Race Cards (in Two Acts)

PERCUSSIONIST

At the age of 5 Aubrey started to study the accordion and piano. After studying classical and jazz percussion at McGill University and Manhattan School of Music, Aubrey went on to tour with James ‘Blood’ Ulmer, Hassan Hakmoun (support act for Peter Gabriel), God Street wine, The John Popper Band, Sam Rivers, Ernest Ranglin and several others. He spent two years on Broadway performing in “Bring in ‘Da Noise Bring in Da Funk”. He also performed on the David Letterman show and the Jay Leno show as part of the John Popper Band. Aubrey also performed at the famous Carnegie Hall with the New York Metro Mass choir. He continues to work with James ‘Blood’ Ulmer in a trio, The Music Revelation Ensemble, and with his Memphis Blood Blues band that features Living Colour's guitarist Vernon Reid. Aubrey has recovered fully from kidney transplant surgery and is back to performing full time in support of his latest album called Jewel, as well as the documentary film “Stay Aubrey!”

COMPOSER

An artist living in London, Ontario, Alexandra Kane focuses on telling stories of Black joy through music and theatre. As a founding member of Black London Network and a lead activist for Black Lives Matter London, she advocates for racial equity and champions local Black culture.

VOCALIST

Germaine Konji (she/they) is a Kenyan-Canadian actor, singer, writer and director. Her artistic voice lives where the theatrical, cultural, and political intersect. She is a co-founder of The And, Stage Company; a not for profit creating theater opportunities for cis and trans women, as well as all non binary folks who are comfortable in a space that centres women. Germaine is one of Musical Stage Company’s 2020 Banks Prize award recipients, as well as a 2020 graduate of Sheridan's Music Theatre Performance Program. There, she was awarded the Highest Achievement in Acting Performance, and Outstanding Contribution to the Canadian Music Theatre Project. During her studies, she worked as a researcher for a project investigating the decolonizing, and decentering of the American musical. She recently starred in the Musical Stage Company’s acclaimed new musical Dixon Road.

THEATRE ARTIST

Rayna Masterton (she/they) is a Métis/Scottish actor, writer, director, and photographer on Treaty 1. Rayna has a degree from the University of Winnipeg’s acting program and Humber College’s physical theatre and devised program in Toronto. She has performed and trained with theatre companies across the country and is the co-founder of Fill the (W)hole Theatre Company.

DANCE ARTIST

Esie Mensah is an artist whose creative footprint extends into many genres, disciplines and regions. As a dancer, choreographer, director, educator, and TedX speaker, Esie’s mastery of storytelling is as diverse as her experience. She was a featured speaker at TEDxToronto 2019, where she spoke about her experience as a dark-skinned dancer and the process of creating her Dora-nominated production ​Shades​. More recently, she was a part of IMPACT21 Theatre Festival, performing her solo work A Seat at the Table—an ode to the complexities and realities of the black experience. Esie was also recently a featured choreographer for dance film, New Monuments, co-created by Canadian Stage and Luminato Festival, which explores Canada’s hidden history. Despite her origins within dance Esie continues to evolve. Her short film, A Revolution of Love, opened Toronto History Museum’s ongoing Awakenings initiative to decolonize historic spaces. In July 2021, Esie announced the world premiere of her newest short film, TESSEL, a national call of healing supported by 21 dance organizations from across Canada and co-commissioned by Fall For Dance North and Habourfront Centre.

DANCE ARTIST

Andrea Nann is a contemporary dance artist and founding artistic director of Dreamwalker Dance Company. Over a 31-year careerr, she creates work for the stage, film and outdoor sites; investigating contemporary approaches to creation through collaboration with individuals from all artistic disciplines

A graduate of York University’s Department of Fine Arts, Andrea was a member of the Danny Grossman Dance Company for 15 years from 1988-2003 where she created, performed and taught major roles from te works of Mr. Grossman and guest choreographers. She continues to appear as a guest artist with Peggy Baker Dance Projects, Tribal Crackling Wind and Volcano Theatre. Long-time creative collaborators include dance artist Sarah Chase, musician Gord Downie, and writer Michael Ondaatje. In 2016 Ontario Contact recognized Andrea as Artist of the Year for contributions to the Performing Arts touring sector in Ontario and in 2019 she received a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance by an Individual in Dance.

