“It is our time to tell our story” Obeah Opera sheds light on the untold story of the Salem Witch Trials

BY SELINA McCALLUM

“Life of a slave is not easy, but it’s what I deserve,” sang the black women in Obeah Opera, playing the role of the slaves in Salem, Massachusetts from 1692.

Obeah, which is a Caribbean term connected to witchcraft, is an opera of a talented and stunning all-female cast, which tells the untold story of the legendary Salem witch trials from the spellbinding perspective of the first woman accused, the young Caribbean slave, Tituba. Obeah Opera is a musical odyssey that offers a new take on the witch trials, slavery, and the operatic form itself.

The world premiere of Obeah Opera presented by Renette and David Berman, took place from June 13^th to June 22^nd in Toronto at Fleck Dance Theatre during the Luminato Festival.

Luminato is Toronto’s international arts festival, having commissioned over 100 new works of art, with more than 3,600 performances, and featuring over 15,000 artists from 40 countries and counting.

Dedicated to performance, media and visual arts, and programming, Luminato works closely with Canadian artists to support the development and creation of distinctive new work as well as presenting today’s most exciting international artists.

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The play, created, written and produced by Nicole Brooks, took 10 years in the making, undergoing a lot of change to what is it on stage today. At first, the play was only an hour long, but Brooks felt that it still did not tell the entire story of Tituba. Now, the play is two hours long, complete with compelling music sung acapella and captivating movement.

Making the play did not come without challenges.

“I wasn’t able to raise all the resources. So even though I had the story and the music, I still needed the resources to actualize the vision,” said Brooks.

Then, Brooks was the recipient of the prestigious Canada 150 grant and commissioned by Luminato.

“Luminato and this commission presently has afforded me more time, more of all the resources that I want, and was able to work with all the departments to discuss fully what my vision is for the project,” said Brooks.

However, Brooks never thought her vision would come true as the Canadian theatre industry does not include many stories about black history and experiences.

“When I first launched this project, I thought it was impossible to do. I really thought big, I wanted a Broadway level show in Canada, and why not,” questioned Brooks. “We wait for plays like Showboat and Lion King, and all these different plays that would include black people but when I look at the Canadian works, in particular musicals and operas, it doesn’t include us as black people, in particular, Caribbean people,” said Brooks.

Watching and listening to Brooks’s vision on stage was magical. It was more than a Broadway level show. The stage was versatile to fit every scene from a forest to a ship, to a church. Each actress had a colorful, beautiful, and flowing skirt that made their dance and movement much more captivating. The set and costume design was done by Robin Fisher.

Fisher is a Dora-Award winning set and costume designer based in Toronto. Fisher has been designing productions for theatres across the country since the late 1990s.

The opening scene started with a few women holding their lanterns in the dark as they walked through the forest until they are attacked and taken, if not killed, by the slave masters. Tituba’s mother, played by Tu Nokwe, is killed in the altercation, and Tituba is taken against her will by sea to Salem, Massachusetts where she is sold, raped and forced to work as a slave.

Later, Tituba creates a bond with the young European girl, Betty, played by Dana Jean Phoenix, whom she looks after. Betty grows to admire Tituba as she sticks up for her when two older girls call her a slave, and she rises to Tituba’s defense, calling her a star.

Other media outlets have praised Obeah Opera. The Globe and Mail wrote that Obeah Opera “powerfully delivers a score that mixes calypso, spiritual and gospel with blues and jazz.”

Grammy Award-winner, Dan Hill, said, “With an inter-disciplinary approach that incorporates musical theatre, opera, dance, and Caribbean costumes, Obeah Opera is an inspiring work. A must see.”

A quote that Brooks lives by is “Until Lion(esses) have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.”

“The hunter represents the white man and the lioness represents the women, which is a good metaphor for me because that’s how I look at the women who surround me. It is our time to tell our story,” said Brooks.