Generously supported by the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), the Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators is a fantastic opportunity for Obsidian to fund new theatrical works in development. Obsidian is passionately dedicated to the exploration of the Black Artists voice in Canada, and it is one of our top priorities to support the development of the work of Black artists from every intersection. This program provides successful applicants with funding that is geared towards the creation and development of new work, with amounts between $1000 and $3000 dollars. Please note that this money cannot be used towards a production of a play.
WHO DO WE SUPPORT?
We look for projects that are by Black artists. We put no limits on the content of the work, the work does not necessarily need to be about a particular Black community or issue. Rather, we are looking to support self-identified Black artists with the honing of their artistic craft. We look at projects that are closely related to our core as a company dedicated to lifting up the Black voice in Canadian theatre.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for a Recommender Grant you must submit the application through the OAC’s online system, Nova. View a step-by-step guide on how to register and submit an application. Application requirements and guidelines are found there as well.
24/25 RGTC RECIPIENTS
KayGeni
Kukumaka Stick
A story of Mystery and Magik unfolds when a strange artifact- a kukumaka stick, wills itself into the possession of an unsuspecting spiritual skeptic unaware of their ancestral connection to it.
Abdelghafor
Walking on Red Grapes
Walking on Red Grapes is a futuristic play where African nations thrive, while wars engulf Europe and North America. Rooted in radical futurism, it imagines a flourishing and prosperous Africa, rejecting the dystopian fantasies of science fiction in favor of justice and humanity.
Dienye Waboso Amajor
Abami Eda
The story of the process of radicalization of a political activist and musical genius through the lens of his encounters with the powerful women in his life; the divine feminine. Often, what we love the most leads us to become who we will be. Not duty, not country, but love!
Roxanne Joseph
Tiny Blue Dot
Tiny Blue Dot follows Anselma, a mechanical engineer whose claim of being an alien visitor raises questions about suppressed technology, interstellar civilizations, and her own mind. Sent to a psychiatrist by her employer, she must prove her sanity —or if the truth is far more extraordinary than anyone imagines.
Shiann Croft
The Story of Tituba
The Story of Tituba is a powerful exploration of Black motherhood, womanhood, and healing, set against the backdrop of colonization and its impact on the Black female body and matriarchal lineage. Narrated through the voices of six generations of women, the play weaves poetic monologues with African drum, jazz, and ballet to tell the story of Tituba—the first woman accused of witchcraft during the 1692 Salem trials.
Jewell Bowry
Battybwoydom
The play explores the theme of identifying one’s greatest enemy, following Jayjay, a second-generation Jamaican and Pastor Glenda’s only son. Jayjay is gay but has spent his whole life in the closet. After a mishap at church threatens to expose him, he decides it’s time to come out.
Mobólúwajídìde (Bo) Joseph
lose your father
lose your father follows two Nigerian-Canadian immigrants living in Toronto who are charged with returning to Nigeria to bury their father, per his dying wishes. Akoni struggles to live up to the weight of expectations that come with being the elder child and the sole male heir. Biola bucks their familial expectations and struggles to get her brother to go against the grain. Looming in the background are their three aunts, Fate-like, whose intervention both comforts and grates against their grief.
Diana Braithwaite
Blues For Eddie
Blues For Eddie is the latest play by award-winning Black-Canadian blues performer/playwright, Diana Braithwaite. 1979, inner-city Toronto. An elder brother, estranged from his family for years unexpectedly arrives home for his mother's 75th birthday starting a dangerous sequence of events affecting his younger brother and mother's lives.