Africanadian Hits

Da Kink in My Hair is latest in string of successes

The African-Canadian community - known as "Africanadian" to some - has a recent history of producing exceptionally successful theatrical work. The past decade has seen big hits for such shows as George Seremba's Come Good Rain, Andrew Moodie's Riot, Marlene Nourbese Phillips' Coups and Calypsos and, more recently, Djanet Sears' Harlem Duet and The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God.
Typically, these shows open in small productions that sell out, and are later remounted - some several times - in gradually larger spaces, winning awards along the way. For example, Come Good Rain, about political upheaval in Africa, won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best New Play in 1994. In 1996, Riot, about reactions of various black Torontonians to the Rodney King riots, won a prestigious Chalmers Award. The 1997 production of Harlem Duet, based on Othello, won four Doras. Meanwhile, Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God went from a modest initial production through to a major commercial run, becoming the longest running play by an African Canadian writer.
This year is seeing a similar trajectory for Trey Anthony's Da Kink in My Hair, a comedy with a serious edge set in a women's hair salon. It went from the Fringe of Toronto to the New York Fringe and a mainstage production at Toronto's Theatre Passe Muraille, selling out runs along the way and earning a Dora Award nomination for Best New Play. It was also filmed for broadcast by Vision TV, which is developing a TV series based on the play.
Now, the show is approaching an expanded production at the Princess of Wales Theatre through Mirvish Productions. "It's more or less the same cast, but we've added two more monologues so we've added two more women," says Anthony. "We've also added more drummers and musicians, so it's much bigger. It still has the same essence of the play, but I've added some things and new music has been composed."
Those who might be interested in trying to catch an Africanadian hit in its very first production should check out Lisa Codrington's Cast Iron later this season. Codrington is a young writer, newly arrived in Toronto from Winnipeg. Her work in a nursing home there was part of the inspiration for her play about Libya Atwell, a Bajan woman at the end of her life. "With this particular show I just wanted to highlight a story about a particular woman from Barbados," says Codrington. "The story of the play is a confession."
Cast Iron is being produced by Nightwood Theatre and Obsidian Theatre, both companies with a past history of hits. To solidify the show's chances, it's being performed by the formidable Alison Sealy-Smith (a key player in Djanet Sears' two most recent plays). Odds are strong that it will see a life past this initial production.
Mirvish Productions presents Da Kink in My Hair at the Princess of Wales Theatre from January 8 to February 27. For tickets, call TicketKing at 416.872.1212 or 1.800.461.3333, or visit www.mirvish.com. Later in the season, Nightwood Theatre and Obsidian Theatre present Cast Iron from February 16 to March 13 at the Tarragon Extra Space. For tickets and information call 416.531.1827.

Publication Date: 2005-01-09
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4811