Performing Arts
Johanna Metcalf
d’bi.young anitafrika is an internationally acclaimed Black-queer-feminist non-binary dub poet, playwright-performer, dramaturge-director, and scholar-activist whose visionary contributions to theatre, education, and leadership have made space for rigorous decolonial practice. With over 25 years of trailblazing artistry, their work spans 12 plays, seven dub poetry albums, and four poetry collections. They have earned three Dora Awards, a KM Hunter Theatre Award, the Global Leader in Theatre & Performance Award, the Canadian Poet Award, and recognition as a Siminovitch Playwright Prize finalist.
As the founder of transformative initiatives such as Watah Theatre, Ubuntu! Decolonial Arts Centre, and Spolrusie Publishing, d’bi.young mentors Black, Indigenous, and Global Majority artists worldwide. Their Anitafrika Method, an intersectional praxis rooted in Black feminist thought, has revolutionized arts-based practices nationally and internationally.
Most recently, d’bi.young received a $242,500 grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to establish a digital theatre archive, collaborating with the Black Womxn Circle and UVic Libraries: KULA. While completing their PhD in London, UK, they lead theatre training programs at Soulpepper Theatre and Obsidian Theatre, and lecture at the University of Victoria, BC.
From writing their groundbreaking play blood.claat to building the Black Theatre School, d’bi.young’s commitment to liberation, cultural preservation, and artistic excellence exemplifies the transformative power of the performing arts.
Alain Doom is a Francophone playwright, teacher, and actor from Ottawa who has earned multiple awards and recognition across Canada. For over 25 years, Francophone and Francophile audiences have seen him perform on stages in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Sudbury, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, and Moncton.
As a playwright, Alain focuses on creating works that often humorously explore the complexities of memory. His play Un Neurinome sur une balançoire (Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario, Sudbury) was adapted into the award-winning web series Neurinome, which gained international acclaim. Other notable works include Un quai entre deux mondes (Théâtre La Tangente, Toronto), Le Club des Éphémères (Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario, Sudbury, and Théâtre français de Toronto), and Thomas Lortie (Off Zones Théâtrales, National Arts Centre, and Salon du livre de Sudbury). His plays are published by Éditions Prise de parole.
As a theatre professor, Alain is dedicated to nurturing new talent within Canada’s Francophone minority communities.
Sarah Gartshore (she/her/wiin), Aajiijak Ndodem miiniwaa Gartshore Clan from Scotland, is an Anishinaabe miiniwaa Zhaganashikwe who works in solidarity with voices from the margins as Storyteller and Oshkaabewis. Lois Apaquash miiniwaa Curtis Gartshore Ndoonjibaa, Bakting Ndoonjibaa. Living in the north, Sarah’s work highlights her respect for collaboration and this Debwewin (Truth): the experts on the needs of the houseless community, people in active addiction community, sex working community, and other criminalized communities, are those with lived experience.
Sarah’s recent works include the documentaries Indigenous Health Care in Corrections, Mapmakers — a film about circling out of the pandemic, which is something she encourages all to do — and Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre’s Buffalo Risin, a project about time travel, forgiveness, and honouring hard Truths.
Sarah has learned that Aansokaanan (Storytelling) is powerful, sacred work that welcomes remembering, future reimagining and the honouring of Indinigoobijiigaan (Ancestors). She is grateful for the responsibility of leading Zaagi’idiwin Collective as they create works that honour each individual artist’s talents with the understanding that they are responsible to one another as Anishinaabe (Human Beings) and Indinigoobijiigaan (Ancestors) past and future, always.
One of Canada’s most versatile and sought-after composers, Kevin Lau’s work has been performed in the US, UK, Denmark, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, and Korea. A prolific composer of orchestral, chamber, ballet, opera, and film music, he served as Affiliate Composer of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) from 2012 to 2015; to date, he has produced eight works for the TSO. He has composed three original ballets for companies including the National Ballet of Canada (Le Petit Prince), National Arts Centre (Dark Angels), and Bravo Niagara! (Kimiko’s Pearl). His hour-long orchestral work, The Spirit Horse Returns, produced in partnership with Indigenous artists, has been a staple of educational and family concerts across Canada since 2022. His music can be found on 12 commercial recordings, including two JUNO Award-winning albums, and his seven string quartets are championed globally by internationally renowned ensembles such as the Viano, Poiesis, Tesla, Dior, and Afiara Quartets.
Kevin’s creative output, often inspired by the fantastical lens of childhood, is unified by a fascination with flow, and the search for deep connections amidst surface diversity — connections that serve as a metaphor for the reconciliation of seemingly fundamental differences.
