Rosie Awori
Best known as Belladonna the Blest, Donna-Michelle St. Bernard has made her mark in the theatre circuit as an emcee, playwright, administrator and agitator.
St. Bernard is a Torontonian from Grenada by way of Bequila, St. Vincent.
Her thespian repertoire include acts staged all over the world, such as, They Say He Fell, A Man A Fish, Cake, The House You Build, Salome’s Clothes, and Gas Girls.
Her work has been recognized with nominations for the Governor General’s award, Siminovitch Prize, KM Hunter Award, Herman Voaden Award, Enbridge PlayRites Award, Dora Mavor Moore Award.
This fall she brings to the stage her one-woman act titled, Sound of the Beast where she speaks truth to power with hip-hop, spoken word, and storytelling.
The show blends the personal and the political, with a bold and brutally honest take about policing in Black communities.
The performance was inspired by Tunisian emcee Weld-El 15 – who was jailed for his song Boulicia Kleb (The Police Are Dogs) – St. Bernard riffs on oppression, poverty and systemic injustice.
Sound of the Beast highlights St. Bernard’s quick wit and quicker rhymes in a multimedia performance that reflects on questions of identity, the decision to call out authority and what happens when authority strikes back.
St. Bernard is currently the emcee in residence at Theatre Passe Muraille and playwright in residence at lemonTree Creations.
Canadiens en Arts.
Sound of the Beast will be playing from the 3rd – 14th October at MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) 3680, rue Jeanne Mance. For more information 514-982-3386.
