A stunning Black Lives Matter-inspired mural in Nordheimer Ravine has been recreated for the production.
Written by Donovan Hayden, directed by Rais Clarke-Mendes. Aki Studio, Native Earth Performing Arts, 585 Dundas St. W. Plays through July 16.Activist and theatre creator Donovan Hayden was inspired to write this short, powerful new drama after encountering a striking piece of Toronto street art that memorializes and celebrates the lives of Black people murdered by law enforcement.
The play itself is semi-autobiographical and depicts the character X being drawn to the mural and seeking from it some sense of community and inspiration to continue with the work of activism. The spirit of the struggle exists within the mural, but the question for X is how to be nourished by its power. He meets a character called MC who helps X make that connection.
Under Rais Clarke-Mendes’s strong direction, Hayden and Lloyd are magnetic presences onstage and embody their characters and relationship with conviction and grace. Sound design by Mohamed Ahmed adds further depth and resonance. The production beautifully illustrates the capacity of objects such as the mural to hold knowledge and give inspiration. The fact that spray-painting is somewhat tentatively mimed in the show seemed out of step with this emphasis on materiality.
While deeply grounded in Toronto, the play importantly stresses that anti-Black racism and violence is a global, historical phenomenon. It directly addresses its audience and invites them to help X as he re-commits to his activism. That invitation resonates beyond the theatre and demands to be heard.