About the Play:

The Adventures of A Black Girl in Search of God is a full-length drama by Djanet Sears. A remarkable love, an incredible museum heist, an extraordinary funeral, and an impassioned search for answers to the profound mysteries of being alive. The play centres on the indignities that Afro-Canadians have had to endure ever since a number of them escaped from U.S. slave-owning states through Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad.

The Adventures of A Black Girl in Search of God tells the story of Lorraine 'Rainey' Baldwin-Johnson, a descendant of the Black Loyalists who settled in the Negro Creek area of Southwestern Ontario almost 200 years ago. She is a country doctor grieving over the loss of her daughter, the end of her marriage and dealing with her ailing father, and questions her belief in God amid a debate over the renaming of the town. Rainey survives with cynical wit, superior intellect and superhuman strength, but she wants answers, true meaning, purpose and maybe even spiritual salvation. The plot is inspired by the true story of a determined group of black people in western Ontario who fought to keep the name Negro Creek when the town council sought to change it. Paralleling Rainey's story is that of her father Abendigo, the ringleader of a lovable bunch of elderly commandos dedicated to the Liberation of Thoroughly Seditious Artifacts Symbolizing the Oppression of African People. Their mission? Calling themselves the Lotsa' Soap Company, they set out to liberate the offensive lawn jockeys, little black gnomes, and other stereotypical symbols of kitsch – and worse – from museums and other white properties, all the while hidden in plain sight as a cleaning company. More seriously, they're engaged in a campaign to retain the historical name of a nearby river, Negro Creek, which the authorities want to change for politically correct reasons, but that name honours a part of the black community's history. In the decades before the American Civil War, many slaves escaped to this region via the Underground Railroad. Some went on to fight in the Coloured Corps for the British in the War of 1812. In compensation for their service, the Crown granted the lands on which Negro Creek runs to black veterans of the war. Created by Governor General's Literary Award-winning playwright Djanet Sears, this is a potent and profoundly emotional story of living, dying and the power of forgiveness.

The Adventures of A Black Girl in Search of God premiered in 2002 at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre in Toronto, Ontario. This Obsidian Theatre production enjoyed an extended run and was hailed as a breakthrough in Canadian theatre, receiving six Dora Award nominations. Now Magazine in Toronto called The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God one of the top ten shows of the decade. Since then the play has been successfully staged at several professional theatres across Canada, including a major revival in 2015 in a co-production between Montreal's Centaur Theatre and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

Cast: 4 women, 7 men (with doubling)

What people say:

"Let the celebrations begin. One of the most profound, yet joyous new Canadian plays in recent memory. A rich rewarding script." — Toronto Star

"Powerful. Emotional. Brought the audience to tears. Highly recommended. I’m seeing it again." — 680 News/CHFI

"...an often joyous affair, bursting with ... a strand of comedy straight out of the silliest Hollywood heist caper." — Montreal Gazette

About the Playwright:

Djanet Sears is a Canadian playwright, actor and director, nationally recognized for her work in African-Canadian Theatre. An award-winning playwright and director, she has several acting award nominations to her credit for both stage and screen. She is the recipient of the Stratford Festival's Timothy Findley Award, as well as Canada's highest literary honour for dramatic writing, the Governor General's Literary Award.