Introduction
Illuminating Matriarchs is a collection of short digital works by artists curated by Rebecca Singh and Derek Kwan and commissioned by Common Boots Theatre. It was inspired by Rebecca’s ongoing project Lifting As We Climb, a series of accessible chapbooks created by Rebecca Singh and illustrator Ruth Tait to uplift little known women in Canadian and Indigenous History.
Inspired by a prompt provided by Rebecca Singh, four intersectional artists were asked to respond by creating short digital pieces. These are presented here in a number of accessible formats. The artists are: Raoul Bhaneja, Vivian Chong, Tsholo Khalema, Janis Mayers.
Funding for this project was provided by TD Bank Ready Commitment.
The following teaser video features project co-curator Rebecca Singh introducing the project and the commissioned artists. This video contains spoken English with open captions.
About Lifting As We Climb
Soon to be published, Lifting as We Climb is a one-of-a-kind collection of chapbooks and graphic shorts that illuminate amazing women who have contributed to Canadian history. Featured in the series so far are Anna Greenup, Bessie Hall, Wanda Robson, Jackie Shane and Dr. Emily Stowe. Delivered in epub 3 format, the series is fully accessible and includes several short films on the subjects.
Click below to pre-order the first instalment, Sister Sailor: The Remarkable Journey of Bessie Hall.
For more information on Lifting As We Climb and to receive updates, click on the link below:
Commissioned Pieces
Jackie Richardson: Weaver of Dreams (Raoul Bhaneja)
- Original video version with closed captions
- Extended audio described version with closed captions
- Transcript
Commissioned artist: Raoul Bhaneja
Featured person: Jackie Richardson
Jackie Richardson: Vocals
Raoul Bhaneja: Vocals
Jesse Whiteley: Piano
Nika Belianina: Cinematographer
Raoul Bhaneja: Director and Editor
Closed Captioning: Suchiththa Wickremesooriya
Audio Description: Superior Description Services
Written and voiced by Janis Mayers with consultation by Christine Malec
Know Your Elders (Janis Mayers)
- Original video version with closed captions
- Extended audio described version with closed captions
- Transcript
Commissioned artist: Janis Mayers
Featured person: LeZlie Lee Kam
Camera Operater: Ana Figo
Director/Editor/Writer: Janis Mayers
Music: Sound Stripe
Additional Support: Golboo Amani
Closed Captioning: Suchiththa Wickremesooriya
Audio Description provided by Superior Description Services.
Written and voiced by Rebecca Singh with consultation by Vivian Chong and input by Janis Mayers
Audio Engineering by Cecilio Escobar
Strong Woman (Vivian Chong)
- Original video version with closed captions
- Extended audio described version with closed captions
- Transcript
Commissioned artist: Vivian Chong
Featured person: Claire Kearns
Video Recording/Editing: Vivian Chong and Jeff Dusome
Closed Captioning: Suchiththa Wickremesooriya
Audio Description provided by Superior Description Services.
Written by Rebecca Singh with consultation by Christine Malec
Tighter Than A Granny’s Knot (Tsholo Khalema)
Written and Performed By: Tsholo Khalema
Open Captioning by: Suchiththa Wickremesooriya
Audio-Prioritized Versions of All Pieces
JACKIE RICHARDSON: WEAVER OF DREAMS (Raoul Bhaneja)
KNOW YOUR ELDERS (Janis Mayers)
STRONG WOMAN (Vivian Chong)
TIGHTER THAN A GRANNY’S KNOT (Tsholo Khalema)
Visual-Prioritized Versions of All Pieces
JACKIE RICHARDSON: WEAVER OF DREAMS (Raoul Bhaneja)
KNOW YOUR ELDERS (Janis Mayers)
STRONG WOMAN (Vivian Chong)
TIGHTER THAN A GRANNY’S KNOT (Tsholo Khalema)
Illuminate a Matriarch
Do you have a matriarch you’d like to uplift? She may be a family member, a mentor, a community builder, or a great friend. Share a story, a picture, or a full-blown biopic on social media and tag us. We’d love to learn more about the incredible women surrounding us every day that deserve to be illuminated!
Tag us and use the hashtags:
@commonbootstheatre #IlluminatingMatriarchs #WomensHistoryMonth #WomenInHistory #HerStory #WomenWhoLead #InspirationalWomen #StrongWomen #theatre #Torontotheatre #theatrelife #YYZ #Toronto #theaTO
Your support helps with our efforts to make our work more accessible and welcoming, including: removing barriers by providing free admission, and providing accessibility through ASL, audio description, captioning, and other initiatives.
