About the Play:

'da Kink in My Hair has become a favourite of acting teachers for Female Monologues and Female/Female Scenes.

'da Kink in My Hair is a full-length comedy by Trey Anthony. Told through a series of monologues, music and dance, 'da Kink in My Hair gives voice to eight black women’s stories, centered around Caribbean hairdresser, Novelette. Set in a bustling hair salon, Novelette sparks inner transformations in her clients by touching their hair.

'da Kink in My Hair is an emotionally charged stage musical with unforgettable stories of love, hope, survival and redemption. It revolves around Novelette, a funny and frank West Indian hair stylist who serves as a confidant for the women in her shop and their everyday trials and tribulations, many which are familiar to black women. "My great granny always said, 'If you want to know a black woman, you touch her hair.' She said that is where we carry everything – all our hopes, our dreams, our pain," says Novelette, as she delves into the tresses and stresses of her clients to reveal their hidden stories. Trey Anthony uses 'da Kink in My Hair as a platform to masterfully blend real life stories of laughter, tears, revelation and inspiration. It is a testament to the challenges and triumphs in the lives of contemporary black women, many of whom are immigrants to North America from the Caribbean. Mixing laughter and tears, revelation and inspiration, the unapologetically intense stories of each woman are woven together in this powerful piece.

'da Kink in my hair debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2001. The "buzz" that this was the show to see caught on quickly and it sold-out every night, with people lining up for hours ahead of the show to get tickets. 'da Kink in my hair was invited to the New York Fringe Festival and became a commercial success at Toronto's Theatre Passe Muraille, running for nearly six months. The play is also the recipient of four NAACP Theatre awards and was the first Canadian play to be produced at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Canada's largest commercial theatre, where its run was extended from six weeks to four months. The play has become a favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and workshops and was named as one of the top ten plays in Canada's theatrical history. It has broken box office records wherever it has played.

Cast: 9 female

What people say:

"Like a black Vagina Monologues, but with more laughs, da Kink is a strong piece of theatre." — The Guardian (London)

"...these linked monologues of female black suffering and resilience have a charm that’s more inclusive than their subject matter would suggest. ...the kink of the title is a metaphor for the individuality of each woman whose locks pass under the hands of the strong, emotionally available stylist Novelette. Writer Trey Anthony keeps up a consistent pattern of narrative throughout, moving from painful confession to hopeful self-assertion." — Evening Standard (London)

"The best thing about 'da Kink is that is gives these women and these stories a rare outing in public life, and rarer still on our stages. Ms. Anthony knows how to structure each monologue economically and how to give each woman a language and a character of her own…that’s the essence of the play." — The Globe and Mail

"…'da Kink made waves in its native Canada earlier this year, holding over five times at a Toronto theatre [Mirvish Productions]; it's stormed the fringe circuit and ... it's a thoroughly stage-worthy cavalcade of imagery and social import, riveting our pause onto matters of life and death and back again. Very, very good." — San Diego City Beat

About the Playwright:

Trey Anthony is a Canadian comedian and playwright. A former television producer for The Women's Television Network and a writer for the Comedy Network and CTV, she is also is the first African-Canadian woman to write and produce a television show (da Kink in my Hair, based on the hit play of the same name) on a major prime time Canadian network.