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<p class="MsoNormal">Dear Theatre colleagues (with apologies for any cross-postings),<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Please share this exciting opportunity with your Theatre students and/or other university-age mentees. The deadline for expressions of interest is
<b>Monday, February 8.</b> Full details below and attached. Special thanks to Mumbi
<span style="color:black">Tindyebwa Otu</span>, Karen Fricker, Carly Maga, Suzanne Cheriton, and the wonderful folks at CBC for helping to create this opportunity.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Best wishes,<br>
Marlis <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">---<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Call for Student Participants</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">21 Black Futures </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Seeding the Future</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">A partnership between Obsidian Theatre Company, CBC Arts, York University, Brock University</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">**</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">As part of Obsidian Theatre Company’s 21 Black Futures season, we are seeking
<b><u>21 Black theatre students</u></b> from across Canada to offer creative responses to 21 monodramas written, directed, and performed by Black artists responding to the question “What is the future of Blackness?” The monodramas will premiere exclusively
on CBC Gem in three parts, on February 12, 19, and 26. </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Participants will receive a
<b>$150 honorarium</b> and <b>direct mentorship</b> from a Black journalist, scholar, or artist. Your responses can take the form of a 300-400 word written response, a TikTok or IG video, or an audio recording (two minutes maximum). You will post your response
on social media using the project’s hashtags. All of the responses will be posted on the CBC Arts website and a selection of them will be published in the
</span><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Toronto</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt">
<i>Star. </i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">The ambitious, nationwide 21 Black Futures project celebrates the 21st birthday of
<a href="https://www.obsidiantheatre.com/">Obsidian</a>, Canada’s leading culturally specific theatre company, and is the brainchild of its new artistic director,
<b>Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu</b>. Mumbi took over the company last year in the middle both of the Covid pandemic and the global outcry against anti-Black racism was at the forefront of cultural and political discussions. “I felt an urgent need to respond to the moment
we’re in and to create an opportunity for artists to respond,” says Mumbi. </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">A full list of the 63 Black writers, directors, and performers participating in this project is
</span><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/press-release/obsidian-theatre-and-cbc-announce-line-up-of-directors-performers-for-21-bl"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1155CC">here</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"> - this is an amazing
group of creative, outspoken, and innovative artists who are at the heart of Canada’s cultural life. </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">What’s missing from this project is YOU - Black university and college-age students, who are part of the present and will be the future of Black theatre in Canada, and of the country itself! Please
consider sharing your creativity and voice in this project: We want and need to hear you. </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">How to apply</span></u><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Please send your name, a statement (one paragraph maximum) about why you want to be involved in this project, an idea of what form you’d like your response to take (which can be subject to change),
and contact information for a reference to </span><a href="mailto:21StudentVoices@gmail.com"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1155CC">21StudentVoices@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">. </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Deadline: February 8, 2021
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">-- <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Marlis Schweitzer<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Professor and Chair<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Department of Theatre<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">York University<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>she/her<o:p></o:p></i></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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