Weyni Mengesha is a stage and screen director known for her groundbreaking work and community engagement. She currently serves as the artistic director of Soulpepper Theatre and has directed critically acclaimed productions nationally and internationally, including ‘da kink in my hair, Kim’s Convenience, A Streetcar Named Desire, Queen Goneril, and Power of Sail.
She has also directed in London, New York, and Los Angeles, garnering two NAACP nominations and recognition from the Drama League (New York), and Drama Critics Circle (Los Angeles). In 2024, she received the Trailblazer Award at the Legacy Awards on CBC.
Weyni is also a committed educator, mentor, and a producer of youth arts initiatives. She was artistic director of the Artists Mentoring Youth Project for seven years and co-founded a platform for young artists from Ethiopian and Eritrean communities. In addition to Soulpepper, she has taught at the National Theatre School of Canada and the Canadian Film Centre.
d’bi.young anitafrika
Alain Doom
Sarah Gartshore
Kevin Lau
Weyni Mengesha
Sashoya Simpson (protégé of d’bi.young anitafrika) is a Jamaican-Canadian cultural leader, writer, storyteller, theatre practitioner, audiobook narrator, and children’s book author. Her artistic work embodies Caribbean folklore knowledge and cultural practices through theatre performance, visual, and literary art. She is the recipient of the ArtReach Pitch Contest (2016), an Emerging Arts Award finalist for the Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts (2017), a Siminovitch Playwright Protégé finalist (2023), and her work was shortlisted in the CANSCAIP Writing for Children Competition (2023).
Sashoya founded The Walking Griot collective, which is dedicated to creating space for young Black audiences through works inspired by Afro-Caribbean folklore and cultural practices. Her play, Lulu, was recently staged in Tarragon Theatre’s Sally Stavro Series (2025) and will be produced at the upcoming Toronto Fringe Festival (2025). Her children’s picture book, The Instrument Maker, will be published by Annick Press (2026). Sashoya is currently the Associate Artistic Director of the Watah Theatre and the Black Theatre School. She was recently shortlisted as a finalist for the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Che Kothari Artist and Instigator Award (2025).
Dillon Orr (protégé of Alain Doom) is a queer Franco-Ontarian stage director and provocateur, recognized for his sharp, unapologetic approach to satirical, bouffon-inspired theatre. As Artistic and Executive Director of Créations In Vivo in Ottawa, he champions a theatre that is fiercely accessible, politically charged, and delightfully irreverent, where camp aesthetics clash with biting social critique to expose, ridicule, and reimagine the world around us. His work revels in the grotesque, the excess, and the unruly energy of live performance, grounded in a grassroots model that keeps theatre urgent, immediate, and perpetually revolutionary.
Originally from the Detroit River Region, Dillon holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Ottawa (2012) and a diploma from the National Theatre School of Canada’s Residency in Mise en scène (2019). His boundary-pushing artistic vision has earned him multiple accolades, including the Pauline McGibbon Award from the Ontario Arts Council (2021).
Recent directing credits include Vaches, The Musical and Mourir de trop gueuler (Créations In Vivo), as well as Le Club des éphémères (Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario, Théâtre français de Toronto). He also performed in the national tour of Un.Deux.Trois (Orange Noyée, National Arts Centre).
Adam Francis Proulx (protégé of Sarah Gartshore) is a Canadian theatre artist originally from Sault Ste. Marie. He creates puppet theatre — often for adults — with heart, humour, and a touch of glitter, telling sideways truths through shadow and whimsy.
His award-winning solo shows, including BAKER’S DOZEN: 12 Angry Puppets and THE FAMILY CROW: A Murder Mystery, have toured across North America. His musical Emilio’s A Million Chameleons earned him a Dora Award nomination and recently celebrated an Off-Broadway run.
As a puppetry consultant, director, and builder, Adam has worked with theatres and television networks across North America. He has been a proud cast member of the first Canadian companies of Disney’s Frozen (Olaf) and Avenue Q (Princeton/Rod), and currently appears on The Fabulous Show with Fay & Fluffy on Family Jr., where he also serves as a writer. Adam spent three seasons as the Assistant Artistic Director of the Victoria Playhouse Petrolia, and has been Artist in Residence with The Puppetsmithery Australia, Tarragon Theatre, and Ontario Culture Days.
Michelle Lorimer (protégé of Kevin Lau) composes music for the concert stage and screen media. Her earliest musical inspirations were her father’s record collection and two beloved teachers at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto: Judy Au-Longenecker and the late Dr. Anthony Dawson. Michelle’s music explores themes of memory, grief, nature, and childhood. Recent commissions and collaborations with Canadian and American ensembles include the Sonority Sisters, Duo Holz, Charis Collective, Whispering River Orchestra, and Nu Quintet in New York City.