Rebecca Singh
Co-Curator: Illuminating Matriarchs
Rebecca Singh (she/her) is an award-winning producer, published author, international public speaker, actor, and writer whose multidisciplinary art practice spans over 25 years. She is a highly sought-after voice-over artist, she has appeared on screen on the Emmy-winning show The Handmaid’s Tale and contributed her vocals to the Juno-nominated record Retribution. Rebecca’s original interactive performance artworks have been showcased at Nuit Blanche. She has been a recipient of the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Protegée Award and a Spoken Word Residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts. She has also served as a jury member for the Canadian Screen Awards. An advocate for accessibility and inclusion in the arts, she has been revolutionizing the industry with leading innovations since 2011. She is the CEO and Founder of Superior Description Services and a contributor to the Routledge Handbook of Audio Description. One of her latest projects is the adaptation of her play My Origami Motorcycle into a newly published accessible graphic novel.
Raoul Bhaneja
Creator: Jackie Richardson: Weaver of Dreams
Raoul Bhaneja (he/him) is an actor, musician, writer, and producer based in Toronto and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of The National Theatre School and has appeared on stages across Canada, including touring his own productions Hamlet (solo), Life, Death and The Blues, and the Pulitzer Prize winning Disgraced, opposite his wife and Hope and Hell Theatre Co. co-founder Birgitte Solem. He has appeared in over 130 different film and television projects on both sides of the border and has been the front man of Raoul and The Big Time, an award-winning veteran band of the Canadian Blues scene for over 25 years.
Vivian Chong
Creator: Strong Woman
Vivian Chong (she/her) is an artist, singer/songwriter, playwright, theatre creator, actor, dancer, drummer, filmmaker, comic book author, and tri-athlete. She is a Dora award nominee and finalist for the Toronto Book Award. Her graphic memoir Dancing After TEN was the winner of US Library Journal award, and recommended by The New York Times and NPR. The accessible audiobook for Dancing After TEN is available at The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA). Vivian teaches accessible yoga and is the youth leader for the blind and partially-sighted community. Vivian is passionate about accessible theatre and art, she is an audio description consultant to help others to enjoy art. In 2015 Vivian’s one-woman show The Sunglasses Monologue was spotlighted at Second City, followed by her tour of the show to Canmore, Alberta. Her show Dancing With The Universe, featuring her original songs, choreography and monologue, was part of the CoMotion Art and Disability Festival. She was a keynote speaker in Mexico for Otros Territorios Encuentro de Artes festival. In February 2025 her new show Blind Dates will be showcased at Theatre Passe Muraille.
Tsholo Khalema
Creator: Tighter Than A Granny’s Knot
Tsholo Khalema (he/him) is an artist based in Tkaronto. He is dedicated to intertwining his artistic expressions with a commitment to social justice. As a multi-hyphenate of the arts, Tsholo recently served as the Assistant Director and dialect coach for Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and Assistant Director for The Guide To Being Fabulous. Selected Film/TV/Media credits include Director of two episodes of The Fabulous Show with Fay& Fluffy, actor in Extinction as a Dugong, Y the Last Man as Jack, and SortOf as Nurse. Recent theatre credits include The First Stone as an ancestor, Cake as Mabo, Lilies, or the Revival Of A Romantic Drama as Simone, and musicals like The Drowsy Chaperone as Trixx and Little Shop Of Horrors as Christal. In May 2024, Tsholo will be making his TYA debut with the original work BLANK created by AMAVA Collective (Jan Jennings & Tsholo Khalema), originally commissioned and supported by Theatre Direct. Tsholo is also a Facilitator for Theatre Passe Murraille’s VUKA creative program. For more updates on Tsholo’s artistic journey and upcoming projects, please visit www.tsholovisions.com.
Janis Mayers
Creator: Know Your Elders
Janis Mayers (she/her) is an afro-Indigenous and European settler Toronto-born multi-disciplinary artist. She is a graduate of Seneca College’s Corporate Media Production program. She transitioned to the arts sector in 2018 and has since produced 2 short films: Park Life Chapter 1 and 2, as well as 2 documentaries: Pile of Dirt and Know your Elders. From 2019 to 2020 she worked in two collaborative projects The Solitudes produced by Aluna Theatre and Derives produced by Sans Productions. During the creative process, she had the opportunity to explore physical performance and write her own material, allowing her to incorporate two strengths: poetry and her passion for bodybuilding. This inspired her to bring these together to pursue a project titled Park Life, a play based in 1990’s Regent Park, its people, and its community. A 20-minute excerpt of the Park Life was presented at the 2023 Caminos festival.