INTERGENERACIAL‘s new play, From Their Lips, is based on interviews with twenty-two leaders in the Black Toronto community. This compelling work was created by seven young emerging artists who are learning about oral history and theatre techniques.

We asked INTERGENERACIAL founder Fiona Raye Clarke about the process behind the project.

SDTC: Of all of the Black community leaders represented in the performance, whose story resonates with you the most? 

FC: There is a story told by one of the elders about a woman surviving an abusive marriage and running with her child to safety. She spoke about how there was a cycle of violence against women in her family; when she would run to her mother’s after being beaten by her husband, her mother would send her back to her husband. By leaving she broke the cycle even though she didn’t have support to do so. I think this story was really powerful and resonated the most with me.

How did it all come together? 

Over the past year, we worked on the project in two phases. During the first phase we developed a set of ten questions we asked every elder around Blackness, being Canadian, Black History, their dreams and aspirations when they were our age, and any advice they have for the next generation. Each youth performer found someone in their life or were matched with someone to interview. We recorded and listened to every interview, had them transcribed and pulled pieces of the text to compose the stage script and make a show.

How has it felt for you to see this project come together? 

It’s been a really interesting process for me. In my experience, there are a lot of spaces where youth gather amongst themselves and other spaces where Black elders gather, and I really wanted to bring those often disparate experiences together and create a space where youth and elders could share their stories with each other, and to record and embody those stories in performance.

What do you want audiences to take away from From Their Lips?

I want audiences to really hear the stories and recognize that there’s a wealth of knowledge and experience rarely heard about in mainstream Canadian media. A lot of the time we see the same faces but I really wanted to bring forward and honour the voices of people who’ve done a lot for the community but may not be particularly known.

From Their Lips is coming to the Hart House Debates Room (7 Hart House Circle) on December 1st at 7:30 p.m. Free. Refreshments to be served.