In 2024, Michelle composed new works for the Peterborough Concert Band and the Allegra Chamber Orchestra, as part of their emerging composer programs. A movement from her Suite for Grief was also read by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at their 2024 Explore the Score reading. She currently volunteers as the Community Manager for the Association of Canadian Women Composers.
As a screen composer, Michelle has scored music for a variety of Canadian documentaries, which have screened both nationally and internationally, and are available for streaming on CBC Gem and Amazon UK. She holds an ARCT in Piano Performance and studied Music Composition at Humber Polytechnic with Justin Gray, Kevin Lau, and Rebecca Pellett. Michelle is a member of the Screen Composers Guild of Canada and the Alliance for Women Film Composers.
Luke Reece (protégé of Weyni Mengesha) is a poet, playwright, director, and producer dedicated to creating engaging and nuanced stories for audiences. He is the Associate Artistic Director at Soulpepper Theatre and has worked with some of Canada’s most celebrated theatre companies, including Obsidian Theatre, Young People’s Theatre, Caravan Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, and the Stratford Festival.
A decorated slam poet, Luke has earned national and provincial titles, representing Canada at the 2019 World Cup of Poetry Slam, where he placed fourth. In 2024, he won the ByBlacks People’s Choice Award for Best Actor for his solo show As I Must Live It, which also earned comparisons to Lin-Manuel Miranda in The Globe and Mail. Luke was named to York University’s Top 30 Changemakers Under 30 in 2021.
His work extends beyond live performance, including a radio play, an animated short, and a critically acclaimed short film, Notice, featured on CBC Arts as a part of the 21 Black Futures series. A passionate admirer of both prehistoric and contemporary raptors, Luke continues to shape the cultural landscape through his diverse creative projects.
Sashoya Simpson
Dillon Orr
Adam Francis Proulx
Michelle Lorimer
Luke Reece
Penny Couchie is an arts leader, dancer, actor, choreographer, and community-engaged artist of Anishinaabe ancestry from Nipissing First Nation, Ontario. She is the co-founder and co-artistic director of Aanmitaagzi, an Indigenous multi-arts company based in her home community. Penny holds an Honours BA from the University of Toronto and is a graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. In 2016, Penny received the KM Hunter Dance Award and in 2023, she was honoured with the Ontario Arts Council Indigenous Arts Award.
Over the past 20 years, Penny has guest taught at schools throughout Canada and the US, including the Centre for Indigenous Theatre. Her recent choreographic works include Spiderwoman Theater’s Misdemeanor Dream, La Mama, New York; The Unnatural and Accidental Women, National Arts Centre, Ottawa; Aanmitaagzi’s Serpent People, Citadel + Compagnie, Toronto; Material Witness, a co-production by Aanmitaagzi and Spiderwoman Theater, La Mama, New York; When Will You Rage? for Planet IndigenUs, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto; and Like An Old Tale, Jumblies Theatre, Toronto.
Penny is also the co-owner and operator of Big Medicine Studio, a 3,000-square-foot facility dedicated to the creation, development, and exhibition of Indigenous performing and visual arts.
Christine Friday is Anishinaabe Kwe and a resilient Indigenous storyteller deeply rooted in her family’s ancestral lands at Friday’s Point, Lake Temagami, located within the hereditary lands of the Wabi Mkwa family. She lives on Bear Island, in her community of Temagami First Nation. Christine began her dance career in 1992 with In the Land of Spirits, which led to a full-time contract with Desrosiers Dance Theatre. Over the past 30 years, she has maintained a professional career as a choreographer, producer, and director, creating solo and commissioned works, youth-focused initiatives, dance films, and full-scale productions.
For over 18 years, Christine has been working within her community base Ndakimenan (our ancestral homeland) [unceded] to promote kinship (belonging), environmental protection (reciprocity), cultural understanding, and lived experience. This inspired her to establish Friday Creeations, a multi-faceted Indigenous dance company and culture-based community platform that connects the origins of Anishinaabe culture with creative and artistic expression. The company aims to deepen connections to land, empowerment, and truth.
In 2024, Christine realized her dream by launching the Dance Studio Lodge, a state-of-the-art facility in the bush. She believes that creating culturally safe spaces is a vital pathway to sovereignty, enabling communities to reclaim and honour their ancestral lands, and strengthen their connection to place, purpose, and resilience.
