Jones
production manager Samson Brown
music notation by Suba
dramaturge Eugene Williams & L’Antionette Stines
artistic producer Brett Haynes
Featured in the film: Aisha Bentham, Aquilla Roots, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, Najla Edwards, Nickeshia Garrick, Olunike Adeliyi, Raven Dauda, Sashoya Shoya Oya, Ravyn Wngs, d'bi.young anitafrika
Footage by: Lucius Dechausay
sponsored by: Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts New Chapters and Toronto Arts Council
