Have you heard the latest news?

The anthology of our acclaimed series, “21 Black Futures,” has been unveiled, and we’re thrilled to share it with you! This award-winning series originally produced in collaboration with CBC Arts showcases remarkable plays by twenty-one accomplished Black playwrights, each responding to the question: “What is the future of Blackness?”

To celebrate Obsidian’s twenty-first anniversary in 2021, we commissioned twenty-one writers from different generations and diverse levels of experience—writers who represent the rich tapestry of Blackness in Canada. Each writer was given the task of creating a ten-minute monodrama, a one-person play, in response to the question about the future of Blackness. Additionally, we collaborated with twenty-one Black directors and twenty-one Black actors to transform these stories into short theatrical films.

Our objective was to provide opportunities for a broad spectrum of Black artists, fostering inclusivity and bringing together new voices from both the film and theatre realms. The project aimed to be a grand experiment, weaving together a rich tapestry that imagines diverse Black futures.

THE PLAYS OF 21 BLACK FUTURES: THE ANTHOLOGY

The Death News by Amanda Parris
The Sender by Cheryl Foggo
Jah in the Ever-Expanding Song by Kaie Kellough
Beyere by Shauntay Grant
Madness With Rocks by Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye
Witness Shift by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard
Sensitivity by Lawrence Hill
Special by Keshia Cheesman
Umoja Corp by Jacob Sampson
Notice by Luke Reece
Blackberries by Miali-Elise Coley-Sudlovenick
Emmett by Syrus Marcus Ware
Georgeena by Djanet Sears
Rebirth of the Afronauts by Motion
Cavities by K.P. Dennis
40 Parsecs and Some Fuel by Omari Newton
The Prescription by Lisa Codrington
Chronologie by Stephie Mazunya
Yɛn ara asaase ni by Tawiah M’Carthy
Builders of Nations by Joseph Jomo Pierre
Omega Child by Cherissa Richards