D’bi.young anitafrika is a mesmerizing performer, a controlled tornado of energy on stage as she fleshes out a dizzying range of roles from naive schoolgirl to strutting revolutionary and sinister cop in word!sound!powah!

In a word, FELA! is fabulous. Broadway veteran Bill T. Jones has created a unique theatrical construct that erupts on stage in a vibrant whirl of colour and movement set to the insistently danceable pulse of Afrobeat, the music created by its namesake.

Both plays take a particular view of Africa through a lens that is coloured one way or another by location and race. At the same time, neither offers easy answers or the last word on the topic, posing questions about larger issues through individual stories.

After finding the strength to live, Armstrong discovered solace in a continued relationship with dance, using it as a binding force that connected her more strongly with family and friends. “I quit ballet and never looked back; I haven’t returned to it to this day,” she says. “Someone shutting down your only lifeline can be a very traumatic experience.

Sway TV stopped by the Sony Centre for a performance of the hit musical play Church Girl. Led by a star-studded cast, including Robin Givens, Clifton Powell and Demetria McKinney, Angela Barrow-Dunlap’s latest play is the inspirational story of a pastor’s daughter who loses her way.

The unique title is a metaphor for the adjustments immigrants make to align themselves with Western society. In its exploration of the personal journeys of three African immigrants, the narratives will unfold in a multidisciplinary fashion, employing poetry, dance, and visual imagery.

“Sometimes the strongest family is the one you make,” reads the tag line of this inspirational musical by Cheryl Nembhard. My Brother’s Keeper may sound like an old biblical phrase, but this emotional and groundbreaking play is the story of hope and perseverance.

Two years since the TV show’s cancellation, ownership is exactly what Anthony has as she prepares for ‘da Kink’s return to the stage in August. This time around, there is no powerhouse financier lending a hand to foot the bill.

“I’m honoured to be counted in that category because no one, as a person of faith, has accomplished as much as he has in the area of the arts,” she says. “But I take it with a grain of salt because I feel like with the platform that God has given me, I don’t wanna just make people laugh.”

In its outlines, AWAKE revolves around the infamous 2005 shooting death of Amon Beckles, who was brazenly gunned down when he stepped out of a church as he attended a funeral service for a friend near Finch and Albion.