News: Black Theatre Workshop says Farewell to Benskin

From Black Theatre Workshop Release:

Farewell and Good Luck to BTW Artistic Director Mr. Tyrone Benskin 

THURSDAY MAY 5 2011 - It is with great sadness that Black Theatre Workshop announces the resignation of Artistic Director Tyrone Benskin. After 6 years of being a strong leader for the company Mr. Benskin now sets his sights on Ottawa as a Member of Parliament for the Montreal riding of Jeanne-Le Ber. 

“It is Bittersweet, I am really excited to represent the artistic voice and the great work we, as artists, do as well as serving the needs of the residents of Jeanne-Le Ber, but it is always hard to move away from your family, and BTW is my family.” Tyrone Benskin, Former Artistic Director, Black Theatre Workshop.

Review: Dutchman

 Craig Thomas and Stephanie Breton (photo credit: Jaclyn Turner)

Not Wagner's Dutchman

Dutchman’s short length makes its ending even more of a shocker

by Valerie Cardinal

After the end of Dutchman, no one in the audience moved to get out of their seats; they were too busy contemplating what they had just seen. Everyone, including me, was turning to their companions and asking them what they thought about the play. The reaction was so strong that director Tyrone Benskin announced an impromptu talk-back to answer the audience’s many questions. Before its short run at TSC, Benskin toured his Dutchman through Montreal’s high schools, and it’s evident that the students aren’t the only ones who want to talk about it. 

Dutchman’s tension remains relevant now, even though it was written over 50 years ago by Amiri Baraka. Craig Thomas stars as Clay Williams, a middle-class black man, who is a scholar and a poet. Stephanie Breton is Lula, the dangerously unstable seductress who confronts Clay in a metro car, accusing him of trying to be a white man. Though Benskin has played around with Dutchman, it remains set in the Civil Rights-era tension of 1960s New York. 

After Dark, February 1, 2011

BitchWars and Politics
by Gaëtan L. Charlebois


Today marks the beginning of CharPo's third month and it begins with a mad week of theatre, most of which promises to be very exciting.

But this last week has been an interesting one for theatre news and gossip.

On the opening night of Joe Louis at Infinitheatre, artistic director Guy Sprung took the stage before the play and welcomed the celebrities in the audience. Weird enough. But it became surreal when he mentioned a local theatre critic among their number. Mr. Sprung! What the hell was that about?

Then there was the delicious bitch-war between Brendan Kelly (of the Gazette) and whoever handles the Mirror's Twitter feed. It began with some CBC radio discussions about the daily, the weeklies and their coverage of the arts and Kelly saying the Gazette was doing a good job (wrong-o) and the weeklies less of one (wrong-o again!). (BTW, if you follow me on Twitter—@gcharlebois—along with real info I always retweet the fun bits.)