Saccha Dennis Performer: Hannah and others
That whole last week, there was an interesting parallel between the show and the coronavirus — when you’re performing to a half-empty house about a major global event and people coming together.
The thunderous applause you hear at the end of the show, it’s one of the peaks of my career. We were very spoiled. But the difference to that last Friday night was night and day. But they were so appreciative and wanted to be there, theatregoers are wanting to get away from the world and we provide that escape for them.
I think all of us were in denial at some point and me at least, I like to feel in control. At the same time, I see the silver lining. We’ve been running for three years, six days a week, without an intermission. So this is our long intermission. I have a four-year-old, so I’ve become a teacher — that was an adjustment — but it’s a real blessing in disguise because I get to spend more time with her.
And I always have a creative project to work on, so this global awakening to Black lives was an opportunity for me to go back to my roots, go back to what I do, which is advocate for amplifying BIPOC voices. I direct, too, and my theory as a director is to reimagine stories and to tell stories that are not often told … Right now, I’m working on an adaptation of “Jesus Christ Superstar” through the lens of a Black Panther and the story of Fred Hampton.
It’s a matter of recreating theatre in a sense. When this is all over, what do we want theatre to look like? I want to challenge theatre companies and see who would like to join me in this idea. Obviously, this is a really sensitive time for the arts … but the urgency of what needs to be told takes precedence at this point. If I can get a hold of Andrew Lloyd Webber somehow, you know, this is the opportunity! It’s the time now for people to step out and stand in solidarity … I want Canada and Canadian theatre to get a little more uncomfortable, have uncomfortable conversations and be comfortable with having those uncomfortable conversations. “When this is all over, what do we want theatre to look like?” asks Saccha Dennis, who portrays Hannah and others in the musical.