Tarragon Theatre OUR FATHERS, SONS, LOVERS AND LITTLE BROTHERS Opens March 17

Mike Payette, Artistic Director of Tarragon Theatre and Managing Director Andrea Vagianos are excited to announce the opening of Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers, a Tarragon Theatre and Black Theatre Workshop co-production based on the world premiere production produced by b current.

The play, written and performed by 2020-21 Urjo Kareda Award recipient Makambe K. Simamba, runs in the Extraspace from March 8 - April 10, 2022 (opening March 17).

In Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers, Simamba plays Slimm, who suddenly finds himself in the afterlife. This piece, based on the real-life murder of Trayvon Martin, tells the story of a Black teenager, reflecting on the life he lived and the violence that took him from his life, family and community. Ultimately, Our Fathers is a protest for Black life and a promise that Black Lives Matter.

The piece, written by Dora Award-winning playwright Makambe K. Simamba (As Actor: A Chitenge Story, Bea) and directed by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard (playwright, Dora Award-winning Gas Girls, A Man A Fish, Salome's Clothes), features dynamic video by Trevor Schwellnus (Artistic Producer, Aluna Theatre, Tarragon: Marine Life), lighting by Andrea Lundy (Tarragon: The Misanthrope, Courageous), sound design by Diana Reyes (aka Fly Lady Di, creator/choreographer: Third World) and original music by Maddie Bautista (Eraser Theatre/RISER Project: Eraser), setting the backdrop for Simamba's profound performance and articulation of grief and the pain of racial oppression.

"I'm so proud to have Tarragon be a part of the legacy of this powerful piece of storytelling from Makambe," notes Artistic Director Mike Payette. "This respectfully and artfully-crafted work is as urgent as ever, and a call for remembrance of Black lives and a protest to all that families have endured and lost. But at the core, it is a calling for community, reflection and reclamation through the lens of the beautiful lyricism and care of Makambe's words and spirit."

Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers runs in Tarragon's Extraspace from March 8 - April 10, 2022, opening officially March 17, 2022. Additionally, on-demand Tarragon Chez Vous digital access to Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers will be available between March 22 - April 10, 2022.

Tarragon will continue with our current plan to require proof of vaccination for all staff, artists and patrons and reduced capacities in our theatres. Masking remains mandatory as per provincial guidelines. You can find the full list of safety measures, including our vaccination policy, here.

Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers

written by Makambe K. Simamba
directed by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard
A Tarragon Theatre and Black Theatre Workshop co-production
Based on the world premiere production produced by b current
In person: March 8 - April 10, 2022 (opening March 17)
Chez Vous: March 22 - April 10, 2022 (online, on-demand)
Extraspace

Makambe is the 2020-21 Urjo Kareda Award recipient as well as the Dora Award winning playwright and actor for her most recent solo work Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers (b current performing arts).

Slimm, a seventeen-year-old Black boy in a hoodie suddenly finds himself in the first moments of his afterlife. He calls out for God. God does not respond. What happens next is a sacred journey through the unknown, as Slimm grapples with the truth of the life he lived and the death he didn't choose.

Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers is a protest for all Black life beyond headlines and hashtags, a prayer for all families left behind, and a promise to the community that all Black lives matter.

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