- Written by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard
- Directed by Yvette Nolan
- Associate Director Tawiah Ben M’Carthy
An epic exploration of history, war and forgiveness, The First Stone by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard considers the exploitation of child abductees in the Ugandan civil war, the communities from which these children are stolen, and the determination to bring them home.
Company
New Harlem Productions is a project-based arts organization that prioritizes marginalized narratives. It is concerned with its impact on people, places and things; projects are undertaken with consideration for sustainability, solidarity, professional development, equitable resource distribution, social implications and front-line experiences.
The organization was founded in 2005 by Artistic Director Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, aka Belladonna the Blest. DM is an emcee, playwright and agitator whose main body of work, the 54ology, includes Cake, Sound of the Beast, A Man A Fish, Salome’s Clothes, Gas Girls, Give It Up, The Smell of Horses and The First Stone. She is currently the emcee in residence at Theatre Passe Muraille, associate artist at lemonTree Creations and coordinator of the AD HOC Assembly.
Creative team
- Written by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard
- Directed by Yvette Nolan
- Associate Director Tawiah Ben M’Carthy
- Dramaturge Isaac Thomas
- Choreography Pulga Muchochoma and Indrit Kasapi
- Lighting design Michelle Ramsay
- Set design Rachel Forbes
- Composer Maddie Bautista
- Costume design Jeff Chief
- Stage Manager Sarah O’Brien
- Assistant Stage Manager Heather Bellingham
- Production Manager Charissa Wilcox
National Creation Fund investment
The National Creation Fund’s investment of $180,000 supports several enhancements to the project’s development, including additional time with the full collaborative team, workshops dedicated to accessibility and sustainable design, and a community-engaged Justice Forum.
Credits
Development partners: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Why Not Theatre, lemonTree creations, Native Earth Performing Arts, Rumble Theatre
Developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund.
Performance dates
Past performances
| Presented by GCTC | Apr 13 - Apr 23, 2023 | Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre (Ottawa) |
