Djanet Sears is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

playwright, nationally recognized for her work in African-Canadian theatre. Sears has many credits in writing and editing highly acclaimed dramas such as ''Afrika Solo'', the first stage play to be written by a Canadian woman of African descent; its sequel ''

Harlem Duet ''Harlem Duet'' is a 1997 dramatic play by Canadian playwright Djanet Sears. Billie, a young graduate student in Harlem, deals with her husband Othello leaving her for a white woman named Mona. The play moves through time to show Billie and Ot ...

''; and '' The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God''. The complexities of intersecting identities of race and gender are central themes in her works, as well as inclusion of songs, rhythm, and choruses shaped from West African traditions. She is also passionate about "the preservation of Black theatre history," and involved in the creation of organizations like the Obsidian Theatre and AfriCanadian Playwrights Festival.

Early life and education

Djanet Sears was born in 1959 in

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, to a Guyanese father and a Jamaican mother. She lived there until 1974 when her family moved to

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, and then settled in Oakville, Ontario, in 1975. Her birth name was Janet — she added the D after a trip to West Africa where she came across a plateau called " Djanet," inspiring her to change her name as a nod to her African ancestry. Sears attended

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

, where she obtained an Honours

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

in theatre in 1999, followed by studies at the

Canadian Film Centre The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization founded in 1988 by filmmaker Norman Jewison in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally launched as a film school, today it provides training, development and advancement opportunities for ...

and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Career

After returning from a trip to West Africa, Sears wrote her stage play ''Afrika Solo'', which premiered in 1987, and sparked the creation of many other full-length plays like ''Double Trouble'', and ''Harlem Duet''. Sears is not only a writer for theatre but also has many credits in acting, directing, and editing multiple volumes of an anthology of Canadian African plays called ''Testifyin': Contemporary African Canadian Drama.''"Djanet Sears." In ''Contemporary Authors Online''. Detroit: Gale, 2007. ''Literature Resource Center'' (accessed November 26, 2016). Sears contributed to the creation of the AfriCanadian Playwrights Festival in 1997, which is a culmination of African-centred plays on the Canadian stage. It was held in Toronto in 2003 as well as 2006. Sears also belongs to and is a founding member of the Obsidian Theatre, "dedicated to producing works by authors of African descent living or working in Canada." Sears as an educator worked as an adjunct professor teaching drama at University College, University of Toronto. Additionally she has held many positions like the international artist-in-residence at Joseph Papp Public Theatre, the writer-in-residence at the

University of Guelph The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...

, and playwright-in-residence at Nightwood Theatre.

Plays

* ''Afrika Solo'' is primarily a one-woman show, along with a two-man chorus. It is a semi-autobiographical play that tells a story about a young woman trying to find herself getting through what new information she is learning along the way. The main character, Djanet, and her experiences are the focal point of the play. * ''Harlem Duet'' takes inspiration from Shakespeare's ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

''. The play is set on the corner of

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and

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

Boulevards. Sears choose this location because she wanted the audience to grasp the concept of race in Canada, and these streets were more familiar to the play's North American audience. The story follows Othello and Billie and their withering marriage as Othello begins to lean towards a white identity, mostly because of his affair with a character named Mona, who is a white woman. The story paints a picture of North America dominated by whiteness. * '' The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God'' follows character Rainey, who is an African-Canadian doctor, and her hardships while living in Western

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. Rainey deals with losing a close family member, a failing marriage and tension between her and her father, who even with poor health and old age is on a mission to maintain his ethnic pride in his community. * ''Who Killed Katie Ross'' * ''Double Trouble'' * ''The Mother Project''

Awards and honours

Sears full-length play ''Afrika Solo'' won the International Armstrong Award for Outstanding Radio Play (1991), and the Silver Prize at the International Radio Festival of New York (1991); its sequel ''Harlem Duet'' has acquired multiple Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and ''The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God'' was shortlisted for the Trillium Book Award (2004). Sears's other distinctions include an even more extensive list, including Canada's highest literary award. * Sears won The Governor General's Literary Award (1998) *

Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award The Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award was a Canadian literary award given to Canadian plays produced by any professional Canadian theatre company, and having performances in the Toronto area. The prize had a monetary value of $25,000, and wa ...

(1998) * Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award (2004) * The Harry Jerome Award (1998) * Phenomenal Woman of the Arts Award * Timothy Findley Award (2004)

Directing credits

* '' The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God', Mirvish Productions, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (2003/2004)'' * ''Harlem Duet'', Blue Heron Theatre, New York, NY. (2002) * ''The'' Wonder of Man'', Nightwood Theatre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1992)'' * ''Dark'' Diaspora... in Dub'', Toronto Fringe Festival, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1990)'' * ''Princess'' Pocahontas and the Blue Spots'', Groundswell, May Works and From the Ground'' Up, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1989) * ''Ella'' and Jennifer'', Groundswell, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1989)'' * ''AStreetcar Named Desire'', Canadian Actor's Equity Association, Talent over ''Tradition, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1989)'' * ''CopperTin Can'', Groundswell, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1988) * ''Shakes'', Cabaret Productions, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1982)

Discography

* "Playsongs and Lullabies" Teds Records, Toronto Canada, (1989) * "Conditions Critical" Verse to Vinyl Records, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, (1989) * "Winterlong" Teds Records, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, (1991) * "Daysongs and Nightsongs" Teds Records, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, (1993)