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.
25/26 RGTC RECIPIENTS
Akosua Amo-Adem
Next Up
A new play about a Black woman's journey back to herself told through story and music.
Andrew Moodie
Dexter
Dexter explores the vibrant life and tragic death of Dexter Pottinger. A trailblazing fashion designer and activist, Dexter was an openly gay activist and pioneer in the Jamaican LGBTQ+ society whose life was cut short by Romario Brown. The play celebrates Dexter's life, and art, and exposes the deadly homophobia that is deeply rooted in Jamaican culture.
Asha James
Old Ladies
After the death of her parents, Mae runs into her estranged Grammy. A visit to the old folks home introduces Mae to a crew of lively, unapologetically sex-crazed, Caribbean women who take her on a wild journey as she searches for a sense of belonging while navigating grief and adolescence.
bahia watson
loser supreme
loser supreme is the journey of an artist in existential crisis. this lyrical reckoning follows one actor as they weigh soul against survival; success against integrity and life against death in a poetic tragicomedy set in the present hellscape in which we find ourselves. through soliloquy and song loser supreme takes us on a drive of shame from LA back to winnipeg, facing the darkness to eventually find the light.
Lu Fayokun
Sunday Best
Sunday Best, follows Ayo, son to a African Christian family and deeply anchored in his faith. During his last summer before university, he falls in love with Beth, the pastor's daughter. Through this relationship, Ayo commences a journey of self discovery, which leads him to a confrontation with his father. Sunday Best, follows Ayo, son to a African Christian family and deeply anchored in his faith. During his last summer before university, he falls in love with Beth, the pastor's daughter. Through this relationship, Ayo commences a journey of self discovery, which leads him to a confrontation with his father.
Lily Gyamfi-Kumanini
Provenance-Asɛ
Provenance-Asɛ: a solo work in development emerging from my Ghanaian ancestral inheritance, shaped by diaspora. This phase centres listening - approaching theatre as ceremony and creation as relationship. Through movement, voice, ritual and ancestral objects, I explore how story lives in the body and how remembering makes room for interruption and return.
Peter N Bailey
Jenny and Ray Under the Harvest Moon
On the evening of a brilliant harvest moon, Ray and Jenny begin it with a round of casual passionate sex. A night that is filled with memories, revelations, insecurities, and desires, fatefully turns into a chance for them to face their fears of intimacy and their need for connection.
SATE
The Bridge
The Bridge follows three generations of Black women—a Daughter, a Mother with dementia, and an ancestral Grandmother—through music, movement, and ritual. The Ancients, a shapeshifting chorus, guide journeys between memory, present, and the ancestral realm, tracing the currents of energy, blood, and legacy that flow across time and spirit.
Thandizo Joy
A Little Death
A Little Death is a contemporary musical blending R&B, rap, spoken word, and Malawian storytelling. It follows Chimz, a young artist whose pursuit of a 90's romcom kind of love brings both desire and destruction. Each “little death” becomes a shedding, as heartbreak gives way to rebirth, becoming, and self-reclamation.
Uche Ama
And Here We Are...
What happens when the magic between two friends sparks into an unforgettable love affair? “And Here We Are…” is the story of two Black, Queers brought together by lust, infidelity, music and spirituality. We witness this passionate love story of two souls craving authentic connection and their relationship put to the test through the complexities of polyamory and hidden truths, thus transforming them and their friendship forever. A journey of Black, Queer, unconditional love.