In conclusion...
- She is an influential figure for black theatre artists in Canada
- Her style is centred around African culture
- Her major plays were Harlem Duet and Afrika Solo
Reviews
- Critics generally say that sears uses unique techniques that create "bold and daring works"
- "Sears combines classical theatre with modern politics effectively to define the black experience.”- Jim Lingerfelt and Roger Kershaw
- There was a "rich texture of her work gained by conceptual layering” -Christopher Winsor (Harlem Duet)
- "Too theatrical" and an “overstatement and a relentless earnestness.” -Joel Greenberg
- “Courageous theatre” -Jim Lingerfelt and Roger Kershaw (Harlem Duet)
International Recognition
Awards
Afrika Solo:
-> Silver Prize at the International Radio Festival of New York (1991)
->Major Armstrong Award (1991)
Harlem Duet:
Sears was the first international artist-in -residence at the Joseph Papp public theatre in NYC (1996)
- Harlem Duet won many Canadian awards:
->Four Dora Mavor Moore Awards
-> Governor General's Literary Award
- Martin Luther King Jr Achievement Award (2003)
- Timothy Findley Award (2004)
- Harry Jerome Award (1998)
What impact has she made?
Sears has paved a path for Black theatre artists in Canada
- 1990, Afrika Solo was the first published play by a woman of African Descent
- 1997, developed the first AfriCanadian Playwrights Festival
- 1999, founding member of the Obsidian Theatre
- Harlem duet was the first all-black production
Djanet Sears
Productions
- Tellin’ It like It is: a compendium of African Canadian Monologues for Actors (2000)
- Two-volume Testifyin’: Contemporary African Canadian Drama (2000/2003)
- Directed:
- Harlem Duet for the Stratford Festival (2006)
- The Adventures of a Black Girl (2003/2004)
Plays
T.V. Movies
- In His Father's Shoes
- Love Songs
- The Last Debate
- Afrika Solo (1987)
- Double trouble (1988)
- Who killed Katie Smith? (1994)
- Harlem Duet (1995)
- Notes of a Coloured Girl (1997)
- The Adventure of a Black Girl in Search of God (2002)
Who is Djanet Sears?
By: Anabelle and Aya
- http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/djanet-sears/
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0780758/
- http://voices.cla.umn.edu/artistpages/sears_djanet.php
- http://voices.cla.umn.edu/artistpages/sears_djanet.php
Artistic Style
- Canadian playwright, director, producer, actress, teacher
- Born in London, England (1959)
- Immigrated to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (1974)
- Later moved to Oakville, ON
- Background:
- Father is Guyanese
- Mother is Jamaican
- Birth name was Janet, added the D after a trip to Djanet, Algeria
- influenced by west-african forms of story-telling
- Sears develops narratives through choral technique, rhythms, singing, and movement
“[My writing] revolves around the process of understanding and exploring one's own African heritage and one's own Westerness.” - Djanet Sears
Education/Training
Bibliography
- BFA honours degree from York University (1999)
- Studied at Canadian Film Center and NYU