Crossfield House Productions Presents NINETY FOUR in Toronto Next Month

Award-winning production house Crossfield House Productions presents their new show Ninety Four, a powerful and multi-layered tale about two kids who are trying to find their way back to love. Inspired by one of the most influential and iconic eras in art and culture, the story begins in Brooklyn, New York, in the summer of 1984 and follows a charming yet reserved Toronto native Marcus Brown and a feisty and poetic Tawni Dixon. Ninety Four, written, directed and produced by Sheronna Osbourne and Troy Crossfield, will be making its highly-anticipated Toronto premiere this November 25th - 26th, 2022 at Alumnae Theatre (70 Berkeley Street).

Born in Toronto, Tawni (Sheronna Osbourne) moved to Brooklyn when she was five years old with her grandmother after the untimely death of both her parents. Marcus (Troy Crossfield) on the other hand is visiting the big city for the first time after being sent to stay with his Jamaican Uncle Fitzroy while his parents rework the family structure after abrupt and unexpected deportation issues. The two teens hit it off right away and bond over hip hop vibes and Caribbean culture.

Knowing the sacrifices his sister made as a Jamaican immigrant to ensure her son's success, a disapproving Uncle Fitzroy pulls the plug on the love birds and sends Marcus back to Toronto when he suspects his nephew is heading down the wrong path.

Forced to move forward with their lives, ten years later it is now the summer of 1994 when Marcus and Tawni reunite. They quickly realize things aren't as simple as they were back in the day as they try to navigate their complex friendship and feelings by holding onto the memories of the music that once held them together.

"With Ninety Four we wanted to explore two narratives: When Canada opened its borders to immigrants in the '60s a lot of hopeful trailblazers made the sacrifice of leaving a familiar place for the chance to fulfill their hopes and dreams of building a "better" life for themselves and their families." said writers, directors and producers Sheronna Osbourne and Troy Crossfield. "As the children and product of said sacrifices, we wanted to highlight the impact of Caribbean culture from a migrant perspective and show how its effects trickled down and became a staple in such an influential era. The second narrative within Ninety Four is what we like to call "A love letter to and from the Nineties". For us this was a time we personally began to see more people who looked like us take up space in music, fashion, sports, and TV. We got to see ourselves as doctors, judges, models, and strong thriving family units. Most importantly we got our first taste of what black love looked, sounded, and felt like. As artists, when we create we are often searching for the most raw and truthful route to expression so whenever we say "I need that old 'thang back" we always know that means "give me that 90's feel baby!" This story was written with love on the brain, from us to you."

Ninety Four is written and directed by Troy Crossfield and Sheronna Osbourne, produced by Crossfield House Productions and presented in part by Canada Council For the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council. The show stars Troy Crossfield, Sheronna Osbourne, Jaiden Lewis (Young Marcus), Lonelle Sweeting (Young Tawni), and Carlos Morgan (Uncle Fitzroy).

Showtimes for Ninety Four

Friday, November 25th

Doors Open at 7:00 PM

Show Starts at 8:00 PM

Saturday, November 26th

Doors Open at 7:00 PM

Show Starts at 8:00 PM

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