Donna Grantis is an acclaimed Canadian artist and musician. A passionate advocate of music as a force for social change, her current creative endeavour — The humanNATURE Project — fuses art and activism, bringing world-renowned musicians together with environmental leaders and the sounds of nature itself. In partnership with the environmental charity, EarthPercent (co-founded by Brian Eno), Grantis gratefully credits “The Earth” as a co-writer of music she creates. In April 2024, she participated in the launch of Sounds Right at the United Nations, a groundbreaking global initiative to establish NATURE as an official artist on streaming platforms. From climate conferences to music festivals, Grantis has taken to the stage as both a keynote speaker and virtuoso performer.
From 2012 to 2016, Grantis performed and recorded with music icon Prince as the co-lead electric guitarist in his funk-rock trio 3RDEYEGIRL and supergroup New Power Generation. She composed the title track to 3RDEYEGIRL’s 2014 release, PLECTRUMELECTRUM, which reached #1 on the Billboard Rock Chart. Notable performances include a history-making eight-minute segment on Saturday Night Live, three nights headlining the Montreux Jazz Festival, and a historic performance at the White House for President Barack Obama and his family. Grantis has shared the stage with a diverse array of artists including Stevie Wonder, Pearl Jam, Kendrick Lamar, and Dave Grohl.
donnagrantis.com | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | X
Toronto-based artist Haviah Mighty has spent a lifetime developing her skills as a songwriter, vocalist, and producer, culminating in a style of profound introspection and incisive socio-political critique. Her music seamlessly blends hip-hop, soul, and afrobeats, with a meticulous flow and cadence that transcends any traditional genre expectations.
In 2019, Haviah achieved breakout success with her album, 13th Floor, becoming the first hip-hop artist and the first Black woman to win the Polaris Music Prize. Her accolades continued from there with her JUNO Award-winning project, Stock Exchange (2021), her BET Best International Rapper nomination (2022), and additional JUNO nominations (2023).
Haviah’s notoriety has spread internationally, garnering praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, GRM Daily, The FADER, and more. From performance invitations by massive tastemaker COLORSxSTUDIOS, to BBC 1’s Jack Saunders proclaiming “I just cannot find anything as good as Haviah Mighty,” to twice crushing the “5 Fingers of Death” challenge on the legendary Sway in the Morning show, as well as a standout appearance on On The Radar, Haviah continues to cement her place as an unstoppable force in music.
Lua Shayenne is a dynamic creator who intertwines contemporary narratives with dance, song, and storytelling. Inspired by her African heritage and the Baha’i Faith, her art aims to ignite hearts and stir consciences, fostering dialogue and advocacy for ecological stewardship, social equity, and spiritual growth.
She is the creator and performer of the children’s dance theatre tale Yassama and The Beaded Calabash, touring since 2023. Lua is also the artistic director, choreographer, and performer of Lua Shayenne Dance Company (LSDC). Through LSDC, she envisioned and launched the YENSA Festival, a biennial event celebrating the diversity of Black women dance practitioners and offering year-round programming. LSDC will soon premiere WAVES, a new dance film, alongside new stage works.
Lua is on faculty at Toronto Metropolitan University’s dance program and shares African dance, music, storytelling, and culture with organizations and schools across Canada.
Award-winning musician and respected music educator Louis Simão has spent over 25 years as a versatile multi-instrumentalist, composing, performing, and recording across a wide range of genres. Over the course of his career, Louis has collaborated with an impressive roster of artists, including Nelly Furtado, Kiran Ahluwalia, Patricia Cano, Dominic Mancuso, Michael Occhipinti, Luis Mario Ochoa, Justin Rutledge, Guinga, Vesuvius Ensemble, Henrique Cazes, Sophie Milman, David Buchbinder, and Eliana Cuevas, as well as organizations like the Shaw Festival and Tapestry Opera.
In 2017, Louis was awarded the Song of the Year at the International Portuguese Music Awards and was recognized as the World Solo Artist of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards for his acclaimed debut solo album, A Luz (The Light). His latest collaboration with Brazilian multi-instrumentalist and composer Carlos Bernardo, From the Valley to the Mountain (Do Vale À Montanha) Volumes 1 & 2, debuted in October 2024.
The son of Portuguese immigrants and a first-generation Canadian, Louis seamlessly blends his cultural heritage with a distinct jazz sensibility and a chamber music compositional approach, creating a sound that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Vanese Smith is a sound and visual artist, mentor, and educator. Under the alias Pursuit Grooves, she has released over 16 albums and EPs and has been featured on more than 20 releases and compilations. She creates sonically adventurous electronic (mostly) instrumental music ranging from cinematic to experimental to up tempo, and has performed at festivals and theatres across Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia, and beyond.
