Obeah Opera

By Nicole Brooks

A World Premiere

Directed by ahdri zhina mandiela
Producer Rhoma Spencer
AMusical Director Tova Kardonne
Choreographer Anthony Prime Guerra

Featuring
Macomere Fifi. Four times Calypso Monarch and Calypso Queen of Canada.
Joni Neh Rita
Toronto rock soul songstress Saida Baba Talibah
Nicole Brooks
Saphire Demitro
and a chorus of ten fabulous women.

Stage Manager Sandi Becker
Set &Costume Design Julia Tribe
Lighting Design CJ Astronomo

Preview Dates: February 16, 17 and 19

Opens February 22, 2012. Gala Fundraiser for Jump 4 Jamaica 50th Anniversary Celebrations.

918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, 918 Bathurst Street. Toronto (north of Bloor)

Show times: Wednesday- Saturday 8pm. Sunday Matinees 2pm

Accents on Eglinton - 1790 Eglinton Ave W @ Dufferin as another ticket outlet
Tickets go on sale from January 16 at the following outlets:
A Different Booklist - 746 Bathurst Street. Toronto (south of Bloor)
Dundas Square Ticket Booth - Downtown Toronto
Knowledge Bookstore - 177 Queen Street W. Brampton

Opening Gala $50 in support of Jump4Jamaica 50th anniversary independence celebrations.

Box Office opens one hour before show time


The Story of Obeah Opera

Set in the late 17th century, Obeah Opera tells a story of life and work among women silenced by the most infamous 'witch-hunt' in history. Tituba and a handful of Caribbean women imported as slaves into the American colony of Salem are arrested and accused of practicing obeah! A healing art seen only as blasphemy and witchcraft through the eyes of the local Puritans.

We follow Tituba's journey in the days before her capture, her incarceration, and her stand on trial in this uplifting Caribbean themed opera. Sung in complete a capella form, and performed by a cast of fifteen, Obeah Opera explodes myths surrounding the Salem Witch Trials, unravels the branding of obeah with evil and witchery, ties it back to its true spiritual nature rooted in West Africa, and finally gives voice to a group of women whose story has been missing from history books.