— ABOUT THE PROJECT

When purple popsicles can no longer soothe Tamara’s pain, she prays to the Great JB for guidance. To her surprise, He answers. Through the power of magic Tamara and her friends embark on an epic journey. Together, they fight off the shadows that have overtaken Tamara’s peace of mind.

Will this be their last hurrah? Or, will these teens find a way to stay connected beyond the confines of a computer lab?

With this play isi bhakhomen wants to begin a dialogue around the maltreatment of black girls within the education system. They want to build an environment of wellness that will give audience members the opportunity to debrief after each performance. Some themes explored in this play include houselessness and physical violence. These might be triggers and they want to make sure that there is time dedicated for reflection. A talking circle. This idea was introduced to them through Kamloopa: An Indigenous Matriarch Story by Kim Senklip Harvey. The Indigenous practice of reflection is something that they want to integrate within all of their theatrical projects, especially the ones that deal with hard topics.

— BIOGRAPHY

Magda Uculmana-Falcon (a.k.a. isi bhakhomen) (Acting, 2021)  is a PERUVIAN and NIGERIAN playwright, actor and director based in Tkaronto, Treaty 13 Territory. Through storytelling they aim to build worlds that give black children permission to breathe, to release, and to heal.


During their time at NTS, they had the opportunity to work with incredible artists such Jojo Rideout and Brian Dooley (Voice and Text), Martha Burns (Intro to the Actor’s Process), Rose Plotek and Anne-Marie MacDonald (Solo Project), Julain Molnar (Solo Song), Anita Nittoly and David Chinchilla (Stage Combat), Brenda Bazinet (Canadian Scene Study), Willow White (Theatre History), Tim Welham and Danielle Irvine (Shakespeare), Floydd Ricketts (Head of Music), Andrew Kushnir (Bonus Points If You Have Air Conditioning) and ahdri zhina mandiela (Devised Theatre Creation).


In addition, they would like to acknowledge their mentor, Lisa Karen Cox. Without them, this accomplishment, graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada, would not have been possible.


― Suzan-Lori Parks, Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Los Angeles, 2010


“Holding yourself above others will not work for long, holding your arms open will support you.”