All posts on September 8th, 2015

BTW:  defined by resilience and excellence Egbert Gaye “I’m proud of the Black Theatre Workshop,” says Clarence Bayne, who helped found the institution that now stands as one of the oldest of its kind in Canada, and who nurtured it into an artistic force on the performing arts landscape “That pride has nothing to do with the fact that I’m one of the founding members, or having worked my behind off to ensure the survival and growth of the company. It has everything to do with the role that the BTW now plays in the Canadian theatre mosaic.” Looking back …

Emerging Montreal hip-hop artist has something to say When hip hop artist Drake connected with industry heavyweight Lil Wayne, Drake’s career took off and helped put Toronto’s hip hop scene on the international map. There hasn’t been a similar catalyst for the Montreal hip hop scene, but one aspiring rapper believes he’ll be the one to do it. Rommell Morrison moved to Montreal from Pickering, Ont., six years ago with his family. Originally from Philadelphia, basketball was his passion for most of his life. When he was 18, he went to a show where he heard people rapping on stage …

Cornucopia Association of Canada and Best Bites Catering extend a hand to students Contact Staff Chastitie Greaves told her story of coming to Montreal from St. Vincent and the Grenadines and trying to acclimatize to her new environment, mostly the snow, cold temperatures and studying in a new language, French. It wasn’t much fun. But it was long before she hunkered down and learned to live with the climate and to master her schoolwork. It wasn’t long before she was at the head of her class. This past June she graduated from the three-year Nursing Program at John Abbott College …

BTW’s Artistic Director Quincy Armorer on why you should see The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God “This is a Black story specifically, but a human story about Black people as opposed to a story about Black race. It is told in the African storytelling tradition, featuring an incredible soaring soundscape and evocative dance. The play connects us to our ancestors and is an opportunity, as Black people, to see ourselves represented on stage. The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God also has a diverse and talented cast including several people from the original …

More than four decades after the infamous Sir George Williams Riot, Ninth Floor takes audiences back to one of the most contested episodes in Canada’s history. Writer and director Mina Shum films the protagonists in locations throughout Trinidad and Montreal. Ninth Floor will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival followed by film festival screenings in Vancouver, Halifax and Calgary. Montreal screenings to be announced at a later date. Produced by National Film Board of CANADA  directed by Mina Shum and produced by Selwyn Jacob. The film was shot on location in Montreal and in Trinidad. Screen …

Contact Staff On Thanksgiving Saturday, October 10, the stage will be set on for Rip The Runway MTL 2015. Now in its fourth year, this annual fashion show fundraiser will be making a “CHANGE FOR MS” in benefit of the Tristan Williams MS Foundation. Tristan is a young Montrealer who continues to inspire others with his incredible journey and powerful story of survival after being diagnosed with MS and two types of cancers. According to event organizer, Janice Small, “Tristan Williams will have you rising out of your seats as you witness his conviction and strength.” She also stated that …

Contact Staff Nestled between Martinique and Guadeloupe, the beautiful island of Dominica bore the brunt of Erika’s fury as the tropical storm cut a devastating swath across the eastern Caribbean on Wednesday, 26 August. The storm unleashed about 11 hours of constant rainfall and wind on the island turning it into a deluge, devastation and carnage, leaving 20 confirmed dead, about 50 missing and close to 90 per cent of homes and infrastructure damaged. Most of those still missing are in the mountainous Petit Savane region on the south east of the island. The scope of the devastation was reflected …

Almost everyone in America has one and the upshot is predictable Of course “[…] all lives matter,” Sherriff Ron Hickman. Unfortunately it took the “cold-blooded” killing of one of yours to come to that realization and be openly and publicly vocal about a serious matter that no one really paid attention to until Black men have now begun to turn their guns on the police. And I can state unequivocally, and without reservation, that I for one do not, cannot, condone what appears to be a new phenomenon, albeit not yet a trend: the shootings of police. It was just …

In Trinidad and Tobago, voters are hoping the September 7th  elections  will bring economic clarity     August 31, 2015 represented 53 years since Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence from Britain. This not only meant a break from our colonial masters, but also the building of a new society based on the values of discipline, production and tolerance. In his Independence Day message in 1962, the then Prime Minister Dr. Eric Williams emphasized that the first responsibility of the newly independent nation was the protection and promotion of democracy, which signified something more than the right to vote and one …

Former Montrealer teams up with T&T hard-hitting producer Many readers know that the legendary Bajan Soca Artist “Edwin Yearwood” performed in Montreal on Friday, August 21, at V Lounge and may be wondering how it went. It was my first time taking in Edwin’s performance, but I know that he can always be counted on to have partygoers singing all the Krosfyah hit songs, such as Obadele, Pump Me Up, Sak Passe, Dushi, Good Time, Last Man Standing, Wet Me any more. It was definitely a Bajan Invasion that night, as I saw more Bajan partygoers than ever before. But …