Black & Rural is the story of a lone Black country woman struggling to defy the monolith of what matters to Black lives. Derived from dozens of real-life interviews with Black folk tucked away on the countryside across Canada, Shayna Jones weaves together a story of vulnerability, quiet triumph, and striking humanity.
Artistic Team
Created and Performed by Shayna Jones.
Voiceover Performances by Tom Pickett, Omari Newton, Kwasi Thomas, Giselle Clarke-Trenaman, Ivy Charles, Britney Buren, and Mariam Barry.
Directed by Richard Wolfe. Music and Composition by Rufus Cappadocia. Stage Management by Kayleigh Sandomirsky. Lighting Design by Brad Trenaman. Set Design by Cecilia Vadala. Movement Direction by Amber Barton. Production Management by Alex Forsyth.
Showtimes
Black & Rural runs MAR 31 – APR 15 at Pacific Theatre.
Wed-Sat at 8:00 PM.
Sat at 2:00 PM.
Special Performances
THEATRE CLUB TALKBACK – DOCUMENTARY THEATRE Sat April 1 | after 2 PM show
Join Shayna and our season apprentice Emmett Hanly (Under The Needle) as they discuss developing plays using text from interview subjects.
ARTIST CONVERSATION Fri April 7 | after 8 PM show
Join us after the show for a look into the wings with our cast talkback. A facilitated conversation with Shayna (and perhaps a few production team members, too!), followed by a Q&A period with audience members.
BLACK HISTORY MATTERS with Giselle Clarke-Trenaman Presented as part of Pi Theatre’s Close Encounters series Sat April 15 | after 2 PM show
Tackling Canadian Black History in a fun and engaging way- Black History Matters is a program that uses the Arts to impact unintended bias. Created by a theatre artist, BHM is a fully researched and resourced program that works with people to create a truthful awareness of Black Canadians using the arts to inspire and educate. Evoking the Sankofa bird and its meaning, we look to the past to inform our future.
This bite sized session will give folx some fun facts to share over the dinner table about the Black experience in Canada.
Giselle Clarke-Trenaman
About Your Facilitator: Giselle has roots in the Toronto theatre community and holds a B.F.A. Hons in Theatre from York University. She has worked with CanStage/Volcano Theatre on the acclaimed Another Africa as well as The National Arts Centre/Young Peoples Theatre’s production of i think i can. Now a resident of Vancouver B.C., Giselle was recently nominated for a Jessie Award (2019) for her work in Stage Management and highlighted by the Black Theatre Caucus for their 101 Black Stage Managers Celebration. She is currently the Production Coordinator at Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver. Recent Stage Management credits include working with Presentation House Theatre on Cat Killer and So, How Should I Be? and Learning and Forgetting the International tours of Jack and the Bean and Where the Wild Things Are and the National tour of Baking Time. She has worked with Carousel Theatre, Goh Ballet, SoulPepper, Highlands Opera Studio and Opera Atelier to name a few. As the founder of Black History Matters, she has presented to schools in the Vancouver area reaching over 3,000 students with her tailored age-appropriate presentations. The program uses the Arts to impact unintended bias in K-7 students by homing in on three core competencies: communication, critical thinking and personal and social development. She has also done several presentations geared towards Educators and Parents.
BLACK & RURAL by Shayna Jones
Mar 31 – Apr 15, 2023
Derived from dozens of real-life interviews with Black folk tucked away on the countryside, Shayna Jones’s Black & Rural weaves a story of vulnerability, quiet triumph, and striking humanity about what matters to Black Canadian lives. Shayna’s unique storytelling voice harmonizes with new folkloric tales and verbatim reflections from her interviewees.
Created and Performed by Shayna Jones.
Directed by Richard Wolfe. Music and Composition by Rufus Cappadocia. Stage Management by Kayleigh Sandomirsky. Lighting Design by Brad Trenaman. Set Design by Cecilia Vadala. Movement Direction by Amber Barton. Production Management by Alex Forsyth.
Tickets $37.50 – a limited number of $15 accessible-rate tickets are available for each performance.
ADVISORY INFORMATION: Black & Rural is drawn from the true stories of Black Canadians, and explores their lived experiences with frankness and grace. This show features strong language. If you have concerns, please contact our box office at 604-731-5518 or tickets@pacifictheatre.org.
Dazzling. The writing, the choreography, the singing, the emotional truth of the acting, all was of such artistry. I came out of the performance feeling better, renewed, elevated. Sure indications that I was in the presence of true art.
The performance by Shayna Jones was powerful, beautiful, and poetic. A genius combination of folklore and contemporary realities of Black people who live rurally. She weaves in her personal story with stories of those she spoke to through the Black and Rural Project (over 40 interviews!). The interview voice overs were clear, and even louder than Shayna's powerful voice; I am not sure why a prior reviewer couldn't hear. The props were great and used well; everything had meaning and symbolism. No moment was wasted. I was fully engaged through the whole performance.
I highly recommend attending before you lose the opportunity.
Here's what they say about the show
Lambert
Dazzling. The writing, the choreography, the singing, the emotional truth of the acting, all was of such artistry. I came out of the performance feeling better, renewed, elevated. Sure indications that I was in the presence of true art.
Alice
The performance by Shayna Jones was powerful, beautiful, and poetic. A genius combination of folklore and contemporary realities of Black people who live rurally. She weaves in her personal story with stories of those she spoke to through the Black and Rural Project (over 40 interviews!). The interview voice overs were clear, and even louder than Shayna's powerful voice; I am not sure why a prior reviewer couldn't hear. The props were great and used well; everything had meaning and symbolism. No moment was wasted. I was fully engaged through the whole performance. I highly recommend attending before you lose the opportunity.
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