New Translation Commission – Arts Across Canada
New Translation Canada | Nouvelle Traduction Canada
NEW TRANSLATION COMMISSION
blood.claat
By d’bi.young anitafrika
Translator (to French): Djennie Laguerre
The first play of the sankofa trilogy, blood.claat is a story of womxn and blood; life blood and death blood as experienced through the journey of fifteen-year-old mudgu sankofa. shx is surrounded by a legacy of personalities: from granny to auntie to njoni black to stamma to ogun and to pearl johnson, who all relate to blood on their own terms. mudgu negotiates gender, class, race, and sexuality through hxr intimate relationship with hxr own blood. the inevitable nature of cycles makes blood.claat a resistance to colonial oppression. a ceremonial dance. a liberashun chant. a long dub poem. dub theatre embodied.
MEET THE PLAYWRIGHT
d’bi.young anitafrika
Playwright-Performer, activist, and scholar, d’bi.young anitafrika is celebrated for their powerful plays and transformative theatre practice. Their work demonstrates an unwavering commitment to Black queer feminist theatrical forms while exploring the dynamism and complexity of the Afro-Caribbean-Canadian diasporic experience. Their teaching, activism, & mentorship have built a foundation for many Black, Indigenous and Global Majority artists to creatively explore decolonial practice. d’bi.young’s work continues to inspire and create change here and internationally. www.dbiyounganitafrika.com
MEET THE TRANSLATOR
Djennie Laguerre
A bilingual multifaceted artist, Haitian-born actress Djennie Laguerre has charmed audiences with her acting, dancing and storytelling. She nurtured her gifts by attending De La Salle High School (Visual Arts and Theatre), studying Theatre and French literature at University of Ottawa & the Stella Adler Acting Conservatory (NYC). Her solo show Rendez-vous with Home & the French version Rendez-vous Lakay was presented at Le festival Le Loup de Lafontaine / Festival des Contes Nomades at the NAC/Théâtre français de Toronto/ MAI / SummerWorks Festival. She is the recipient of the SummerWorks Spotlight Award. www.djennielaguerre.com
ABOUT NTC
“Our production would not have been possible without the passion and dedication of the New Translation Canada team in partnering playwrights and translators, commissioning the new
translations, and developing the texts to make to them rehearsal ready.”
– Karine Ricard, Théâtre français de Toronto
Every three years, four or five Canadian playwrights in both official languages (French & English) are nominated for the Siminovitch Prize, Canada’s top theatre award. Each of these playwrights represents a leading voice in Canadian playwriting as nominated by their peers.
This independent project was born from a discovery that the works of the playwrights nominated for the 2020 Siminovitch Prize and their contributions to Canadian culture were not available in both official languages. We imagine a truly national theatre community where the works of anglophone and francophone artists are available and promoted to audiences in both official languages.
ABOUT CREATIVE TRANSLATION
Professionally as “Creative Translation.”, Translation in theatre, rather than a word-for-word substitution, the source text is a point of reference to create an equally compelling work in the new language.
With many choices beyond words, the creative translator draws on a wide knowledge of the performing arts and a deep understanding of the target culture. In addition to new rhythms, poetic structures, and metaphors, it’s not uncommon for new scenes, scenarios, and text to be created. It is a uniquely collaborative art; one where the collaborators are the cultures and languages of the original and target population as embodied by the artists involved.
Our Creative Translation team is gathered from leading theatre makers in both official languages from across the nation.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Co-founders & Creative Producers: Johanna Nutter & Jack Paterson | Co-founder: Yolanda Ferrato
Land Acknowledgment
Activities related to this project take place on the traditional unceded territories of several First Nations and Indigenous groups in the territory now known as Canada. These include: the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations (Vancouver, British Columbia), Kanien’kehá:ka Nation (Montreal, Quebec), Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), Tsuut’ina Nation, Nakoda Island First Nations and Métis Nation (Region 3) (Treaty 7 Territory, Calgary, Alberta), Anishinaabe-Algonquin Nation (Ottawa, Ontario) and Mi’kmaq Nation (Nova Scotia). We recognize and honour the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation commission and acknowledge the importance of Indigenous sovereignty on this unceded territory.
For more information on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada click here. www.nctr.ca
We gratefully ackowledge the support of:
