D’bi Young Launches First Theatre Festival at The Watah School
The Mikey Smith Raw Works Theatre Festival takes the stage in Toronto on Dec. 16
TORONTO, Canada — d’bi.young anitafrika premieres the Mikey Smith Raw Works Theatre Festival at The Watah School (www.watah.org) on December 16, 2014 – featuring performances by Juno-award winning dub poet, Lillian Allen. In 7 days, over 36 artists-in-residence will be sharing over 33 new works of art.
“The Watah School is thrilled to launch our first festival in celebration of Mikey Smith’s contribution to art, language, politics, and culture,” said d’bi.young anitafrika.
The Mikey Smith Festival is named in honor of the dynamic and political, Jamaican dub poet, Michael Smith, a founding father of Jamaican dub poetry. Smith was best known for his electrifying performance style and will inspire all of the festival’s performances.
The Mikey Smith Raw Works Festival at a Glance
All shows will take place at The Watah School, 9 Trinity Street # 317 (the Artscape Distillery Studios in the Distillery District)
For complete show listing click here
Tuesday December 16 – 21 at 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Available for interviews:
d’bi.young anitafrika, internationally awarded artist, founder and artistic director of The Watah School. Past and current artist-in-residence are also available for interviews.
About d’bi.young anitafrika:
d’bi.young anitafrika is an internationally celebrated African-Jamaican-Canadian dubpoet, monodramatist, educator and emerging theatre director. She is the published author of two collections of poetry, eight plays, two dubpoetry albums, and The Sankofa Trilogy. d’bi. is the recipient of two Dora Mavor Moore Awards, the K.M. Hunter Theatre Award, Toronto Mayor’s Arts Council Award, the Women of Resilience Award, the Canadian Poet of Honor Award and the Best Spoken Word Artist Award. She is also the Program Designer and Facilitator of the Arts, Activism and AIDS Academy – a recent project of the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
About The Watah School:
Previously anitafrika dub theatre, The Watah School was founded in 2008 by award winning artist d’bi.young anitafrika and was officially incorporated as a not-for-profit in 2014. The centre is a w/holistic artist development institute, grounded in the Sorplusi Method, with a mission to cultivate and nurture artists as healers, mentors, and keepers of the sacred. Arts-engagement sits at the core of the organization’s commitment to providing world people’s who are newly emerged, mid-career and established artists such as Black womben, racialized young adults, new immigrants, first nations and LGBTQQIP2SAA people, with the tools to self-actualize, create urgent art and uncover crucial mentorship skills for each one to teach one.
Connect with us online:
Website: http://www.watah.org
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Mikey Smith Raw Works Festival 