About the Play:

Winner of the 2019 Governor General's Award for Drama (Canadian equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize)

Other Side of the Game is a full-length drama by Amanda Parris. Inspired by interviews conducted with individuals in Toronto and Halifax, Other Side of the Game gives voice to Black women who support their men, their families and communities, even in the face of dire consequences. Set in Toronto, straddling modern day and the 1970s Black civil rights movement, the play is evocative and lyrical in its presentation of a population under siege.

Other Side of the Game, set in Toronto in two different decades, tells the story of two Black women – Beverly and Nicole – who are community organizers. In the 1970s Beverly walks into an office of Black activists, wanting to join the Movement, and has to prove she's committed enough to fight. Some forty years later, in the Hip Hop Generation, Nicole reunites with her ex-boyfriend on a basketball court, wondering where he's been, when a police officer stops them. Other Side of the Game is an insightful, thoughtful, absorbing look at the demands placed on Black women to be superhuman, to be perfect mothers, partners, and workers all while never tiring in the fight for their communities. Amanda Parris' voice is compelling and wise, crafting characters that will stay with readers and audiences for long after the last page or curtain call.

Other Side of the Game premiered in 2017 at Aki Studio Theatre in Toronto, Co-produced by Cahoots Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company, and won the Governor General's Award for Drama in 2019.

Cast: 3 women, 2 men

What people say:

"[Parris] is definitely someone to keep an eye on… [she] is a strong writer with a unique and inspiring voice." — Mooney on Theatre

"Parris's play does the worthy work of combating the idea that Black women are superhuman, able to bear the weight of their communities, fight societal racism on micro and macro levels, and care for their families while managing a tight budget." — Toronto Star

"Through this important exploration of gender and loyalty in the Black community, Parris highlights a whole host of issues crucial for all Canadians to confront and consider." — NOW Magazine

"Other Side of the Game is an unbelievably good piece of theatre." — Stratford Festival Reviews

"If wishes were kittens, Amanda Parris's debut play, Other Side Of The Game, would still be a lion's roar against Toronto's treatment of the Black community." — Caribbean Camera

About the Playwright:

Amanda Parris is a Canadian writer for the stage and screen, as well as a television and radio host. Born in London, England, descending from Grenadian and Venezuelan ancestry, she was raised in Toronto. Her debut play, Other Side of the Game, won the Governor General's Literary Award in 2019. She is the co-founder of the award-winning alternative education organization Lost Lyrics and worked with the Remix Project and the Manifesto Festival. She has spoken about her work at United Nations conferences around the world.