Djanet Sears facts for kids

Djanet Sears is a talented Canadian playwright. She is well-known for her amazing work in African-Canadian theatre. Djanet Sears has written and helped create many popular plays.

Some of her most famous plays include Afrika Solo, Harlem Duet, and The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God. Afrika Solo was the first play written by a Canadian woman of African descent. Her plays often explore important ideas about race and gender. They also include songs, rhythms, and choruses inspired by West African traditions. Djanet Sears also cares deeply about "the preservation of Black theatre history." She helped start groups like the Obsidian Theatre and the AfriCanadian Playwrights Festival.

Early Life and Education

Djanet Sears was born in 1959 in England. Her father was from Guyana, and her mother was from Jamaica. She lived in England until 1974.

Then, her family moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in Canada. In 1975, they settled in Oakville, Ontario. Her birth name was Janet. She added the "D" to her name after visiting West Africa. There, she saw a place called "Djanet," which inspired her to change her name to honor her African heritage.

Sears studied at York University. In 1999, she earned an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre. She also continued her studies at the Canadian Film Centre and New York University.

Djanet Sears' Career in Theatre

After a trip to West Africa, Djanet Sears wrote her play Afrika Solo. It first opened in 1987. This play led to many other full-length plays, like Double Trouble and Harlem Duet.

Sears is not just a writer for the theatre. She has also worked as an actor and director. She has also edited several books of Canadian African plays called Testifyin': Contemporary African Canadian Drama.

Creating Theatre Festivals

In 1997, Sears helped create the AfriCanadian Playwrights Festival. This festival brings together plays focused on African stories for the Canadian stage. It was held in Toronto in 2003 and again in 2006.

Sears is also a founding member of the Obsidian Theatre. This theatre group focuses on producing plays by authors of African descent who live or work in Canada.

Teaching and Residencies

Djanet Sears has also shared her knowledge as an educator. She was a professor teaching drama at University College, University of Toronto. She has also held many special positions.

These include being an international artist-in-residence at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre. She was also a writer-in-residence at the University of Guelph. Additionally, she served as a playwright-in-residence at Nightwood Theatre.

Notable Plays by Djanet Sears

• Afrika Solo is mostly a one-woman show, with two men in a chorus. It's a play that shares some of Djanet Sears' own life experiences. It tells the story of a young woman trying to understand herself and what she learns along the way. The main character, Djanet, and her journey are the focus of the play.
• Harlem Duet is inspired by Shakespeare's famous play Othello. The play is set at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X Boulevards. Sears chose this location to help the audience understand ideas about race in Canada. These streets were well-known to people in North America. The story follows Othello and Billie as their marriage struggles. Othello starts to prefer a white identity, partly because of his relationship with a white character named Mona. The play shows a picture of North America where white culture is dominant.
• The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God follows a character named Rainey. She is an African-Canadian doctor living in Western Ontario. Rainey faces many challenges. She deals with losing a close family member and a struggling marriage. There is also tension between her and her father. Even though her father is old and not well, he is determined to keep his ethnic pride strong in his community.
• Who Killed Katie Ross
• Double Trouble
• The Mother Project

Awards and Honours

Djanet Sears' play Afrika Solo won several awards. It received the International Armstrong Award for Outstanding Radio Play in 1991. It also won the Silver Prize at the International Radio Festival of New York in 1991.

Her play Harlem Duet has won many Dora Mavor Moore Awards. The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God was a finalist for the Trillium Book Award in 2004. Sears has received many other important awards, including Canada's highest literary award.

• Sears won The Governor General's Literary Award in 1998.
• She received the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award in 1998.
• She was honored with the Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award in 2004.
• She won The Harry Jerome Award in 1998.
• She also received the Phenomenal Woman of the Arts Award.
• And the Timothy Findley Award in 2004.

Directing Work

Djanet Sears has also directed many plays. Here are some of her directing credits:

• The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God, Mirvish Productions, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (2003/2004)
• Harlem Duet, Blue Heron Theatre, New York, NY. (2002)
• The Wonder of Man, Nightwood Theatre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1992)
• Dark Diaspora... in Dub, Toronto Fringe Festival, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1990)
• Princess Pocahontas and the Blue Spots, Groundswell, May Works and From the Ground Up, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1989)
• Ella and Jennifer, Groundswell, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1989)
• A Streetcar Named Desire, Canadian Actor's Equity Association, Talent over Tradition, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1989)
• CopperTin Can, Groundswell, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1988)
• Shakes, Cabaret Productions, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1982)

Music Recordings

Djanet Sears has also been involved in music. Here are some of her discography credits:

• "Playsongs and Lullabies" Teds Records, Toronto Canada, (1989)
• "Conditions Critical" Verse to Vinyl Records, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, (1989)
• "Winterlong" Teds Records, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, (1991)
• "Daysongs and Nightsongs" Teds Records, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, (1993)