EVENT: Gollywog

Black Theatre Workshop Discovery Series Presentation of

Gollywog by Bonnie Farmer

MONTREAL FEBRUARY 1 2012 - “The smartest thing the devil ever did was convince you that he didn’t exist” That is the Gollywog. Black Theatre Workshop Presents its Annual Discovery Series staged reading ofGollywog by Bonnie Farmer.  Mai Cafe – 3680 Jeanne-Mance, February 13 at 7:30 p.m. $12  Directed by Quincy Armorer and featuring many of Montreal’s most talented professional actors.

“The Golliwog is a blackfaced African American caricature created in the late 1800s. Since the 1960s, the doll has become the subject of a great deal of controversy, with Europeans attempting to decide whether it is a valuable cultural artifact or a racist insult.”

Mavis Daniels is seeing things – or is she? In the world premier staged reading of Gollywog, racism begins to rear its ugly head. Mavis, an older black lady, begins to see the Gollywog everywhere, a sign that racism is back, in its true form. Mavis might be the only sane one in the bunch, but who will take her world for it? The Gollywog begins to make more and more appearances, but no one seems to notice or care – will someone try to destroy it, or will the Gollywog continue to grow, showing that racism still exists in our post-colonial, pro-diversity society?

Gollywog by Bonnie Farmer is a world premier staged reading by professional actors, presented as part of Black Theatre Workshop’s Annual Discovery Series and as part of Black History Month. Gollywog stars Lucinda Davis, Nouella Grimes, Alexandria Haber, Christian Paul and Brett Watson.

BTW invites you on a journey – an evening of raw talent, unveiling new Afro-Canadian works – presented by local talented actors. Many of the great and untold stories of the African Diaspora and Canada have been discovered at these readings over the years, including Harlem Duet, Consecrated Ground and Swan Song of Maria.  Our Discovery series will take you on an exciting passage into history, revealing new ideas and tales never heard before.

The focus of the Discovery Series is to continue unearthing great stories from within the African Diaspora in an effort to introduce Montreal audiences to the wealth of ingenuity offered by Afro-Canadian writers.Pantomime is a staged reading by professional artists. For more information go to www.blacktheatreworkshop.ca.