Daren A. Herbert, Tony Ofori, Jamie Robinson & danjelani ellis in Moonlight Schooner | Photo by Dahlia Katz

I was seated directly behind playwright Kanika Ambrose at her second play opening this season. I’m a stickler for the right timing, so I never got my ideal chance to fan-boy out like I wanted to. I’ll just admit it here: I’m so fully invested in her craft and find her work consistently compelling. Her writing is well observed, capturing the rhythms and ethos of her characters and the communities they inhabit. I fully believe each of these people and care for them deeply too.

A Necessary Angel Theatre Company production, presented in association with Canadian Stage and Tarragon Theatre, Moonlight Schooner is the sort of human snapshot that Ambrose’ excels at. Echoing The Tempest, we open dramatically on a violent storm where a handful of Black sailors are tossed about and stranded on a Caribbean island. Set on May Day in the late 1950s, we witness these men find conflict and camaraderie as they negotiate their sense of purpose and personal dignity amidst the ravages of colonialism. Continue Reading