Queerguru is takig a break from all this Miami winter sunshine (sorry !) to head North as far as Montreal. The reason for our visit is to see the Black Theatre Workshop‘s ground breaking production of EVERY DAY SHE ROSE. This play is by Andrea Scott & Nick Green and which NEW THEATRE previously considered an “important piece of political theatre” because it raises important questions about intersectionality, police brutality, and perspective.
After the Black Lives Matter protest at the 2016 Toronto Pride Parade, two friends find their racial and queer politics aren’t as aligned as they thought, and the playwrights behind them must figure out how to write about the fallout.
Cathy-Ann, a straight Black woman, and her roommate Mark, a Gay white man, came home from the parade with such differing views of what happened and how it affected their own communities. Cathy-Ann agrees with the protest: the police presence at the parade doesn’t make her feel safe. Meanwhile, Mark felt safer with them there, especially in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Frustrated he can’t see the bigger issue, Cathy-Ann questions if she can continue living with Mark. Simultaneously, playwrights Andrea and Nick—who share the same identities as their characters—pause throughout the show to figure out how to work together to tell the story of a significant turning point in a friendship.
Through both sets of dialogue, Every Day She Rose is a powerful exploration of white supremacy, Black identity politics, privilege, and patriarchy in supposed safe spaces.
Dian Marie Bridge, Artistic Director – Black Theatre Workshop (which is Canada’s Original Black Theatre Company ) told Queerguru. “There is a long-known kindred relationship between straight Black Women and Queer White Men that usually begins as friendship at a young age. Both being in marginal communities, there is a natural alignment, and mutual benefit, up to the point of privilege. In 2016, BLM demanded changes to the annual Toronto Pride Parade, including the exclusion of a Police float in the celebration. This was at the same time that a serial killer was stalking Toronto’s gay village, targeting POC men, and not long after the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. It would seem that both the Black and Queer communities would be in sync around such major issues; but again comes a question of privilege and perspective. I am very excited to dive into the intricacies of how we see the world, set our priorities and examine the breaking of a friendship
Every Day She Rose - by BLACK THEATRE WORKSHOP Friday, 5 April 2024 from 7:00 PM (EDT) to 8:30 PM (EDT) 1945 Rue Fullum , Montreal, QC H2K 3N3