THEATRE ARTIST

Sarena is an actor and playwright. Originally from Kelowna BC, she is now based in Toronto. Her first full-length play, The Orchard (After Chekhov) premiered at the Shaw Festival and went on to a second production at the Arts Club Theatre. Her plays have been developed by Cahoots Theatre, Soulpepper, and Diaspora Dialogues. Sarena was also a participant of the Stratford Playwright’s Retreat. As an actor, Sarena has worked in theatres across the country. Recent favourite roles include Helena in All’s Well That Ends Well (Bard on the Beach), Christina in Dancing at Lughnasa (Shaw Festival), and Perdita in The Winter’s Tale (Groundling Theatre). In January 2021, Sarena will be appearing in Lady Dicks on CBC. Sarena is an acting graduate of the National Theatre School and Birmingham Conservatory of Classical Theatre (Stratford Festival). A receipient of the Bulmash-Siegal Award, she was a 2020/2021 Artist in Residence at Tarragon Theatre.

THEATRE ARTIST

Currently Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre, Tanisha is a director/actor/playwright, singer-songwriter, teacher, and accidental essayist who has worked with companies including YPT, Musical Stage, Obsidian, Buddies In Bad Times, Nightwood, National Arts Centre, Soulpepper, and The Theatre Centre. She is Artistic Mentor of the 2018 Paprika Festival Creators Unit, a Drama Mentor with the Toronto District School Board, and an Anti-Oppression & Conflict Transformation educator with Children’s Peace Theatre. An anti-VAW activist since 2006, Tanisha is a two-time YWCA Woman of Distinction nominee for her commitment to artistic excellence and social justice. She teaches 1st Year Contemporary Scene Study at George Brown Theatre School. Director, actor, playwright, educator, and activist, Taitt made a name for herself as an artist and director with the award-winning Children's Peace Theatre, where she spent over a decade using the arts to teach children and youth about the creation of peace through justice. Taitt also spent seven years as Producer of V-Day Toronto/One Billion Rising Canada, an extension of her work as an anti-VAW (Violence Against Women) activist and part of the global movement to end violence against women and girls, during which time she directed eleven productions.

THEATRE ARTIST

Tommi.b.Coyote (Zach) she/her, is a transfeminine playwright, television creator, actor, songstress, and artistic leader, born and based in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). A mixed raced adoptee with Filipinx, Settler and Mi’gmaq Ancestors, she creates and nurtures performances that honour her ancestors, and the communities she lives, walks and breaths alongside. She creates, performs and collaborates across Turtle Island, from Fringe to Film and everywhere in between.

Her body of work includes:

As writer: Snowblind (Lunchbox Theatre/Making Treaty 7), Kohkum & me (The Rest of Us Theatre Co.) and a TV adaptation of The Hayloft, in development at the CBC.

As performer: Bright Star, Cariboo Magi (Rosebud Theatre), Romeo & Juliet (Theatre Calgary/Shakespeare by the Bow) Pawakan (Workshop at The Stratford Festival), The Street (Pounds Performance) as well as performing her own shows Kohkum & me and Snowblind.

MUSICIAN

With performances described as “fire without smoke” (Strad) and “breathtaking” (Onstage), violinist and interdisciplinary artist Leslie Ting has been creating immersive, music-driven performances since 2014 with her definitive work, Speculation. Nominated for the 2021 Pauline McGibbon Award for Emerging Theatre Director, Leslie’s work combines her specialized background as a classical musician and former practicing optometrist. Committed to inclusion and creative approaches to access, Leslie has worked with renowned blind theatre artist and disability arts advocate Alex Bulmer and Deaf performer Thurga Kanagasekarampallai. Leslie’s newest project, What Brings You In, is currently in development with the support of Theatre Passe Muraille and WhyNot’s RISER Project. This past year she performed in the inaugural season of improvisation web-series, Understory and contributed to the experimental publication Caddisfly. She is also an artistic research fellow at the Laboratory for Artistic Intelligence and an Associate Artist with performance company, Volcano.