LULU

LULU

TAYOW is a multi-faceted, Brampton-based artist. Inheriting her love for music from her father, the self-taught singer/songwriter and actress is refining her craft through integrity and self-awareness. Her recent project Niveah-EP explores the mental and spiritual journey that occurs when seeking to reconnect with our true self. She is Inspired by vocal and lyrical powerhouses like Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and Brittany Howard. As well as animated storytellers like Eartha Kitt and Outkast.

ANANSI / JAB JAB / JUMBIE #1

Hamilton's triple-threat artist, Jason Chung is versatile and takes the stage by storm. Jason has been in projects such as Red Beti Theatres, Blackberry, Theatre Aquarius, Riders to the Sea, Nam Nguyen's Ceazus, and Jennifer Walton's GUNPLAY. As an upcoming artist, Jason is establishing himself within the growing industry.

GRANDMA CLARICE / LA DIABLESSE / JUMBIE #2 / SOUCOUYANT / ROLLING CALF

Najla Nubyanluv is queer, Black producer, multidisciplanary artist, educator, and doula. She is a 3 time graduate of The Watah Theatre including a fellowship culminating in the world premiere of her afrofuturist play entitled "I Cannot Lose My Mind". More recently she completed a ThisGen Fellowship with WhyNot Theatre.

JAMIE

David Delisca, born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, raised in West Palm Beach, Florida and residing in Toront, is a writer, poet, actor and humorist. A versatile artist, he uses stories about the immigrant and diasporic experience, as well as other various human realities, to bridge realms of communication. His works and performances have been featured in Toronto Star, CBC and Netflix.

DOCTOR BIRD

Durae McFarlane is a queer Jamaican-Canadian actor. He is a Dora nominated actor and recent graduate of the Soulpepper Academy. He was named a breakthrough artist by Now Magazine in 2019. Recent credits include: Outside (Roseneath Theatre), The-Walk Up (Soulpepper Theatre) Jane (Greenhouse Festival/Tarragon Theatre).

MUSICIAN

Waleed Abdulhamid is a Canadian Multi-instrumentalist; Composer; Vocalist; Music and Film Producer, known for his striking vocals, innovative bass technique, and his speed and precision on percussion. He has been an active member of the Toronto music scene since his arrival, in 1991 from Sudan, where he began to perform as early as six years old. He is the recipient of the Canadian New Pioneer Award; African Tama Award; Reel World Film Festival Award and Canadian Film Board of Excellence Award. In addition, he has not only received other international awards, but was also twice honoured with a DORA Award.

PLAYWRIGHT / PRODUCER

Sashoya Simpson is a Jamaican-born storyteller whose wings have been nurtured within the arms of elders and young ones who mentor her directly and indirectly. Her artistic work embodies Caribbean folklore and cultural practices through theatre performance, storytelling and literary art. The stories she tells are for her nieces, nephews and future children to see themselves being represented and to keep traditions alive. Her stage play, Lulu, is currently in development and her Picture Book stories, were recently shortlisted in the CANSCAIP Writing for Children Competition 2024 and she was also honoured as a Siminovitch Theatre Foundation Emerging Artist recipient.

DIRECTOR / LIGHTING DESIGN

Canadian Poet of Honour and Siminovitch Playwright Prize finalist d’bi.young anitafrika is at the culminating stage of their PhD on Black womxn’s decolonial theatre. Author of twelve plays, seven albums and five books, they recently published The Dubbin Series featuring two 25-year collections of plays and poetry. d’bi.young is celebrated for their powerful plays and transformative theatre practice rooted in dub poetry and decolonial praxis—winning three Dora awards and twelve nominations. Their work demonstrates an unwavering commitment to Black queer feminist performance forms while exploring the dynamism and complexity of the African-Caribbean-Canadian diaspora experience.

CO-PRODUCER

Najla Nubyanluv is queer, Black producer, multidisciplanary artist, educator, and doula. She is a 3 time graduate of The Watah Theatre including a fellowship culminating in the world premiere of her afrofuturist play entitled "I Cannot Lose My Mind". More recently she completed a ThisGen Fellowship with WhyNot Theatre.

SET DESIGN

Kareen Weir is a Jamaican contemporary artist and writer. She is a Sculpture graduate of the Edna Manley College but has been exploring the world of mural painting since immigrating to Canada.

Weir is dedicated to exploring and preserving Jamaican Creole (the oral legacy of her African ancestors) through her arts practice. Her work looks at themes of memory, retention, representation and identity through the Black experience and deliberate use of Patwah language as the primary means of expression.

MUSIC DIRECTOR

Waleed Abdulhamid is a Canadian Multi-instrumentalist; Composer; Vocalist; Music and Film Producer, known for his striking vocals, innovative bass technique, and his speed and precision on percussion. He has been an active member of the Toronto music scene since his arrival, in 1991 from Sudan, where he began to perform as early as six years old. He is the recipient of the Canadian New Pioneer Award; African Tama Award; Reel World Film Festival Award and Canadian Film Board of Excellence Award. In addition, he has not only received other international awards, but was also twice honoured with a DORA Award.

COSTUME DESIGN

Naomi Onah is a British-Nigerian costume designer and costume creator based in Toronto, Canada. She is a graduate from Toronto Metropolitan University, with a BFA in Performance Production. They have always had a specialty in Pan-African artistry and design. Coupled with their BFA she hopes to bring more African stylings into theater costume practices.

STAGE MANAGER

Lexi Sproule is a queer Tkaronto-based artist, producer, stage manager, and teacher who is descended from Italian immigrants and Irish/Scottish settlers of Turtle Island. In both creative and production roles, they work on political, community-centric art that heals and transforms.

CHOREOGRAPHER