7. Lili Robinson, Mx, photo by Christache Ross
The Cultch presents Mx, an Off the Corner Productions show streamed live from The Cultch’s Historic Theatre, February 18-24, 2021.
Until further notice, in line with the public health order, non-essential travel into, within, and out of BC is not recommended. BC residents, let’s do our part by continuing to stay small and support local with your immediate household, in accordance with the latest guidelines.
Welcome to The Nancy Show, where each night one lucky guest from the African Diaspora is granted a unique opportunity to reconnect to their ancestors. Here we find Max, a gender-questioning and mixed-race introvert, who has hopes of gaining insight into their African ancestry, and finding a better understanding of where they fit in the Black community. Seeking answers to some major life questions—What of culture and ancestry lives within us, and how much is determined by our upbringing? Does blood equal belonging? Max meets the famed Mz Nancy, our host for the night. Witty and glamorous, Nancy seems to have an answer for everything… but, as Max discovers, things are never black and white.
2. Emily Jane King, Lili Robinson, Alisha Davidson, Mx. Photo by Christache Ross.
Written by emerging playwright Lili Robinson, and inspired by their personal experience, Mx took shape and was developed with the assistance of Playwrights Theatre Centre as part of the Fringe New Play Prize. “The concept for Mx was born from a deep sense of needing to unpack my racial identity and untangle my personal history as a mixed-race kid,” says Robinson. “Raised in Vancouver by my white Canadian mother, I grew up with little connection to the city’s Black community, which was at that time particularly small in number. It was not until late into my teens, witnessing the onslaught of police murders of unarmed Black people in the States, that I was unavoidably confronted with the question, ‘Where do I fit?’” Mx went on to have a very successful run at the 2019 Vancouver Fringe Festival, where it was awarded the coveted Cultchivating the Fringe Award. Since then the creative team of Mx have been workshopping and developing the show. Now, under the direction of co-directors, Donna-Michelle St. Bernard and Jiv Parasram, the original cast returns—this time to the digital stage. Together with The Cultch video and tech team, the creators of Mx have been experimenting with ways to interpret Mx for an online audience.
Bringing this show to Cultch audiences this Black History Month is very meaningful to playwright Lili Robinson, who calls The Cultch their local theatre, and who was part of the Cultch Youth Program when they were younger. “Bringing Mx to the Cultch means being able to tell my story, my truth,” says Robinson. “Doing this show means being able to engage frankly with dynamics around the consumption of Black culture, the politics of mixed-race identity, and white folks’ engagement, or lack thereof, with the topic of race.”
Where: Online – streamed live from the Historic Theatre
Tickets: Tickets from $29. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or thecultch.com/event/mx/
**Join the Mx team for a post-show talk-back following the Feb 19 and 20 7:30PM performances. Both talkbacks will be hosted by !Kona and Morgan Switzer-Rodney of BlackChat, a locally-based podcast and this show’s Community Partner.
