Educational theatre | Firebrand Theatre

THE STORIES
BEHIND THE HISTORY

UPCOMING

Airborne- A Bessie Coleman Story poster_8_edited.jpg

Firebrand Theatre is thrilled to announce a concert reading of the company's new musical Airborne: A Bessie Coleman Story

about the early African-American pioneer of aviation.

The upcoming concert reading is a work-in-progress and will be presented in collaboration with Drew University.

May 18th, 2PM at BAM Fisher Hillman Studio, in Brooklyn, New York

Story Conceived by Michele Coleman, Beau Dixon, Susan Newman and Rob Fortin.

Book by Beau Dixon & Lyrics by Jewelle Blackman

Music by Dixon and Blackman

SERVICES

Beau Dixon

Artistic Director

Beau Dixon is a multi-award winning playwright, actor, composer and sound designer. As a playwright he has been commissioned by Arbor Theatre (From Here to Africville); Heritage Pavilion (Once a Flame and Freedom Belles); Canadian Citizenship of Immigration (Other People’s Heaven: The Viola Desmond Story) and the Prince of Wales Public School (The Lunch Club). His plays have been performed in elementary, secondary and post- secondary schools throughout Canada and many of them celebrating Black History Month. His one man musical drama Beneath Springhill: The Maurice Ruddick Story won him two Dora awards (Best New Play and Best Performance/ TYA Division), the Calgary Critics Award (Best Individual Performance), Calgary Critics nomination (Best Touring Play), and a Betty Mitchell nomination (Best Male Performance). In 2016 he was a KM Hunter Award finalist and was also inducted into Peterborough's Pathway of Fame for his leadership in the dramatic arts.

Michele is a Toronto based arts educator and theatre maker. She comes to Toronto after seven years in Philadelphia and New York City combined. While in the United States Michele directed new plays with emerging playwrights and was asked to join the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors’ Lab and Mabou Mines theatre company under Lee Breuer. Her directing work has been seen at The Salon, New Georges, Circle Rep Lab, HERE, Dixon Place and Women’s Project and Productions and in Toronto at the Rhubarb Festival. Michele studied Drama at the University of Toronto (UCC Drama Program) and has her M.Ed. and B.Ed. from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). Michele currently works for the York Region District School Board in the English and Drama departments.

Michele Coleman
Co-Producer

A MESSAGE FROM BEAU DIXON

Firebrand is committed to producing stories by Canadian playwrights and we are excited to be celebrating our eighth year as an independent theatre company. Firebrand is a company devoted to educating young people through the medium of theatre to help incite live encounters that are memorable for both the audience and actors. Our intention is to tell stories that provoke and inspire our viewers to look at life from different perspectives.

My play Beneath Springhill: The Maurice Ruddick Story toured Canada celebrating Black History Month throughout the 2014/15 season and returned again in the 2015/16 season. Maurice Ruddick—along with six other miners in the Cumberland Mine in Springhill Nova Scotia—were trapped for nine days. This story touches my heart deeply, not only because of the bravery and courage Maurice instilled in his fellow miners, but because he was also an accomplished musician who used music as a source of strength and hope.

Currently, we are in the process of writing a new musical play Airborne highlighting the pioneer and aviator Bessie Coleman—another courageous historical figure who didn’t allow gender or racial discrimination stop her from achieving her goals.

Please browse through our website to find out more about the variety of stories we have to offer. We thank you for your support and hope to see you at a venue near you!

Yours truly,

Beau Dixon

ABOUT

firebrand (noun)
a person who is passionate about a particular cause, typically inciting change and taking radical action

Our Mandate:
Firebrand Theatre is committed to giving life to stories that directly affect the lives of Canadian youth today.

Our Mission:
We are dedicated to making these stories accessible and affordable for young audiences. We will provide teachers with inclusive curriculum packages to prepare students for the performance and will offer talk-backs after the show, allowing our knowledgeable acting company to field any questions the students may have.

ABOUT