Vanese co-founded Loop Sessions Toronto in 2019, an event programming collective that focuses on music education, culture, and electronic production, with support from the Toronto Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts. She has also led workshops and given talks for numerous organizations and universities, including Queen’s University, University of Toronto, and Toronto Metropolitan University. Vanese has been featured in Musicworks Magazine, NOW, Exclaim!, Bandcamp, and Wax Poetics Japan.
Vanese is most proud of her albums Bess (a tribute to the first Black American female pilot, Bessie Coleman, from the 1920s), 100 Seams (an NPR-recommended album about her seamstress and pianist grandmother), Felt Armour (an exploration of industrial sounds as textures and rhythms), and Sustainable Movements For A New Age (focused on environmental impacts).
pursuitgrooves.com | Instagram
Born and raised in Ontario’s Far North, Adrian Sutherland is a roots-rocker-with-heart from Attawapiskat on the coast of James Bay. His unique melding of roots, rock, folk, and blues draws inspiration from his northern life, traditional lands, and Cree culture and language. Adrian’s presence moves people; his soul-stirring music touches hearts and his songs ripple far beyond the stage.
His sophomore solo album, Precious Diamonds, was released in 2024. Recorded in Nashville with highly-acclaimed producer and legendary guitarist Colin Linden and mastered in New Jersey by multi-Grammy Award winner Greg Calbi, the album features two songs in Omushkegowuk Cree — the first time Adrian has written and performed in his first language. The lead single, “Notawe (Father),” was added to more than 100 radio stations across the US and Canada, appeared on Triple A charts, and reached #1 on the internationally recognized Indigenous Music Countdown.
As one of the only professional musicians to reside in a remote, fly-in First Nation, Adrian brings an authentic and insightful perspective to many of today’s most important issues facing Indigenous Peoples. During this time of reconciliation, he hopes Canadians will walk together in love and respect.
adriansutherlandmusic.com | TikTok | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook
Raised on a farm in rural Ontario, Marni Walsh began her career as an actor, director, and playwright in the 1980s in Toronto and regional theatres, while also acting in various TV shows, films, and commercials. As the founder and artistic director of Cullen Dinner Theatre during the 1980s and 1990s, she directed, wrote, produced, and performed in over 75 shows.
In 2020, after raising three treasured children with her actor-magician husband, Steve Baker, Marni re-emerged as the founder and artistic director of Act 3 Theatre Collective, a group of diverse, all-female actors and writers over the age of 60. As artistic director, she was the concept creator for The Mary-Go-Round Project at Aki Studio in Toronto, followed by a series of original staged readings. In 2024, she served as concept creator, performer, and producer of Act 3’s Disarming Venus, which sold out Toronto Fringe, Theatre Collingwood, Orillia Opera House, and Theatre Orangeville.
As a playwright, Marni’s romantic-comedy Laneway Cafe was part of Theatre Orangeville-Online in 2022. In 2024, her drama The Trial of Rosie McDougall was produced at Women At Play(s) in Toronto, and Ghost Story was produced at Peterborough Guild Theatre. Her full-length comedy Sew Far Sew Good has been selected by the Norm Foster Playwright Competition for a public reading in March 2025, and she will also direct Exit Here by award winning playwright Trina Davies at Women At Play(s) Toronto.
Based in Toronto and born in Changchun, China, Naishi Wang is a dancer and choreographer with a multidisciplinary practice in the performing arts. His work places the body at the centre of exploration, delving into its visual and conceptual aesthetics through themes of communication, translation, and transformation.
Since 2014, Naishi has been creating a series of choreographic works investigating these ideas. In 2018, he premiered his solo Taking Breath at Citadel + Compagnie in Toronto, later presenting it internationally in Hamburg, Germany. In 2022, he debuted the duet Face to Face, co-produced by Festival TransAmériques, which examines the complexities of virtual communication. The piece toured extensively to venues such as Tanzmesse (Germany), Schrittmacher Festival (Netherlands), and Tanz Ist (Austria). His recent production, Deciphers (2024), created in collaboration with UK-based artist Jean Abreu, toured across major Canadian cities.
Currently, Naishi is developing Eyes Wide Open (2026), a group work between TO Live and Naishi Dance, focusing on the transformation of emotionally damaged bodies. An artist-in-residence at the Citadel and TO Live, he continues to infuse his research with visual arts practices. His achievements include prestigious awards such as Les Respirations du FTA (2021), the CanDance Small Scale Creation Fund (2022), and a Chalmers Fellowship (2022).
Penny Couchie
Christine Friday
Donna Grantis
Haviah Mighty
Lua Shayenne
Louis Simão
Vanese Smith
Adrian Sutherland
Marni Walsh
Naishi Wang
