At Montreal’s Segal Centre, a provocative play about love, activism and the expectations placed on Black women sparked a deeper conversation about family, community and the courage to walk away
Rosie Awori – Local Journalism Initiative – Montreal Community Contact
They are uncomfortable questions, particularly in communities where sacrifice, endurance and family loyalty are often regarded as virtues. But they were precisely the questions being asked at Montreal’s Segal Centre on October 29, as Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) brought together members of the community for a conversation ahead of its presentation of Amanda Parris’s The Other Side of the Game.
For an hour, the discussion moved between family obligations, generational trauma, motherhood, political activism and the complicated business of knowing when to walk away.
The gathering formed part of BTW’s 2026–2027 season, titled Tête-à-tête, an initiative by artistic director Dian Marie Bridge to bring conversation back into the theatre experience.
In an earlier interview with the CONTACT, Bridge explained that she had grown increasingly concerned about declining audience engagement.
“Word of mouth is a huge part of theatre,” she said, reflecting on the fewer conversations taking place after performances.
For Bridge, presenting a compelling story is no longer enough.
“If it’s not impacting our lives, if it’s not changing anything or if they’re not engaged beyond just entertainment, then we have to really look at that.”
And so, rather than mount one large mainstage production, this year, BTW has divided its budget into three workshop readings throughout the season, each exploring subjects that audiences might otherwise hesitate to discuss.
The approach allows the company to work with larger casts, attract established performers and take chances with challenging material. More importantly, it gives audiences an opportunity to examine the stories together.
The Other Side of the Game, presented as a workshop reading directed by Ravyn R. Bekh, offered plenty to examine.Written by award-winning Canadian playwright Amanda Parris, the play follows two Black women living decades apart but confronting remarkably similar expectations.
In the 1970s, Beverly joins a Black social justice organization, only to discover that while men may occupy the spotlight, women are expected to do much of the work that keeps the movement alive.
In a more contemporary storyline, Nicole reconnects with an ex-boyfriend who repeatedly finds himself incarcerated. Despite his circumstances and their complicated relationship, he expects her continued loyalty, financial assistance and emotional availability.
Both women find themselves confronting the familiar expectation that Black women must be dependable, forgiving and strong, even when those qualities come at their own expense.
Bridge put it rather plainly during our interview.
“When it’s ride or die, sometimes you die.”
It is a sobering observation about a cultural ideal that is often romanticized.
Black women have long been described as the backbone of their communities. They organize, nurture, advocate and sustain. But what happens when the backbone becomes exhausted? And who is expected to carry the women who have spent their lives carrying everyone else?
The play does not offer convenient answers. Instead, it places those questions before the audience.
Before the actors took the stage, some of the audience gathered for a discussion organized in partnership with Concordia University’s Office of Community Engagement and its University of the Streets Café.
The conversation brought together Bridge, psychotherapist and clinical social worker Shirlette Wint, Concordia’s Kristen Young and audience members invited to reflect on the play’s themes.
Drawing on the Socratic idea of the examined life, Wint encouraged participants to question the beliefs and loyalties that shape their decisions. Among the most compelling questions she raised was whether betraying one’s own boundaries might sometimes be more damaging than disappointing the people or communities to whom one feels obligated.
At what point is enough enough? How does one recognize when loyalty has become destructive? And when does leaving become necessary for survival? The conversation quickly moved beyond the fictional characters.
The discussion also exposed a tension familiar to many immigrant and Black families, where collective responsibility and respect for elders can sometimes conflict with personal boundaries.
Wint suggested that breaking harmful generational patterns need not always mean severing relationships entirely. Sometimes the change begins with limiting contact, refusing to participate in destructive gatherings or establishing boundaries that previous generations never felt empowered to set.
The conversation then turned to motherhood and the expectation that women should continually give of themselves, regardless of what remains.
One mother described deliberately taking time away from her children to travel and replenish herself. It was not, she explained, a rejection of motherhood, but a conscious decision to return with more patience, energy and experiences to share.
Participants reflected on how deeply the expectation of maternal sacrifice is ingrained, particularly when women are praised for continuing to give even when they have little left.
Another audience member introduced an important qualification: the freedom to make such choices is not equally available to every woman. Financial circumstances, family responsibilities and the availability of support can determine whether someone has the practical ability to step away, even temporarily.
It was a necessary reminder that personal empowerment does not occur in a vacuum.
The freedom to choose is also shaped by economic and social realities.
For the women portrayed in The Other Side of the Game, these realities complicate decisions about loyalty, motherhood, relationships and political commitment.
Their struggles are not merely questions of individual judgment. They are also shaped by the structures and expectations surrounding them. The conversation touched on generational change, particularly the ways children observe their parents’ relationships and eventually decide that certain patterns should not continue.
For Bridge, the pre-show exchange represented the kind of engagement she hopes BTW can cultivate throughout the year.
BTW’s ambitions extend beyond its current productions. Through its Artist Mentorship Program, the company is connecting 20 emerging artists from across Canada, creating professional networks intended to help them develop careers without necessarily leaving Montreal.
“I would love for Montreal artists to be able to, like, stay here, live here, contribute to the community here, and not feel like they have to move away,” Bridge said.
With the Club Zed playwrights’ festival also heading to Toronto in 2027, the company is seeking to strengthen connections between Montreal’s Black artistic community and the national theatre landscape.
At the October 29 gathering, participants did not arrive at a shared definition of loyalty, nor did they agree on precisely when a person should walk away.
But perhaps that was the most meaningful outcome. The discussion made room for contradictions: the importance of family and the necessity of boundaries, the strength of community and the freedom of the individual, the value of sacrifice and the danger of expecting too much of those who give.
For a theatre company concerned that audiences are no longer talking enough, the conversation itself offered a glimpse of what might be possible. Because sometimes the most important thing a play can do is not to provide an answer. It is to make people reconsider the questions they have stopped asking.
The Other Side of the Game, continues with two workshop readings on Saturday, October 31, at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Segal Centre. Both performances will be followed by audience talkbacks. Admission is pay-what-you-can. More information is available at www.blacktheatreworkshop.ca.
