SHANIQUA IN ABSTRACTION World Premiere to be Presented at Crow's Theatre This Spring

shaniqua in abstraction, a new play written and performed by Bahia Watson (Uncle Vanya, The Handmaid's Tale) and directed by Sabryn Rock (Our Place, The Porter), will have its world premiere this April as part of the Crow's Theatre 2023.24 40th anniversary season. An intrepidly daring one-woman play, the action follows an actor as she responds to a casting call and slips into a musing multiverse of narratives. With a sinuous poetic style and interweaving perspectives, watson brings her razor-sharp humour, vaulting imagination, and piercing cultural critique to a kaleidoscopic explosion that spins you into a big, black hole called: shaniqua.

shaniqua in abstraction runs from April 9 to 28, 2024 in the Studio at Crow's Theatre. Opening night is Friday, April 12 at 8 p.m. shaniqua in abstraction's Black Out Night performance is Friday, April 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available now at CrowsTheatre.com.

This is watson's Crow's Theatre playwriting debut, following her appearances in Crow's productions of Someone Else and The Seagull (co-produced with The Company Theatre) and, most recently, thrilling audiences with her unforgettable turn as Sonya in Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.

In her own searching new work, watson brings her poet's heart and keen eye to defiantly push back the boundaries defining Black womanhood.

"i wrote this play to understand myself better, as an actor and storyteller, and as a black woman," says watson. "the identity of the black woman is loaded with things we didn't ask for and didn't put there. some of those things we've made the most of, some of them we hold close, others we abandon. and some follow us around like a shadow, haunting us. this play is both an honouring and a dismantling of the narratives we carry. it is my attempt to create, through language, a ground i can stand on, where i can feel free. it is a process of finding the voice in the chorus that is mine."

The creative team of shaniqua in abstraction includes Echo Zhou (set design), Kimberly Purtell (lighting design), Des'ree Grey (head of wardrobe and costume consultant), Laura Warren (video design), Thomas Ryder Payne (sound design), and Fairy J (choreography).

Performance Details: 

Content note: mature language and subject matter.

Run time: approximately 75 minutes, no intermission.

A Crow's Theatre Production in association with

paul watson productions and Obsidian Theatre Company

shaniqua in abstraction

Written and Performed by Bahia Watson

Directed by Sabryn Rock

Set Design by Echo Zhou

Lighting Design by Kimberly Purtell

Head of Wardrobe & Costume Consultant Des'ree Gray

Video Design by Laura Warren

Sound Design by Thomas Ryder Payne

Choreography by Fairy J

Head of Props & Design Associate Sabrina Pye

Stage Manager Loralie Pollard

April 9 to 28, 2024

Opening Night: Friday, April 12, 2024

Studio Theatre

World Premiere

Ticket and Box Office Information:

Tickets for shaniqua in abstraction start at $50 with pricing options throughout the run for students, arts workers, under-30, seniors, and premium reserved seating add-on, plus limited Pay-What-You-Can tickets available on Sunday matinees. Tickets to Black Out Night are $20. Crow's Theatre Box Office: Online at www.crowstheatre.com. By phone: 647-341-7390 - Monday to Friday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. In person: In the lobby at 345 Carlaw Avenue - one hour prior to each performance. By email: boxoffice@crowstheatre.com.

Pre-Show Chat (in the Lobby): Sunday, April 21 (also a Pay-What-You-Can performance);
Post-Show Talkback (in the Theatre): Tuesday, April 16;
Mask Required Performances: Sunday, April 14 @ 2:00 p.m. (also a Pay-What-You-Can performance).

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