Tawiah M'carthy facts for kids

Tawiah Ben M'Carthy is a talented actor and playwright from Ghana, who later became a Canadian citizen. He is well-known for his play Obaaberima, which first came out in 2012. This play explores themes of identity and growing up.

Early Life and Education

Tawiah M'Carthy was born in Accra, Ghana. When he was 14, he moved to Canada. He lived first in Merritt, British Columbia. Later, he moved to Scarborough, Ontario.

Studying Theatre

M'Carthy studied theatre at York University. During his time there, he wrote his first play. This play was called The Kente Cloth. He even staged it at Toronto's SummerWorks festival.

Career Highlights

Tawiah M'Carthy has created many interesting theatre works. His play Obaaberima started as a poem. He submitted this poem to the Young Creators Unit. This unit was at the Buddies in Bad Times theatre.

Obaaberima Play

The play Obaaberima first showed at Buddies in Bad Times in September 2012. Evalyn Parry directed the play. It was a very important work for M'Carthy.

Awards for Obaaberima

In 2013, Obaaberima received many nominations. M'Carthy himself was nominated for two Dora Mavor Moore Awards. These were for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role – Play. The play won three other Dora Awards. One of these was for Outstanding Production of a Play.

Other Creative Works

In 2014, M'Carthy had two more plays premiere. Blue Bird was written with Brad Cook. Black Boys was created with Saga Collectif. Both of these were shown as workshop productions.

Acting Roles

Besides writing, M'Carthy is also an actor. He has performed in several plays. These include The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley. He also acted in Man 2 Man by Kwame Stephens. Other roles include Balm in Gilead by Lanford Wilson. He also performed in plays by William Shakespeare. These were Love's Labour's Lost, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Macbeth. He also appeared in a short film called Au plus proche.

Theatre Companies and Collaborations

From 2014 to 2015, M'Carthy was part of the English Theatre Ensemble. This was at the National Arts Centre. He has also worked with other theatre groups. These include Toronto's Tarragon Theatre and Obsidian Theatre companies.

Black Boys Show

In 2016, he co-created a show called Black Boys. He worked with Thomas Antony Olajide and Stephen Jackman-Torkoff. This show explored the experiences of Black Canadians. It premiered at Buddies in Bad Times. After that, it went on a national tour. In 2017, the three creators were nominated for an award. It was for Outstanding Ensemble Performance at the Dora Mavor Moore Awards.

Recent Performances

In 2018, Tawiah M'Carthy performed Obaaberima again. This revival took place at Buddies in Bad Times. In June 2020, he performed a part of Obaaberima. This was for the Buddies in Bad Times Queer Pride Inside special. It was shown on CBC Gem. In 2021, he also performed on FreeUp! The Emancipation Day Special.