Heads back, mouths open, eyes wide.
Someone to your left lets out a sound. A sigh laced with laughter - “rah, that’s mad”- and it ripples through the auditorium. Bouncing off the balcony, weaving through the narrow gaps between shoulders, it eventually settles in your mind, mirroring the thought you had moments before they spoke it. They, too, picked up on the wit, the relevance, and the comedy of the line that was just uttered on stage.
Almost involuntarily, you find yourself with your head in your hands, stifling laughter.
That quiet moment of collective recognition - that was for me, about me, and about you too - is the power of seeing theatre that reflects your experiences. Critically, in community with others who have experienced the same thing.
This is something we, as a Black community, seldom get to engage with as Black stories rarely make it to the stage, and when they do, the theatre is rarely a space we can access and feel welcomed.
So The Rendition was founded to turn the theatre into a space that celebrates Black stories and embraces Black people. We do this by:
Making Black Theatre a regular part of everyone’s cultural consumption - through our website and newsletter.
Making theatre financially accessible to all, especially Black communities - through meaningful discounts.
Driving structural change from the inside-out - advising theatres on how to reach diverse audiences through The Rendition Studio.
Through theatre, we don’t just connect, but reconnect - to ourselves, our histories, our neighbours.
Central to everything we do, are three beliefs:
Art is not a luxury. It shouldn’t be reserved for the privileged or those with disposable income. It’s a necessary and joyous part of a full, human life.
We are stories. Tales of who we are, where we come from, and where we’re trying to go govern how we understand ourselves and the world around us.
Theatre is home. Like the kitchen counter, or an altar at church, theatre is a communal space where we gather to reflect, to fight, to express, to exhale, and to feel like we belong.
We’re in our fifth year, and like most good stories we’re not sure how we got here, or where we’ll end up. What we do know is that we’re here to serve the collective - working towards a world where Black Theatre, is simply theatre - and building an incredible community while doing so.
Making it Black from stage to seats,
Shore x