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“Canadian Theatre Made for Black Women” in Theatre Research in Canada, 39 (1), 227-241

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“Canadian Theatre Made for Black Women” in Theatre Research in Canada, 39 (1), 227-241


For close to two decades Trey Anthony has carved out a successful career as a published and produced playwright in Canada in a national theatre landscape where few playwrights enjoy sustained success. This is, in part, because Anthony is also an entrepreneur who identified Black women in Canada as a financially viable and lucrative target market and she has consistently self-produced content that is geared specifically to them. This article begins with the production history, critical response, and box office response to Anthony’s play How Black Mothers Say I Love You. It continues with an analysis of the play’s content and characters as representative of staging Black female life and it concludes with a contemplation of what Anthony’s successful cultivation of a Black female audience in Canada suggests about Canadian theatre.

About the Author

Naila Keleta-Mae is an Associate Professor in Communication Arts at the University of Waterloo. She is also an award-winning poet, playwright and recording artist.

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